Trump signs bill forcing release of Jeffrey Epstein records

The move follows weeks of intense political fighting over how far to go in disclosing records tied to Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges.

In a lengthy post on his Truth Social platform announcing the bill’s signing, Trump framed the legislation as a step toward revealing what he said were Epstein’s ties to prominent Democrats.

“Jeffrey Epstein, who was charged by the Trump Justice Department in 2019 (Not the Democrats!), was a lifelong Democrat, donated Thousands of Dollars to Democrat Politicians, and was deeply associated with many well-known Democrat figures,” he wrote, naming former President Bill Clinton, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, political donor Reid Hoffman and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries among others.

“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!” he added.

Trump said he had asked House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune to move the bill through Congress and claimed that “because of this request, the votes were almost unanimous in favor of passage.” He further said that “at my direction, the Department of Justice has already turned over close to fifty thousand pages of documents to Congress.”

The legislation requires the Justice Department, led by Attorney General Pam Bondi, to disclose records related to Epstein within 30 days, allowing for authorities to withhold or redact parts of the documents that could jeopardize a federal probe.

In his post, Trump also contrasted his administration’s actions with those of his predecessor, alleging without providing evidence that “the Biden Administration did not turn over a SINGLE file or page related to Democrat Epstein, nor did they ever even speak about him.”

He accused Democrats of using the “Epstein issue” to distract from what he described as his administration’s achievements, listing tax cuts, tougher border policies, restrictions on transgender participation in women’s sports, the rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion policies, efforts to curb inflation and expanded investment in the US economy.

“For years our Great Nation has had to endure RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA, UKRAINE, UKRAINE, UKRAINE, IMPEACHMENT HOAX #1, IMPEACHMENT HOAX #2, and many other Democrat created Witch Hunts and Scams,” Trump wrote, adding that “this latest Hoax will backfire on the Democrats just as all of the rest have!”

Epstein’s case has remained a politically charged issue in the US, with lawmakers and victims’ advocates from across the spectrum demanding greater transparency about his network of associates and any individuals who may have facilitated his crimes.

Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein. Their past social and business proximity, as well as Epstein’s extensive links to political, business and academic figures in the US and abroad, have fueled calls for the broad release of official records.