Trump Signs Bill To Release The Doj's Epstein Files

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed a measure Wednesday to compel the Justice Department to merchandise files related to Jeffrey Epstein, capping disconnected a monthslong bipartisan push successful Congress that initially met guidance from nan president and sparked crisp divisions wrong nan Republican Party.

Trump, who announced nan measure signing successful a Truth Social post, had antecedently said he would motion nan measure into law, moreover arsenic he continued calling nan mostly Democrat-led push to merchandise nan files a "hoax."

The House overwhelmingly supported passing nan measure connected Tuesday, pinch only Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., voting against nan legislation. Later successful nan day, nan Senate agreed to send nan measurement to Trump by unanimous consent, which it did connected Wednesday.

The measure requires Attorney General Pam Bondi to merchandise each unclassified records related to Epstein wrong 30 days. The rule permits Bondi to withhold aliases redact accusation that could jeopardize a national investigation.

Last week, Bondi agreed to nan president’s request for her section to analyse Epstein’s connections to Democrats and others, contempt nan Justice Department having antecedently said that it “did not uncover grounds that could predicate an investigation against uncharged 3rd parties.” Asked during a Wednesday news convention what had changed, she said "new information, further information," but did not elaborate.

The Epstein files and nan president's handling of nan contention person sparked uncommon disunity among Republicans successful Congress and Trump's supporters. The authorities was co-led by Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and garnered vocal support from Democrats and respective Republican lawmakers including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who had a nationalist falling-out pinch Trump.

Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump successful Palm Beach, Fla., successful 1997.Davidoff Studios Photography / Getty Images file

On Sunday, Trump reversed his longstanding guidance to nan legislative effort and called connected House Republicans to support nan bill, saying, "we person thing to hide." Still, he continued referring to nan ungraded arsenic a "hoax" perpetrated by Democrats.

On Tuesday, backers of nan authorities and survivors of Epstein held news convention connected Capitol Hill to impulse lawmakers to support nan merchandise of nan files. Some of nan survivors straight criticized nan president, pinch one, Jena-Lisa Jones, urging him to "please extremity making this political."

The Epstein files surged into nan spotlight past week erstwhile Republicans connected nan House Oversight Committee released much than 20,000 pages of documents from Epstein's property aft Democratic lawmakers released emails from Epstein that referred to Trump.

In 1 of nan emails, Epstein claimed successful 2019 that Trump "knew astir nan girls," but he didn’t impeach Trump of immoderate wrongdoing. In different email from 2011, Epstein referred to Trump arsenic "that canine that hasn't barked" and said that nan now-president "spent hours" astatine Epstein's location pinch a redacted sanction branded arsenic a "victim."

Trump has consistently denied engagement successful immoderate of Epstein’s crimes.

White House property caput Karoline Leavitt responded to nan emails during a property briefing, saying that nan emailed "prove perfectly thing different than nan truth that President Trump did thing wrong."

Trump was friends pinch Epstein successful nan 1980s and '90s, but had a falling-out pinch him successful nan early 2000s, accusing Epstein of hiring away young female labor from his resort’s spa. Trump has said he banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago. The White House has maintained that Trump threw Epstein retired of his nine “for being a creep.”

Epstein pleaded blameworthy successful 2008 to Florida authorities charges of soliciting adultery pinch a minor. He died by termination successful jailhouse successful 2019 arsenic he waited to spell to proceedings connected national sex-trafficking charges.