Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Nov 20: In a significant development that has stirred fresh political ripples across the United States, President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed a bill mandating the Justice Department to release all unclassified files related to Jeffrey Epstein. The move comes after months of bipartisan pressure in Congress and follows a series of sharp disagreements within the Republican ranks.
The president, who had repeatedly dismissed the push for the release as a “hoax” led by Democrats, chose not to host the usual bill-signing ceremony at the White House. Instead, he announced the signing on his Truth Social platform, once again accusing Democrats of attempting to divert attention from his administration’s achievements.
The House of Representatives strongly backed the legislation, with only one Republican, Clay Higgins of Louisiana, voting against it. The Senate later cleared the bill through unanimous consent, paving the way for it to reach the president’s desk.
Under the new law, Attorney General Pam Bondi must release all unclassified Epstein-related documents within 30 days. However, provisions allow the Justice Department to redact sensitive details that could affect ongoing federal investigations.
Bondi, who last week agreed to probe Epstein’s ties to Democrats and others at the president’s request, referred vaguely to “new information” during a news briefing, without providing further explanation.
The escalating debate over the Epstein files has brought rare cracks within Trump’s Republican base. The bipartisan legislation was co-led by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-California), and received enthusiastic backing from several lawmakers, including Republican firebrand Marjorie Taylor Greene—who recently fell out publicly with the president over the issue.
Trump reversed his earlier opposition to the bill on Sunday, urging Republicans to support the measure, insisting “we have nothing to hide,” yet continuing to describe the controversy as a Democrat-driven “hoax.”
Survivors of Epstein’s abuse and their advocates held a press conference urging Congress to support the release. One survivor, Jena-Lisa Jones, appealed directly to the president, asking him “to stop making this political.”
Following the bill's signing, the family of Virginia Giuffre—one of Epstein’s most vocal accusers, who died by suicide in April—issued an emotional statement. Her brother Sky Roberts called the moment “monumental,” praising the courage of survivors who fought for years to bring their stories to light.
The renewed spotlight on Epstein comes after Republicans on the House Oversight Committee released over 20,000 pages of estate documents, shortly after Democrats made public a set of emails referencing Trump. In one 2019 email, Epstein claimed Trump “knew about the girls,” though he did not accuse him of wrongdoing. Another email from 2011 described Trump as “that dog that hasn’t barked,” adding that he spent hours at Epstein’s home with a person later redacted as a “victim.”
The White House dismissed the emails as “proving nothing,” reiterating Trump’s long-standing denial of any involvement in Epstein’s crimes.
Trump and Epstein were known to be acquaintances in the 1980s and 1990s before reportedly falling out in the early 2000s, with Trump claiming to have banned Epstein from his Mar-a-Lago resort for inappropriate behaviour.
Epstein, a financier with powerful connections, pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution. He died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges.