Donald Trump signed legislation on Wednesday (Nov. 19) that requires his administration to release files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The move comes after months of the president opposing its release, especially in social media rants and despite pressure from the Republican Party.
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What Will The Epstein Files Release Include?
President Trump could have released many of the files on his own months ago, per the Associated Press. Now, the bill requires the Justice Department to release all files and communications related to Jeffrey Epstein. DOJ must also release any information about the investigation into his death in a federal prison in 2019. The agency has 30 days to do so. The bill will allow for redactions about Epstein’s victims for ongoing federal investigations. However, DOJ cannot withhold information due to “embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity.”
Trump Sounds Off About Signing Bill To Greenlight Release
The president took to Truth Social on Wednesday to confirm he had signed the bill. In a lengthy rant, he painted the Epstein files release as a ploy by Democrats to distract from the Trump’s administration’s alleged wins.
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“Democrats have used the ‘Epstein’ issue, which affects them far more than the Republican Party, to try and distract from our AMAZING Victories,” Trump wrote.
Also, Trump said Jeffrey was a “lifelong Democrat” who donated thousands to officials in that party. Meanwhile, it has long been established that Trump had been friends with Epstein. But the president has consistently said he did not know of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes and had cut ties with him 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 and a potential cover-up.
Swipe below to see the president’s entire take on signing the bill.
President Did A 180 On The Release Over The Weekend
It was a remarkable turn of events for what was once a farfetched effort to force the disclosure of the Epstein case files. As recently as last week, the Trump administration even called one Republican supporting the releasing the files, Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, to the Situation Room to discuss the matter. She did not change her mind.
Over the weekend, Donald Trump did a sharp U-turn on the files. At that point, it became clear that congressional action was inevitable. He insisted the Jeffrey Epstein matter had become a distraction to the GOP agenda and said 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 his 180 on the matter.
The House passed the legislation on a 427-1 vote. Republican Clay Higgins, R-La., went viral after being the sole opposer. 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.
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Associated Press writer Seung Min Kim contributed to this report via AP Newsroom.
