Trump signs bill compelling DOJ to release Jeffrey Epstein files
President Donald Trump has signed a bill that will compel the Department of Justice to release its records about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The bill received near-unanimous approval in Congress on Tuesday.
Trump made the announcement in a post on Truth Social.
What does this bill do?
The bill requires Attorney General Pam Bondi to release the documents in a searchable and downloadable format within 30 days. It authorizes her to withhold or redact information that could identify victims or that would jeopardize active federal investigations.
The files will include all unclassified records, documents, communications and investigative materials relating to Epstein and his co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell. They will also include flight logs and travel records, documents identifying people and entities connected with Epstein, and internal emails, notes and other internal DOJ communications.
The new legislation is the latest development in a saga that has consumed Washington and much of the nation since Trump returned to office in January. He promised during the 2024 presidential campaign to release all documents related to Epstein, an issue championed by others in his Make America Great Again movement.
But after taking office, Trump opposed releasing the files, claiming the issue was a “hoax” perpetrated by Democrats. He relented this week after a sampling of records released by a congressional committee included emails in which Epstein suggested that Trump had more knowledge than he had previously acknowledged about the late financier’s alleged sex trafficking schemes. In one email, Epstein claimed that Trump had spent several hours with one victim.
Once Democrats and a few Republicans were able to force a vote in the House on releasing the files, Trump urged GOP lawmakers to support the bill.
Only one lawmaker, Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., voted against releasing the files. In a post after his vote, Higgins said the bill would hurt “innocent people.” However, all Epstein survivors have pushed for the release of the documents.
What has the reaction to the bill been?
Trump’s shifting sentiments about releasing the files have caused a rift between him and some Republicans, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., a previously close ally.
During a press conference with victims of Epstein on Tuesday, Greene said the fight had splintered Trump’s MAGA base.
“Watching this actually turn into a fight has ripped MAGA apart,” she said. “The only thing that will speak to the powerful, courageous women behind me is when action is actually taken to release these files.”
Victims, however, were overjoyed after the near-unanimous decision by the House and the Senate. Courtney Wild, who was 14 when Epstein abused her, said the documents’ release will help expose all those who participated in Epstein’s alleged crimes.
“I’m extremely grateful for today’s win,” Wild told ABC News. “Today is the first step in the right direction to expose the elite pedophile ring who enabled this whole operation.”
Some documents already made public
The Justice Department has already released thousands of pages of documents pertaining to its investigation of Epstein, which led to a federal indictment in 2019. Epstein later died by suicide in a New York jail cell.
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have also released a series of emails from Epstein to Maxwell and journalist Michael Wolff that refer to Trump.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has said lawmakers didn’t need to pass this bill because of the Oversight Committee’s releases. Following his vote approving the bill, he asked Senate Republicans to change the language, which he said would better protect the victims.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
