Sakshi Venkatraman
On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump declared that he had signed a bill mandating the release of all documents pertaining to the deceased convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The bill stipulates that the justice department must publish all details from its Epstein inquiry “in a searchable and downloadable format” within 30 days.
Previously, Trump resisted the release of the files, but he reversed his position last week following backlash from Epstein’s victims and members of his own Republican Party.
With his endorsement, the legislation passed both houses of Congress, the House of Representatives and Senate, quite decisively on Tuesday.
In a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, the president accused Democrats of promoting the issue as a diversion from his administration’s accomplishments.
“Maybe the truth about these Democrats, and their connections to Jeffrey Epstein, will soon come to light, because I HAVE JUST SIGNED THE BILL TO RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES!” he posted.
Though a congressional vote was unnecessary to release the files – Trump had the authority to mandate the release independently – lawmakers in the House approved the bill with a 427-1 vote. The Senate gave unanimous consent to pass it upon its arrival, sending the bill to Trump for signing.
The Epstein files set for release under the law consist of documents from criminal inquiries into the financier, including transcripts of interviews with victims and witnesses, as well as items seized during searches of his properties. Those materials comprise internal justice department communications, flight logs, and individuals and entities tied to Epstein.
These files are distinct from the more than 20,000 pages of documents from Epstein’s estate released by Congress last week, some of which directly reference Trump.
Included are 2018 messages from Epstein in which he remarked about Trump: “I am the one able to take him down” and “I know how dirty Donald is”.
Trump was an associate of Epstein for many years, but he has claimed their friendship ended in the early 2000s, two years ahead of Epstein’s first arrest. Trump has continually denied any misconduct related to Epstein.
While speaking to reporters on Monday night, Trump stated that Republicans had “nothing to do with Epstein”.
“It’s truly a Democrat issue,” he remarked. “The Democrats were Epstein’s friends, all of them.”
Getty ImagesEpstein was discovered deceased in 2019 in his prison cell in New York, with the coroner ruling it a suicide. He was facing charges related to sex trafficking. Previously, he had been convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor in 2008.
The once prominent financier had connections to several high-profile individuals, including Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, the brother of King Charles and former prince; Trump; Trump’s former advisor Steve Bannon; and many others from media, politics, and entertainment.
On Wednesday, former Harvard president Larry Summers took a leave from the university while it examined his ties to Epstein, disclosed through a series of friendly email exchanges.
Attorney General Pam Bondi is mandated to release “all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials” concerning Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell no later than 30 days following the enactment of the law. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking.
However, according to the law’s language, certain parts might still be withheld if deemed to infringe on personal privacy or if they pertain to an ongoing investigation.
The bill grants Bondi the ability to withhold information that could endanger any active federal investigation or identify victims.
One of the bill’s creators, Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, expressed worries about some documents being retained.
“I’m worried that [Trump is] initiating a surge of investigations, and I feel they may be attempting to use those investigations as a rationale for not releasing the files. That’s my concern,” he stated.
