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US President Donald Trump has signed a bill ordering the release of Jeffrey Epstein files!
On Wednesday, November 19, Trump announced his move, which requires the Justice Department to release all the findings and files related to the Epstein investigation within 30 days.
Trump previously opposed releasing the files; however, he was prompted to change his course of action last week after facing pushback from Epstein's victims and members of his own Republican Party.
With his support, the legislation overwhelmingly cleared both chambers of Congress, the House of Representatives and Senate, on Tuesday.
In a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, the president penned, "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!"
While a congressional vote was not required to release the files, the House passed the legislation with a 427-1 vote, and the Senate gave unanimous consent to pass it upon its arrival, sending the bill to Trump for his signature.
The Epstein files subject to release under the legislation are documents from criminal investigations into the financier, including transcripts of interviews with victims and witnesses and items seized in raids of his properties.
Moreover, the files are different from the over 20,000 pages of documents from Epstein's estate released by Congress last week, including some that directly mention Trump.
Trump was a friend of Epstein's 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 in relation to Epstein.
Epstein was found dead in 2019 in his New York prison cell by suicide. He was being held on charges of sex trafficking. He had been convicted previously of soliciting prostitution from a minor in 2008.
Attorney General Pam Bondi is required to release "all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials" related to Epstein and his co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence, within 30 days after the law is enacted.
However, based on the law's text, portions could still be withheld if they are deemed to invade personal privacy or relate to an active investigation.
