Release of Epstein files awaits Trump’s signoff after clearing Congress

Both chambers of Congress agreed to order the US justice department to release its files on sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the measure by a 427-1 vote, and the Senate unanimously fast-tracked it without a formal vote.

The moves come just days after President Donald Trump reversed his stance and called on Congress to vote to release the records following public outcry from many of his supporters.

Last week, Trump and his ties to Epstein made headlines again following the release of more than 20,000 pages of documents, some of which mentioned the president. The White House denied any wrongdoing.

Republican Clay Higgins of Louisiana He was the only objector in the House of Representatives and expressed concern that “innocent people would be harmed” by releasing the information.

Trump surprised some in Washington when he stopped attacking people on Capitol Hill who wanted the files released and said there was “nothing to hide.”

Republican congressional leadership was caught off guard after aligning their messaging with the president and opposing his release over the past few weeks.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has repeatedly called the push to release the Epstein files a “democratic hoax.”

He voted in support of the eviction on Tuesday.

The measure was expected to take several days to reach the U.S. Senate, but the timeline quickly accelerated after a resounding afternoon vote in the House.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer moved the bill to the Senate floor under a procedure called unanimous consent. Since no one objected, the bill was not debated and no amendments were added.

It will go from the Senate to the president’s desk, where he is expected to sign it into law.

A congressional vote was not required to release the files; Trump could have ordered the release of the files on his own.

The bill requires Attorney General Pam Bondi to release “all declassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials” related to Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell no later than 30 days after the bill goes into effect.

These materials include internal justice department communications, flight logs, and individuals and organizations affiliated with Epstein.

But the bill also gives Bondi the authority to withhold information that would compromise any active federal investigation or identify any victims.

Epstein, a financier, was found dead in his cell in a New York prison in 2019, after a medical examiner ruled it a suicide.

The man, who was previously convicted of soliciting a minor for prostitution in 2008, was being held on sex trafficking charges.

Thousands of documents were collected during two criminal investigations into Epstein, including transcripts of interviews with victims and witnesses.

Trump and Epstein had previously socialized in similar circles, but the president said he cut ties with Epstein years ago, before his 2008 conviction. The president also said he was unaware of Epstein’s criminal activities.

Last week, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released three email chains, including correspondence between Epstein and Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking.

Some of these mention Trump, including an email sent in 2011 in which Epstein wrote to Maxwell: “I want you to understand that that dog that doesn’t bark is Trump. [VICTIM] I spent hours with him at my home.

The White House announced last week that the victim named in the email was leading Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre.

Giuffre, who died in April, said she never saw Trump participate in any harassment and that there was no suggestion of any wrongdoing by Trump in the emails.

Speaking after the vote, Giuffre’s brother, Sky Roberts, praised his sister’s role in seeking justice for Epstein survivors.

“She did this, she paved the way… She paved the way for us to come forward as advocates, for her surviving sisters to come forward, and we will not stop,” Roberts said.

Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing regarding Epstein. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the emails were “selectively leaked to liberal media by House Democrats in an attempt to create a false narrative to smear President Trump.”

The push to release investigative files held by the Justice Department was led by Republican Thomas Massie, a congressman from Kentucky who sometimes went against his party, and Democrat Ro Khanna, a congressman from California; both introduced the legislation.

Massie faced criticism from Trump for his push to release the files, but he stood firm.

“There will be no president in 2030,” Massie told ABC News over the weekend. He added that his fellow Republicans who voted against the release would be “voting to protect pedophiles.”

Another Republican who pressed for the release of the files was House Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene. He was a staunch supporter of Trump before the two clashed over the issue, with the president now calling him a “traitor.”

At a press conference earlier Tuesday, Greene said she was speaking on behalf of Epstein’s survivors. He also called out Trump directly.

“Let me tell you what a traitor is. A traitor is an American who serves foreign countries and themselves; a patriot is an American who serves the United States and Americans, like the women who stand behind me,” Greene said.

He said the controversy over Epstein was one of the “most devastating things” for the Make America Great Again movement since Trump’s election in 2016.

Survivors of Epstein’s abuse also spoke at the press conference, urging lawmakers to release the files and pushing Trump to do the same.

Epstein survivor Annie Farmer said keeping the files secret amounted to “institutional betrayal.”

“Many more girls and women have been harmed because these crimes were not properly investigated,” Ms Farmer said.