Highlights:
- Trump reversed his stance and now urges Republicans to release all Epstein files.
- New emails referencing Trump prompted renewed political pressure.
- House may have enough votes to pass the transparency bill this week.
- Released emails mention Trump but include no allegations of wrongdoing.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act would force broad disclosure of all unclassified records. President Donald Trump is now urging Republicans in the House of Representatives to vote for releasing all government files related to Jeffrey Epstein. In a Sunday night (16) post, Trump said Republicans should support the bill because 'we have nothing to hide,' reversing his recent stance on the issue.
Democrats have been slowly releasing documents related to Epstein, including emails that mention Trump. Trump has always denied any connection to Epstein's crimes and has dismissed the new attention as politically motivated. His call for full transparency comes as many Republicans signal they are ready to back the bill, potentially enough for it to pass the House this week. It is still unclear whether the bill would pass the Senate.
Epstein died in a New York jail in 2019, with the coroner ruling the death a suicide. He had been awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges and had previously been convicted in 2008 for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
Trump said Democrats are using the Epstein files as a 'hoax' to distract from Republican work. He wrote on Truth Social that the Justice Department has already released tens of thousands of pages, adding: “I DON’T CARE!” and urging Republicans to “get BACK ON POINT.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson supported that message, saying Democrats are using the issue for political gain. “Trump has clean hands,” Johnson said on Fox News. “He’s not worried about it.”
The renewed debate follows Democrats' release of three email exchanges involving Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. One 2011 email from Epstein to Maxwell reads: “I want you to realize that that dog that hasn't barked is Trump.. [VICTIM] spent hours at my house with him.” The White House said the victim mentioned was Virginia Giuffre. The emails do not accuse Trump of wrongdoing.
After the Democratic release, House Republicans published 20,000 additional files, saying Democrats were trying to 'cherry-pick' documents to create a misleading narrative.
Both Democrats and some Republicans are backing the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which would require the Justice Department to release all unclassified materials related to Epstein. Rep. Thomas Massie said up to 100 republicans may vote in favor.
If the bill passes both the House and Senate, Trump would still need to sign it before the documents can be released.
