President Trump says Republicans should vote to release Jeffrey Epstein files
In a stunning reversal, President Trump posted on Truth Social that the Republican Party should release the Epstein files.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump suddenly had a change of heart this week as the House of Representatives looked all but certain to approve a bill that would force the Justice Department to release all records related to disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Mr. Trump reversed his previous position and gave his party permission to support a bill that he spent months trying to cover up and broke with his former allies.
“We have nothing to hide. It’s time to move on from the Democratic Party hoax perpetrated by radical leftist lunatics to distract from the great success of the Republican Party,” President Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday.
President Trump’s reversal was an acknowledgment of the harsh political reality in front of him. Many Republicans were preparing to vote in favor of a bill that would require the Justice Department to release all documents relating to Mr. Epstein and his former girlfriend and colleague, Ghislaine Maxwell. A discharge petition that secured a House vote received the required 218 signatures last week. Four of the signatories were Republicans.
“I think there’s a chance we’ll see a huge Republican swarm. It could be over 100,” Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a Republican sponsor of the bill, said on ABC News’ “This Week” the same day.
House Speaker Mike Johnson acknowledged on “Fox News Sunday” that the bill likely would have a lot of support, and cast it for a vote as a way to demilitarize the accusations against Trump.
The president has denied any wrongdoing and last week ordered the Justice Department and FBI to investigate Democrats with ties to a convicted sex offender.
Epstein died by suicide in prison while awaiting trial. Maxwell was convicted of sex trafficking of a minor and is serving a 20-year prison sentence in connection with the case. The Trump administration approved her transfer from a maximum-security prison in Florida to a maximum-security facility in Texas in August.
The Epstein File Transparency Act would require the Department of Justice to release all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials related to the investigation and prosecution of Epstein.
Personal information about the alleged victim will not be made public in the agency’s release, as will any information that could impede the progress of a federal investigation. The Justice Department would be required to report to Congress, justifying the reasons for withholding or redacting information.
Under the House proposal, Attorney General Pam Bondi would have 30 days after the law passes to release all unclassified materials related to convicted sex offenders.
– Kathryn Palmer
Days before the House of Representatives was scheduled to vote, Jeffrey Epstein’s survivors came together via video to call on Congress to release Epstein’s files.
“It’s time to bring the secret out of the darkness,” one of the survivors said in the video. “It’s time to shine a light on the darkness.”
Survivors hold up photos of themselves at the age they were when they met Epstein. Most people shed tears just talking about their age and looking at their photos.
The survivors tearfully said they had “suffered a lot” and described their ages as 14, 16 and 17 when they met the sex offender. “This is me when I met Jeffrey Epstein.”
“There are about 1,000 of us,” says one survivor.
The public service announcement was created by World Without Exploitation, an organization that fights sexual exploitation. The document, released Sunday evening, urges Americans to call their members of Congress.
– Sarah D. Wire
Lawmakers plan press conference with Epstein survivors
The bill’s Democratic leader, Rep. Ro Khanna, announced Sunday that he and Massey and Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene will hold a press conference with Epstein survivors at the Capitol on Tuesday ahead of an expected vote.
“This was abhorrent,” Khanna said on NBC News’ “Meet the Press.” Epstein had set up a rape island where the rich and powerful abused young girls with impunity. And there were thousands of victims, and the rich and powerful still have buildings and scholarships named after them. “This is not partisan. They all need to be held accountable. The Epstein class needs to go.”
Khanna said he expects at least 40 Republican votes to support the bill.
President Trump slams Greene over Epstein petition
President Trump bashed Massey over the weekend and told Republicans they should vote in favor of the Epstein bill after disavowing Greene.
He repeatedly called Greene a “traitor” and threatened to call a primary. She appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Nov. 16 and accused him of “putting” her life at risk.
President Trump fired back that night, telling reporters on his way back to Washington from Palm Beach, Florida: “I don’t think her life is in danger. Frankly, I don’t think anyone cares about her.”
When will there be a vote on releasing the Epstein files?
The House is scheduled to vote on releasing Epstein’s file on Tuesday. A bill to force the Justice Department to release documents is expected to pass the House with bipartisan support.
It still needs to be passed in the Senate, where Democrats hold a minority with 47 seats. Lifting the filibuster would require the cooperation of 13 Republicans.
President Trump has not said whether he will sign any legislation that would force his administration’s hand, but Truth Social said that as far as President Trump is concerned, the House Oversight Committee “can have whatever he is legally entitled to.”
“I don’t care! All I care about is getting the Republican Party back on track,” Trump said, referring to his administration’s campaign to cut costs for Americans.
