US President Donald Trump announced the signing of a bill on Wednesday that mandates the release of government files concerning the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. This legislation requires the Justice Department to disclose all information from its Epstein investigation within 30 days, though some content can be withheld if it pertains to an active probe or infringes on personal privacy.
The bill received broad support in Congress, passing overwhelmingly in both the House of Representatives and the Senate on Tuesday. After facing opposition from Epstein's victims and members of his own Republican Party, Trump reversed his previous stance against releasing the files last week.
Until recently, Trump had downplayed the necessity of releasing these documents, dismissing it as a Democrat-led effort to distract from his partyâs activities. He stated, 'Perhaps the truth about these Democrats, and their associations with Jeffrey Epstein, will soon be revealed, because I HAVE JUST SIGNED THE BILL TO RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES!'
Despite a congressional vote not being required, lawmakers in the House approved the bill with a 427-1 vote. The Senate endorsed it unanimously, sending it to Trump for his signature. The mandated files include documents from criminal investigations into Epstein, such as interview transcripts, seized materials, internal communications, and details of individuals and organizations associated with Epstein.
This release is separate from over 20,000 pages of Epstein estate documents Congress released last week, some of which mention Trump. Those documents include 2018 messages where Epstein claimed to have the ability to bring down Trump.
Trump, who was once friends with Epstein, claims they had a falling out in the early 2000s, well before Epsteinâs first arrest. Trump consistently denies any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.
Speaking recently, Trump stated that Republicans had no connection to Epstein. 'It's really a Democrat problem,' he explained, asserting that the Democrats were the financierâs friends.
Virginia Giuffre's family, a notable Epstein accuser who passed away earlier this year, called Trump's signing of the bill 'nothing short of monumental' for survivors. 'Every name must be revealed, regardless of power, wealth, or party affiliation,' said her family.
Epstein died in a New York prison cell in 2019, a death ruled as suicide, while being held on sex trafficking charges. Previously, he was convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor in 2008. Epsteinâs connections spanned notable figures including members of royalty, Donald Trump, and his former advisor Steve Bannon.