President Donald Trump has announced that he has signed legislation requiring the release of documents relating to the investigation of disgraced businessman Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender and alleged sex trafficker.
“I have just signed the bill to release the Epstein files,” he wrote in a lengthy Truth Social post on Wednesday, Nov. 19, adding, “This latest hoax will backfire on the Democrats just as all of the rest have!”
Trump’s speech comes after the Senate voted unanimously on Tuesday, November 18, to send the House version of the measure directly to Trump’s desk. The House passed its bill earlier that day by a record 427-1 vote, with only Louisiana Republican Clay Higgins voting against the release of the files.
The legislation follows months of pressure from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to release the files, including calls from Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican who has been increasingly willing to defy Trump while stepping up her efforts to make the documents public in recent months.
The bill requires the Justice Department to publish “all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in DOJ’s possession that relate to the investigation and prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein,” according to an official House summary.
Despite the legislation, the DOJ will not be forced to disclose every data on Epstein, as Congress has granted permission to keep classified information that would identify victims or interfere with a federal probe.
The measure does state that information in the files may not be withheld or deleted “on the basis of embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity, including to any government official, public figure, or foreign dignitary.”
The Justice Department previously stated that it withheld information about the Epstein investigations because it contained images of victims and child sex abuse material. A court sealed the information to protect “any additional third parties from allegations of illegal wrongdoing,” according to the New York Times.
It is unknown when more records will be made available. The Justice Department has 30 days to comply with the request, and Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on November 19 that she will meet that date.
“We will continue to follow the law, again, while protecting victims, but also providing maximum transparency,” she stated to the press.
When the materials are released, they will include anything related to Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, as well as flight logs, travel records, and “individuals named or referenced (including government officials) in connection with the investigation and prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein,” according to the bill’s summary.
This information differs from the emails from Epstein’s estate that were released by the House Oversight Committee earlier this month. Epstein cited Trump several times in those emails, describing the president as “borderline insane,” and claiming he “knew about the girls.”
Signing the Epstein data Transparency Act represents a significant reversal for Trump, who has long sought to distance himself from his ex-friend and has previously criticized Congress’ fixation on unsealing more Epstein data.
Days before the bill was scheduled for a vote, when it looked that the House already had enough votes to pass it, he altered his tune and lobbied House Republicans to vote in favor of the file release.
In a post to his Truth Social account on Sunday, November 16, Trump stated that he chose to support the measure because “we have nothing to hide, and it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax.”
