Trump signs bill to compel release of more Epstein documents | Donald Trump

Donald Trump signed a bill Wednesday directing the justice department to release files from the investigation into late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who capitulated under joint pressure from Democratic opponents and the president’s conservative base.

The signing marked a sharp reversal for Trump, who as president had the authority to release the documents himself but chose not to do so.

Democrats praised the debate over the files and the possibility that they might contain compromising information about Trump, who had a personal friendship with Epstein and died in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

Trump attempted to reverse that scenario after signing the bill in a post on Truth Social that noted Epstein’s ties to the Democratic Party.

Trump wrote Wednesday night: “Perhaps the truth about these Democrats and their dealings with Jeffrey Epstein will come out soon, BECAUSE I JUST SIGNED THE BILL ON RELEASE OF THE EPSTEIN FILES!”

The justice department has 30 days to release all files related to Epstein, including the investigation into his death by suicide in a federal prison cell. The legislation allows for the removal of victims’ identifying information, but specifically prohibits authorities from refusing to disclose information due to concerns of “embarrassment, loss of reputation, or political sensitivity.”

Trump waffled on the issue for years before finally bowing to political pressure. On the campaign trail, he promised to release the Epstein files. After taking office, he changed his position, calling the issue a “hoax” and opposing those who wanted to make the documents public.

But in recent days, after it became clear that the House of Representatives would pass legislation, he reversed course, saying “we have nothing to hide” and that “it is time to give up on this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Crazies to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party, including our recent victory on the Democratic ‘Shutdown’.”

After Trump indicated his approval of the bill, Republican objections quickly moved the bill to the House and then the Senate. U.S. House speaker Mike Johnson had delayed the bill for months, and after the House passed it, Johnson said he hoped the Senate would change it, but it did not.

The justice department said earlier this year that it had released all possible documents about Epstein without impeding investigations or revealing information about his victims.

“The majority of the material is subject to sealing by court order,” a Justice Department memo from July said. “Because the seal serves only to protect victims and does not expose any third party to allegations of unlawful wrongdoing, only some of this material would have been made public if Epstein had gone to trial.”

It is unclear what the department will release in response to the bill; The bill details a number of potential items that should be published, but provides exceptions for some materials.

The bill calls for the attorney general to make publicly available non-confidential documents related to Epstein “in a searchable and downloadable format,” including all investigations into Epstein, his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, flight records and travel records, individuals named or implicated in connection with his crimes, entities affiliated with his trafficking or financial networks, immunity agreements and other plea agreements, internal communications related to charging decisions, documents related to his custody and death, and details regarding all file deletions.

The Ministry will have 30 days to submit the documents. The bill creates some exceptions, including the redaction of victims’ identifying information or personal files, any depiction of child sexual abuse, publications that would jeopardize an active investigation or prosecution, and publications of depictions of death or abuse.

Members of Congress have released tens of thousands of documents that resurface and add depth to Epstein’s relationships with prominent figures, including former treasury secretary Larry Summers and author and Trump biographer Michael Wolff.

Trump and Epstein were once friends, and Trump’s name appears in some documents released by members of Congress so far, but the mentions do not imply that he was party to any criminal activity on the part of Epstein.

The documents released by Democratic members of the House oversight committee included an email from Epstein to Wolff in which Epstein said of Trump: “Of course, he knew about the girls when he asked Ghislaine to stop.” In another, he called Trump a “dog that doesn’t bark.”

Epstein regularly emailed people about Trump, often in derogatory terms. “I have met some very bad people,” he wrote in an email. “None of them are as bad as Trump. He doesn’t have a single decent cell in his body.”