President Trump signed a bill ordering the Department of Justice to release all of the files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, he announced on Wednesday night.
Why it matters: The bill that passed in Congress on Tuesday requires the DOJ to "make publicly available" within 30 days "a searchable and downloadable format all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in the possession" of the department, including the FBI and U.S. attorneys' offices, that relate to Epstein.
- Trump had previously resisted calls to release the Epstein files and repeatedly referred to the matter as a "hoax."
Driving the news: The president said in his Truth Social announcement on signing the Epstein Files Transparency Act that this "latest Hoax will backfire on the Democrats just as all of the rest have!" as he sought to tie the case to Democrats.
- "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!" Trump wrote.
- "Democrats have used the 'Epstein' issue, which affects them far more than the Republican Party, in order to try and distract from our AMAZING Victories."
State of play: The DOJ announced in July that it wouldn't disclose any more details about Epstein, that he had no client list and that he'd killed himself in a New York City prison in 2019 and was not murdered.
- The administration has faced months of pressure to release the files, from survivors of Epstein's abuses to influential MAGA figures, and the president has clashed with Republican critics over the matter — including traditional Trump loyalist Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.).
- The House Oversight Committee released thousands of emails related to Epstein this month. Some of them referred to Trump, who has acknowledged he was once friendly with Epstein but said they had a falling out. Trump has never been charged with any wrongdoing related to the Epstein probe.
Zoom in: Attorney General Pam Bondi, who refused to answer questions about Epstein during an October congressional hearing, announced last week she would follow Trump's directive for the DOJ to investigate figures connected to the Democratic Party.
- Bondi told reporters Wednesday she had received "new information" that led her to pursue this investigation, but she didn't elaborate further.
- A group of survivors of Epstein's abuse released Sunday a video featuring images of their younger selves in a push to convince Congress to vote for the release of all of the files related to the financier.
- The Senate unanimously passed the bill to send it to Trump's desk after all but one House member voted for the measure.
What they're saying: World Without Exploitation, the group behind the PSA by the survivors, welcomed Trump's signing of the bill and said in a Wednesday night statement that proper implementation must be "the next critical step."
- Sky Roberts, brother of Epstein prominent accuser Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide at age 41 in April, said in a statement Trump's action marked a "momentous step towards a long-overdue justice," per NBC News.
- "We await the full release of the Epstein files from the Department of Justice eagerly, and we will not stop until the full truth is out," he added.
More from Axios:
- Epstein files give Trump a taste of political mortality
- 6 quick questions to help you understand the Epstein probe
- Why the Epstein files won't be released as soon as the law is passed
- Here are all the "Epstein files" that have been released — and which haven't
Editor's note: This article has been updated with additional details throughout.
