Trump signs legislation ordering DOJ to release Epstein files

President Donald Trump said Wednesday evening that he had signed legislation giving the Justice Department the green light to release files on late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Trump’s ties to Epstein faced increased attention after Trump’s Justice Department and FBI announced in July that investigative materials related to Epstein would not be sealed and the agencies’ investigation into the case was closed.

But on Sunday, Trump announced he supported the release of the documents, claiming he had “nothing to hide.”

“As I told the Fake News Media on Air Force One Friday night, House Republicans must vote to release the Epstein files because we have nothing to hide and it is time to abandon this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Crazies to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party, including our recent victory on the Democrat ‘Shutdown,’” Trump wrote.

WHITE HOUSE HOLDS DEMS’ ‘BAD FAITH’ EPSTEIN DOCUMENT RELEASE AS DEMAND FOR FILES INTENSES

The House on Tuesday led the measure’s ringleaders, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky. and Ro Khanna, D-Calif. and voted to release the files by a 421-1 margin after months of pressure from other Democrats.

Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., was the only House member to vote against the release, saying he did not support the measure because “this bill exposes and injures thousands of innocent people (witnesses, alibi givers, family members, etc.).”

Although House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) ultimately voted in favor of the measure, he expressed similar concerns at a press conference on Tuesday.

NEW RECORDS SHOW EPSTEIN’S PRIVATE EMAILS TO GHISLAINE MAXWELL AND OTHERS BELONG TO TRUMP

“Who will want to come forward if they think Congress might make a political move and reveal their identities? Who will come and talk to prosecutors? This is very dangerous. It will deter future whistleblowers and informants,” he said. “Release of this, meanwhile, could also publicly reveal the identity of undercover law enforcement officers who will be involved in future operations.”

After the House approved the measure, the bill was sent to the Senate and passed unanimously hours later on Tuesday.

The Epstein Files Transparency Act directs the Department of Justice to release all unclassified records and investigative materials related to Epstein and Ghislane Maxwell, as well as files on individuals named in Epstein’s previous legal cases, details regarding allegations of trafficking, internal DOJ communications regarding Epstein, and all details surrounding the investigation into his death.

Files containing names of victims, child sexual abuse material, classified material, or other material that could threaten an active investigation may be retained or removed by the Department of Justice.

Attorney General Pam Bondi told reporters Wednesday that she would comply with the law once it is signed, which directs the Justice Department to post the files online in a searchable format within 30 days.

The Epstein files were met with fanfare in the early days of the administration among the president’s supporters, who rallied around the Trump Justice Department to release details about Epstein’s alleged “client list” and death.

The Justice Department and FBI said in a joint memo obtained by Fox News in July that the two agencies had no more information to share publicly about Epstein’s case and his suicide in 2019, sparking outrage among some MAGA supporters who demanded the Justice Department release more documents.

Trump has since opposed the Epstein case, calling it a “Democrat sham” and called for its release on Sunday.

Pressure to release the files gained momentum after Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Wednesday released three emails provided to them by Epstein’s estate that mention Trump. In response, Republicans released their own stash of 20,000 pages of Epstein documents the same day.

Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell have been indicted on federal sex trafficking charges stemming from Epstein’s years of abusing underage girls. (Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

EPSTEIN ESTATE TO START GIVING FILES TO HOUSE FIGHTERS AFTER ‘BIRTHDAY BOOK’ TRIAL

The documents include emails between Epstein and his longtime partner Ghislaine Maxwell, correspondence with author Michael Wolff, former President Barack Obama’s White House adviser Kathy Ruemmler, and Epstein’s mentions of Trump.

“I want you to understand that the dog that doesn’t bark is trump card… (VICTIM) spent hours with him at my house, not once was he mentioned, chief of police, etc. I’m 75% there,” Epstein wrote in an April 2011 email to Maxwell in response to a subpoena request provided by Epstein’s estate in other correspondence with the committee.

“I was thinking about it…” Maxwell said in response.

Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Epstein has connections to many prominent people, including politicians, actors and academics.

In a separate email to Wolff in 2019, Epstein said he “of course knew about the girls while asking Ghislaine to stop,” referring to Trump. Trump said he banned Epstein from Florida’s Mar-a-Lago golf club because Epstein “kept recruiting people who worked for me.”

While the documents themselves are authentic, Epstein’s statements in the emails are uncorroborated and uncorroborated. The documents do not allege any wrongdoing by Trump and show only that Epstein was referring to the president.

Similarly, Trump has not faced official misconduct charges tied to Epstein, and there are no law enforcement records linking Trump to Epstein’s crimes.

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Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal charges. Maxwell was convicted of charges including sex trafficking of minors and is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence.

Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind and David Spunt contributed to this report.