Now that President Donald Trump has signed a bill to force the Justice Department to release the Jeffrey Epstein files, the DOJ will have 30 days to share all documents related to the late convicted sex offender.
Congress rushed through the Epstein Files Transparency Act after months of resistance from Trump and Republican House leadership.
“I have just signed the bill to release the Epstein files!” Trump wrote in all-caps in a Truth Social post Wednesday night. “Democrats have used the ‘Epstein’ issue, which affects them far more than the Republican Party, in order to try and distract from our AMAZING Victories.”
A drawn-out fight by survivors of Epstein’s abuse, MAGA, rebel GOP reps and Democrats culminated in the bill clearing the House and the Senate Tuesday.
The legislation calls for Attorney General Pam Bondi to release the remaining unclassified records in the case relating to the disgraced financier, who died by suicide in his jail cell in August 2019 while facing federal sex trafficking charges.
Epstein survivors and campaigners were jubilant as they watched the bill sail through the upper chamber, but questions remain as to when the files might finally be released, particularly because Bondi still has the power to redact and omit certain records.
So far, the Justice Department has stayed silent on how it will proceed, and there is some trepidation that Bondi could put the brakes on the release of the files, despite the newly signed bill.
The legislation calls on Bondi to release “all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials” held by the Justice Department, FBI and each U.S. Attorney’s Office related to Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell within 30 days.
It also calls for files to be released that relate to individuals, including government officials, named or referenced in connection with criminal activities in the case, and any corporate, nonprofit, academic or governmental entities “with known or alleged ties to the trafficking or financial networks of Jeffrey Epstein.”
But the bill also gives Bondi the power to withhold records that contain sensitive information about a victim or child witness, depict or contain child pornography or any image of death, physical abuse or injury of any person.
Crucially, the bill also states that Bondi can withhold or redact documents that would jeopardize an active federal investigation or prosecution, or contain information “specifically authorized under criteria established by an Executive order to be kept secret,” citing national defense or foreign policy.
Trump initially strongly opposed the bill, calling the few Republicans who supported the measure from the start “weak.”
Even in his announcement of the bill’s signing, the president referred to the Epstein files as a Democrat “hoax.”
But on Sunday, Trump made a surprising U-turn, telling House Republicans to support the bill after a growing number of GOP lawmakers signaled they’d back the measure.
