U.S. President Donald Trump has signed into law a bill mandating the Justice Department to release all files pertaining to its investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The legislation, which passed both the House of Representatives and the Senate with overwhelming support on Tuesday, stipulates that the files be released “in a searchable and downloadable format” within a 30-day timeframe.
President Trump announced the signing of the bill on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday, thus commencing the 30-day period for the release of the files.
After facing pressure from Epstein’s victims and Republican members, President Trump reversed his previous stance on the matter on Sunday and endorsed the passage of the legislation. He had previously resisted the unsealing of numerous documents from the federal investigation into the deceased financier for months.
The House of Representatives initiated debate on the measure on Tuesday morning, followed by a vote within hours. Several victims of Epstein were present on Capitol Hill to advocate for the bill’s passage.
The resolution garnered near-unanimous support in the House, passing with a vote of 427-1. Representative Clay Higgins, a Republican from Louisiana, was the sole dissenting vote. Two Republicans and three Democrats abstained from voting. The Senate subsequently passed the resolution as well.
While the House Oversight Committee has already disclosed thousands of documents from the Epstein estate, this new resolution encompasses material presently in the custody of the Justice Department.
These records could potentially include files concerning Ghislaine Maxwell, a convicted co-conspirator of Epstein, as well as information about individuals, including government officials, mentioned in the case. Additionally, the release could encompass internal Justice Department documents.
The Senate confirmed on Wednesday morning that the Epstein bill had been passed and sent to President Trump for his signature.
Later that evening, President Trump announced on social media that he had signed the bill into law.
In contrast to typical bill-signing ceremonies, which often include media and public attendance, this signing occurred privately. The announcement was included within a lengthy social media post that also criticized Democrats allegedly tied to Epstein, promoted the president’s record during his second term, and addressed the two impeachment trials of his first term.
“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 wrote.
He further noted that, given his request for Republican lawmakers to support the measure, “the votes were almost unanimous in favor of passage.”
The Justice Department is now mandated to release its Epstein-related materials within 30 days.
However, certain obstacles may impede the complete release of the files.
The House bill stipulates that the Justice Department may withhold documents that “jeopardize an active federal investigation or ongoing prosecution, provided that such withholding is narrowly tailored and temporary”.
This provision could lead to potential delays, especially considering President Trump’s call for investigations into Epstein’s ties with prominent Democrats, such as Bill Clinton and Larry Summers, “to determine what was going on with them, and him”.
Clinton has vehemently denied any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes, while Summers has apologized for what he called his “misguided decision” to maintain communication with Epstein until 2019.
“That’s a potential hurdle,” stated Jonathan Entin, a constitutional law professor at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, in an interview with the BBC.
“If, in fact, this is a serious investigation, presumably the prosecutors will not want everything out there while they’re sorting out whether they bring charges.”
For those who have advocated for the file release, any outcome other than full disclosure is likely to provoke further questions and potential outrage.
Several Republican lawmakers have voiced concerns that President Trump’s directive for the Justice Department to investigate Epstein’s connections could impede the speed of the files’ release.
Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky declared that he and his Republican colleague Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia would “absolutely” read aloud the names of “some of the men” listed in the files on the House floor if the records were not duly released by the Justice Department.
Beyond potential delays, it is also probable that the public will encounter numerous redactions in the released Epstein documents.
In the files previously released by the House Oversight Committee, names and phone numbers were frequently blacked out to safeguard privacy.
“Simply letting anything out could reveal a lot of private information that’s not relevant or appropriate for public consumption,” Professor Entin stated.
The newly passed bill permits the Attorney General to “withhold or redact” records containing victims’ names, medical records, and other personal information that “would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy”.
One attorney specializing in sexual abuse cases voiced support for Congress’ enhancement of this provision, while also noting the potential adverse impact on Epstein survivors even with the files’ release.
“I’m glad in the act itself they put specific language reinforcing the privacy rights of the victims here,” stated Christine Dunn, co-managing partner at Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight’s Washington, DC, office.
“I’m torn because I think transparency is almost always a good thing, I don’t think things change until someone shines a light on them,” she said. “But at the same time for the victims, having to relive this in the media is going to be hard.”
The Attorney General is also authorized to withhold classified materials and images related to sexual abuse.
The Justice Department has indicated that within its 300 gigabytes of data from Epstein investigations, a “large volume” includes images and videos of minors, as well as thousands of downloaded videos and images depicting child sexual abuse.
Furthermore, information protected by grand jury secrecy rules, which are not explicitly addressed in the bill, could also be withheld.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi stated on Wednesday morning, when questioned about the Epstein files during an unrelated news conference: “We’ll continue to follow the law with maximum transparency, while protecting victims.”
Kayla Epstein contributed to this report.
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