Pressure from within his own party has compelled President Donald Trump into signing legislation that forces the release of federal files tied to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The decision came Wednesday after weeks of resistance, despite the fact that Trump could have ordered the disclosures himself long before Congress intervened.
Trump acknowledged the shift in a social media post, arguing that political opponents had weaponized the issue. “Democrats have used the ‘Epstein’ issue, which affects them far more than the Republican Party, in order to try and distract from our AMAZING Victories,” he wrote as he confirmed he had approved the bill.
Under the new law, the Justice Department must hand over all records and communications linked to Epstein and make public any material connected to the investigation into his 2019 death in federal custody. The department is permitted to shield details about victims and ongoing federal cases, but it cannot block disclosures because of “embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity.”
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The effort to coerce transparency once seemed unlikely to advance. It was backed by a coalition of Democrats, a small group of Republicans often at odds with the president, and a few former loyalists who broke ranks. Only days ago, the administration attempted to persuade one of its loudest GOP supporters of the bill, Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, during a Situation Room meeting. She refused to retreat.
Over the weekend, Trump shifted course once it became clear that the legislation would pass with overwhelming bipartisan support. He said the debate had become a needless distraction. “I just don’t want Republicans to take their eyes off all of the Victories that we’ve had,” he wrote online Tuesday.
The House advanced the measure in a 427-1 vote, with Rep. Clay Higgins of Louisiana standing alone in opposition, AP reported. He argued the bill could unintentionally expose innocent individuals referenced in the case file. The Senate followed with unanimous approval, bypassing a roll-call vote.
Trump has long acknowledged that he once knew Epstein, the disgraced financier with ties to global political and social elites. He has repeatedly insisted he was unaware of Epstein’s criminal activities and ended their association years before the scandal broke out.
In the years before Trump returned to the White House, several of his strongest allies amplified suspicions about how the government handled the Epstein case, raising questions about hidden information and claiming federal officials had concealed key evidence.
