Epstein documents released: Here’s what you need to know
The Justice Department plans to release grand jury transcripts and internal memos in the Jeffrey Epstein case. Here’s what you need to know:
- President Donald Trump’s stance on releasing Jeffrey Epstein’s files has changed over time.
- Trump initially supported releasing the files during the 2024 campaign, but later called the issue a “Democrat hoax.”
President Donald Trump has been asked repeatedly about releasing criminal files on Jeffrey Epstein, and his answers have changed over time.
Trump and Epstein were once friends, both wealthy and well-connected men with homes in Palm Beach, Florida. The two had a falling out sometime in the mid-2000s, before Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor. Trump would be elected president, but Epstein was indicted on charges of sex trafficking of minors in 2019 and was found dead in a New York jail a few weeks later. His death was ruled a suicide.
The conspiracy surrounding Epstein’s death has continued ever since. Some are alleging an elitist cover-up, and those close to President Trump are calling for the release of an alleged “client list.” Asked if he would support releasing the files during the 2024 campaign, Trump agreed.
Attorney General Pam Bondi teased “truckloads” of documents in a March Fox News interview and seemed eager to release them. But in May, reports surfaced that she told Trump her name was on file. The Justice Department said in July that no further disclosure was necessary.
This caused a rare dissonance among Republicans, some of whom led a petition to force a vote to release the files. President Trump had downplayed the controversy as a “Democrat prank” until the surprising reversal. The Justice Department currently has a Dec. 19 deadline to release the files.
Let’s take a look back at how President Trump has changed his attitude over the past few years.
When did President Trump say he supported releasing the Epstein files?
During the 2024 presidential campaign, President Trump was asked on Fox News whether he would declassify a number of things, including the 9/11 files, the JFK files, and the Epstein files. To the last item, he answered “Yes, I will”, but it seemed less supportive than other definite “yes”.
President Trump said: “I don’t know as much about Epstein as some people do, certainly the way he died. It would be interesting to find out what happened there, because it was a strange situation and it just so happened that the cameras weren’t working, and so on.” “But yeah, I’d like to go a long way towards it.”
Why did President Trump say he opposed releasing the files?
Trump defended Bondi in July as the MAGA backlash mounted.
“They’re all after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who’s doing a great job! We’re on one team, MAGA, and I don’t like what’s going on. We have a perfect administration and it’s the talk of the world, but ‘selfish people’ are trying to undermine it over the man who will never die, Jeffrey Epstein,” Trump wrote in a July 12 post on Truth Social.
He appeared to downplay the issue a few days later, saying, “I don’t understand why the Jeffrey Epstein case would be of interest to anyone.”
Later that summer, he called it a “Democrat hoax.”
Months later, the government was on the brink of reopening after the longest shutdown in U.S. history. A House committee released emails from Epstein’s residence in which Mr. Epstein wrote that Mr. Trump “knew about the girls when he asked Ghislaine to stop.” On the same day, a bipartisan effort to force a vote on the Epstein File Transparency Act gathered enough signatures.
“Democrats are bringing up the Jeffrey Epstein hoax again, as they will do anything to deflect how bad they did with the government shutdown and many other topics. Only the really bad or stupid Republicans would fall into that trap,” President Trump wrote on Truth Social on November 12th.
Did Trump sign the Epstein bill?
yes. On November 19, he signed the bill.
In a stunning reversal, President Trump posted on Truth Social on Nov. 16 that “Republicans should vote yes on the bill because they have nothing to hide.” The next day, he was asked about the turning point.
President Trump said: “We have nothing to do with Epstein. The Democrats have…no matter what we give, it will never be enough.” A reporter asked if he would sign the bill. “Of course we will. Let the Senate look at it, let anyone look at it, but don’t talk too much about it, because honestly, I don’t want to take that away from us. This is really a Democratic issue.”
Contributors: George Petras, Jennifer Boresen, Zach Anderson, Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY
Kinsey Crowley is a Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Please contact KCrowley@usatodayco.com. follow her X (Twitter), blue sky and TikTok.
