US President, Donald Trump has signed a bill ordering the release of files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, setting a 30-day countdown for the Justice Department to produce the Epstein files.
Trump made the announcement on social media after months of pressure on his administration to disclose the full extent of Epstein’s crimes and his connections to elites in politics, business and entertainment.
Trump waffled on the issue for years before finally succumbing to political pressure. On the campaign trail, he pledged to release the Epstein files. Once in office, he changed his position, calling the issue a “hoax” and railing against those who wanted to make the documents public.
However, he reversed course in recent days after it was clear the House of Representatives would pass legislation, saying, “we have nothing to hide” and that “it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics in order to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party, including our recent Victory on the Democrat ‘Shutdown’.”
After Trump indicated his approval of the bill, Republican holdouts swiftly moved it through the House and then the Senate.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act, which passed the US Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support this week, compels the US Department of Justice to release all unclassified materials related to the disgraced financier in a “searchable and downloadable format” within 30 days including all investigations into Epstein, his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, flight logs and travel records, individuals referenced or named in connection with his crimes, entities that were tied to his trafficking or financial networks, immunity deals and other plea agreements, internal communications about charging decisions, documentation of his detention and death, and details about any file deletions.
The legislation includes provisions allowing authorities to withhold child sex exploitation material and victims’ identifying details as well as information that concerns active investigations or “national defense or foreign policy.”
However, the text also stipulates that no record should be withheld on the basis of “embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity, including to any government official, public figure, or foreign dignitary.”
In a post on Truth Social, Trump pointed out Epstein’s ties to the Democratic party.
“Perhaps the truth about these Democrats, and their associations with Jeffrey Epstein, will soon be revealed, because I HAVE JUST SIGNED THE BILL TO RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES!”
Donald Trump
Writing on his platform Truth Social, Trump called Epstein a “lifelong” Democrat and noted his associations with high-profile Democrats, including former President Bill Clinton and former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers, who on Wednesday took leave from teaching at Harvard University amid the fallout of emails detailing his friendly relationship with the late financier.
Neither Clinton nor Summers have been implicated in any criminal wrongdoing in their associations with Epstein, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while facing sex trafficking charges.
Epstein’s associations spanned the political aisle, including prominent Republicans as well as Democrats. Trump was himself friendly with Epstein during the 1990s and early 2000s, and his name featured prominently in Epstein emails released by US lawmakers this month.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing and repeatedly insisted he had no knowledge of Epstein’s crimes.
Doubts About Implementation Of Epstein Files Release
After Trump’s announcement, critics raised doubts that his administration would follow through on its commitment to transparency in the case.
US Senator Adam Schiff, a Democrat who represents California, said in an interview that he was “not at all confident” that the legislation would be implemented as written.
“I think if past is prelude, what we can expect is more stonewalling, more cover-up, more inartful ways of explaining why they’re covering up. I think when this chapter of history is written, it will be a test case in how not to handle a crisis.”
Adam Schiff
Meanwhile, US Attorney General Pam Bondi had earlier told a news conference that the administration would “follow the law” and “encourage maximum transparency” in the case.
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