Now, the bill requires the Justice Department to release all files and communications related to Epstein, as well as any information about the investigation into his death in a federal prison in 2019, within 30 days.
Bowing to political pressure after months of resistance, US President Donald Trump signed legislation on Wednesday that compels his administration to release files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Trump could have chosen to release many of the files on his own months ago. โDemocrats have used the Epstein’ issue, which affects them far more than the Republican Party, in order to try and distract from our AMAZING Victories,โ Trump said in a social media post as he announced he had signed the bill.
Bill requires Justice Department to release all files
Now, the bill requires the Justice Department to release all files and communications related to Epstein, as well as any information about the investigation into his death in a federal prison in 2019, within 30 days.
It allows for redactions about Epstein’s victims for ongoing federal investigations, but DOJ cannot withhold information due to โembarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity.โ
It was a remarkable turn of events for what was once a farfetched effort to force the disclosure of case files from an odd congressional coalition of Democrats, one GOP antagonist of the president, and a handful of erstwhile Trump loyalists.
Trump recently summoned Republican proponent of releasing files
As recently as last week, the Trump administration even summoned one Republican proponent of releasing the files, Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, to the Situation Room to discuss the matter, although she did not change her mind.
But over the weekend, Trump did a sharp U-turn on the files once it became clear that congressional action was inevitable. He insisted the Epstein matter had become a distraction to the GOP agenda and indicated he wanted to move on.
โI just don’t want Republicans to take their eyes off all of the Victories that we’ve had,โ Trump said in a social media post Tuesday afternoon, explaining the rationale for his abrupt about-face.
The House passed the legislation on a 427-1 vote, with Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., being the sole dissenter. He argued that the bill’s language could lead to the release of information on innocent people mentioned in the federal investigation. The Senate later approved it unanimously, skipping a formal vote.
With inputs from AP
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