Trump reverses stance on Epstein records, presses Republicans to support release

US President Donald Trump on Sunday called on Republicans in Congress to vote to release files on late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein; this was a sharp reversal from previous resistance within his inner circle.

“House Republicans must vote to release the Epstein files because we have nothing to hide,” Trump said in a lengthy post on his Truth Social account.

“And it’s time to give up on this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Crazies to distract from the Great Success of the Republican Party, including our recent victory over the Democrat ‘Shutdown,’” he added.

The president said the Justice Department had made “tens of thousands of pages” about Epstein public and that officials were examining “various Democratic operatives.”

Trump’s statement comes as he faces growing pressure over his past ties to Epstein, who died by suicide in August 2019 after being arrested on child sex trafficking charges.

The full House of Representatives is set to vote on Tuesday on a petition demanding the release of criminal investigation files on Epstein.

The Justice Department has refused to publicly release investigative materials, despite prior promises from Attorney General Pam Bondi and other Trump administration officials to do so.

But the House Oversight Committee last week released emails showing Epstein and others talking about Trump.

Some Republican representatives, such as Marjorie Taylor Greene, had criticized Trump’s reluctance to release more Epstein case material in recent weeks, exacerbating rifts within the party.

In his latest message on Truth Social, Trump argued that some “members” of the Republican Party were “being used” and that the party should “GO BACK TO THE TOPIC.”

Trump has denied knowing about Epstein’s decades-long abuse of underage girls and young women, and said the two had a falling out in the early 2000s.