In brief
President Donald Trump has signed a bill requiring the Justice Department to release all files related to Jeffrey Epstein within 30 days. This decision comes after facing significant pressure from victims and members of his party. The legislation passed overwhelmingly in Congress, and contains some 20,000 pages of documents related to Epstein’s estate. Trump, who previously opposed releasing the files, has changed his stance amid political maneuvering, suggesting a broader effort to deflect attention towards his opponents.
US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he signed a bill ordering the release of all files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The bill requires the justice department to release all information from its Epstein investigation in a searchable and downloadable format within 30 days.
Trump previously opposed releasing the files, but changed course last week after facing pushback from Epstein's victims and members of his own Republican Party.
With his support, the legislation overwhelmingly cleared both chambers of Congress on Tuesday.
In a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, the president accused Democrats of championing the issue to distract attention from the achievements of his administration.
Perhaps the truth about these Democrats, and their associations with Jeffrey Epstein, will soon be revealed, because I HAVE JUST SIGNED THE BILL TO RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES! he wrote.
Lawmakers in the House passed the legislation with a 427-1 vote. The Senate unanimously consented to pass it shortly after.
Some 20,000 pages of documents from Epstein's estate, including some that directly mention Trump, were released last week. They include 2018 messages from Epstein discussing Trump.
Despite the president's signature, the release is not guaranteed. Portions may still be withheld if they violate privacy or relate to an ongoing investigation. One of the bill's architects expressed concerns over withheld files possibly linked to ongoing investigations.
