WASHINGTON β President Donald Trump signed legislation Wednesday that compels his administration to release files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, bowing to political pressure from his own party after initially resisting those efforts.
FILE - This photo provided by the New York State Sex Offender Registry shows Jeffrey Epstein, March 28, 2017. (New York State Sex Offender Registry via AP, File)
Trump could have chosen to release many of the files on his own months ago.
"Democrats have used the 'Epstein' issue, which affects them far more than the Republican Party, in order to try and distract from our AMAZING Victories," Trump said in a social media post as he announced he signed the bill.
Now, the bill requires the Justice Department to release all files and communications related to Epstein, as well as any information about the investigation into his death in a federal prison in 2019, within 30 days.
It allows for redactions about Epstein's victims for ongoing federal investigations, but the Justice Department cannot withhold information due to "embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity."
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., speaks during a news conference on the Epstein Files Transparency Act, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
It was a remarkable turn of events for what was once a long-shot effort to force the disclosure of case files from an odd congressional coalition of Democrats, one GOP antagonist of the president and a handful of Trump loyalists.
As recently as last week, the Trump administration even summoned one Republican proponent of releasing the files, Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, to the Situation Room to discuss the matter, though she did not change her mind.
Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., leaves the U.S. Capitol after voting in favor of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
But over the weekend, Trump did a sharp U-turn on the files once it became clear that congressional action was inevitable. He insisted the Epstein matter became a distraction to the GOP agenda and indicated he wanted to move on.
"I just don't want Republicans to take their eyes off all of the Victories that we've had," Trump said in a social media post Tuesday afternoon, explaining the rationale for his abrupt about-face.
The House passed the legislation on a 427-1 vote Tuesday, with Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., being the sole dissenter. He argued that the bill's language could lead to the release of information on innocent people mentioned in the federal investigation.
The Senate later approved it unanimously, skipping a formal vote.
It's long been established that Trump was friends with Epstein, the disgraced financier who was close to the world's elite. But the president consistently said he did not know of Epstein's crimes and cut ties with Epstein long ago.
Before Trump returned to the White House for a second term, some of his closest political allies helped fuel conspiracy theories about the government's handling of the Epstein case, asserting a cover-up of potentially incriminating information in those files.
Acceding to Trumpβs demands, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Friday that she ordered a top federal prosecutor to investigate Epsteinβs ties to Trump political foes, including former President Bill Clinton.
Lawmakers, Epstein survivors push for release of files before vote on bill
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., second from right, and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., right, react Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025,Β during a news conference on the Epstein Files Transparency Act outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington.
A woman wears a pin Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, during a news conference on the Epstein Files Transparency Act outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington.
Protesters hold signs Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, during a news conference on the Epstein Files Transparency Act outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., holds a folder Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, during a news conference on the Epstein Files Transparency Act at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., attends a news conference Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, on the Epstein Files Transparency Act at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., speak to each other Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, during a news conference on the Epstein Files Transparency Act outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., speaks to reporters Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, following a news conference on the Epstein Files Transparency Act outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., attends a news conference Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, on the Epstein Files Transparency Act outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington.
Posters hang on the doors of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's, R-Ga., office Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington.
Reporters attempt to film Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky.,Β Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, following a news conference on the Epstein Files Transparency Act outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington.
