US President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he has signed a bill ordering the release of all files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The bill requires the Justice Department to release all information from its investigation into Epstein “in a searchable and downloadable format” within 30 days.
Trump had previously opposed the release of the files, but changed course last week after facing pushback from Epstein’s victims and members of his own Republican Party.
With their support, the legislation was overwhelmingly approved Tuesday by both chambers of Congress, the House of Representatives and the Senate.
In a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, the president accused Democrats of championing the issue to distract from his administration’s accomplishments.
“Perhaps the truth about these Democrats and their associations with Jeffrey Epstein will soon be revealed, because I JUST SIGNED THE BILL TO RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES!” he wrote.
House lawmakers approved the legislation by a vote of 427 to 1. The Senate gave unanimous consent to approve it upon its arrival.
About 20,000 pages of documents from Epstein’s estate were released last week, including some that directly mention Trump.
They include 2018 messages from Epstein in which he said of Trump: “I’m the one who can take him down” and “I know how dirty Donald is.”
Trump was friends with Epstein for years, but the president has said they fell out in the early 2000s, two years before Epstein was first arrested. Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing regarding Epstein.
Speaking to reporters Monday night, Trump said Republicans “had nothing to do with Epstein.”
“It’s really a Democratic issue,” he said. “The Democrats were friends of Epstein, all of them.”
Despite the president’s signature, full disclosure of Epstein’s files is not guaranteed. Under the text of the bill, portions could still be withheld if they are deemed to invade personal privacy or relate to an active investigation.
One of the architects of the bill, Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, said he was concerned about the retention of some records.
“I’m worried that [Trump is] opening an avalanche of investigations, and I think they may be trying to use those investigations as an argument for not releasing the files. “That’s my concern,” he said.
