President Donald Trump announced Wednesday evening that he has signed legislation overwhelmingly approved by Congress that aims to compel the release of files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump once again pointed a finger at Democratic lawmakers over the matter, saying, “This latest Hoax will backfire on the Democrats just as all of the rest have.”
Trump’s signature represented a remarkable about-face for the president after he and House Republican leaders had battled rank-and-file members for months over whether documents in the federal government’s possession should be made public.
Trump, appearing eager to avoid a dramatic political defeat as the House prepared to vote on the measure, suddenly changed course Sunday night and announced he would sign the measure.
The bill would direct the Department of Justice to make many records related to Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell publicly available within 30 days of enactment, with exceptions for material related to ongoing investigations.
It also would require Attorney General Pamela Bondi, within 15 days of making such records public, to submit a report to Congress that includes information on the materials it has released and withheld, a list of any redactions made and the legal justification for doing so, and a list of any government officials and politically exposed persons named in the investigation.
Late last week, Bondi tapped Jay Clayton, the Trump-appointed U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, to lead an investigation into Epstein’s ties to notable political figures and campaign contributors. Trump earlier on Truth Social had singled out prominent Democrats such as former President Bill Clinton, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman.
At a news conference Wednesday, Bondi said Clayton’s investigation wouldn’t interfere with disclosures required under the new law. She emphasized that she wouldn’t hesitate to redact sensitive materials as needed.
“We will continue to follow the law with maximum transparency, while protecting victims,” Bondi said.
Trump has spent part of this week trying to defend his reversal — while also continuing to claim the dust-up over the Epstein files was a “Democrat hoax” created by opposition party lawmakers eager to bruise him politically.
“I have nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein. I threw him out of my [Mar-a-Lago] club many years ago because I thought he was a sick pervert,” the president said Tuesday in the Oval Office. “But, I guess, I turned out to be right.”
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, meanwhile, plans to continue its own probe into the late financier and has released a trove of documents from the Epstein estate, including emails from Epstein suggesting Trump “knew about the girls.”
The controversy became a rare example of some congressional Republicans being willing to defy Trump on a hot-button issue.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., initially opposed the measure but eventually had no choice but to bring it to the floor due to a successful discharge petition from Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., the lead backers of the bill.
“We fought the president, the attorney general, the FBI director, the speaker of the House and the vice president to get this win,” Massie, said at a Tuesday news conference outside the Capitol with women victimized by Epstein. “They’re on our side today, though, so let’s give them some credit as well. They are finally on the side of justice.”
All but one House Republicans present Tuesday voted in favor of the measure, resulting in a lopsided final tally of 427-1. Louisiana Republican Clay Higgins was the lone voting member to oppose the bill, arguing that it lacked ample protections for innocent people.
In another surprise move, Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer on Tuesday evening requested unanimous consent to pass the legislation without amendment as soon as it was sent over from the House. No senators objected, clearing its path to passage in that chamber Wednesday toward the Resolute Desk.
“This isn’t about Democrats versus Republicans, or about Congress versus the president,” Schumer said Tuesday. “This is about giving the American people the transparency they’ve been crying [out] for.”
The monthslong standoff between lawmakers and the president over the Epstein files also saw GOP firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speak out against her longtime political ally, contending that Trump — before his Sunday night reversal — was protecting wealthy friends.
“I believe the country deserves transparency on these files. And I don’t believe that rich, powerful people should be protected if they have done anything wrong. And so I’m standing with the women, and I will continue to do my small part to get the files released,” the Georgia Republican told CNN.
Justin Papp contributed to this report.