Trump signs bill ordering release of Jeffrey Epstein files
US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he had signed a bill ordering the release of all files related to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The bill requires the justice department to release all information related to the Epstein investigation “in a searchable and downloadable format” within 30 days.
Trump had previously opposed releasing the files, but changed course last week after facing backlash from Epstein’s victims and members of his own Republican party.
With his support, the legislation overwhelmingly approved both houses of Congress, the House and the Senate, on Tuesday.
In a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, the president accused Democrats of championing the issue to distract from his administration’s accomplishments.
“Perhaps the truth about these Democrats and their dealings with Jeffrey Epstein will come out soon, BECAUSE I JUST SIGNED THE LAW RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES!” he wrote.
Deputies in the parliament passed the law with a vote of 427 to 1. The Senate unanimously approved it after it went into effect.
Nearly 20,000 pages of documents from Epstein’s estate were released last week, including some that directly mentioned Trump.
These include 2018 messages in which Epstein said about Trump: “I’m the one who can beat him” and “I know how dirty Donald is.”
Trump had been a friend of Epstein’s for years, but the president said they had a falling out in the early 2000s, two years before Epstein’s first arrest. Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing regarding Epstein.
Speaking to reporters Monday night, Trump said Republicans “had nothing to do with Epstein.”
“This is really the Democrats’ problem,” he said. “Democrats were all friends of Epstein.”
Despite the president’s signature, full release of the Epstein files is not guaranteed. Some portions could still be retained if deemed to violate personal privacy or relate to an active investigation, according to the text of the bill.
Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, one of the architects of the bill, said he had concerns about keeping some files.
“I’m worried about this [Trump is] A number of investigations are being launched and I believe they may be trying to use these investigations as a justification for not releasing the files. “That’s my concern,” he said.
