01. July 2025

Epstein files release awaits Trump's signature after Congress approval

Both chambers of Congress have agreed to order the U.S. Justice Department to release its files on convicted sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The House of Representatives passed the measure by an overwhelming 427-1 vote, while the Senate expedited it unanimously without a formal vote.

The moves come just days after President Donald Trump reversed his position and urged Congress to vote for the release of the records, following public pressure from many of his supporters.

Last week, Trump’s ties to Epstein were thrust back into the spotlight after more than 20,000 pages of documents—some mentioning the president—were made public. The White House denied any wrongdoing.

Republican Clay Higgins of Louisiana was the sole House member to vote against the measure, citing concerns about “innocent people being harmed” by the release of the information.

Trump’s reversal—from criticizing Capitol Hill figures pushing for the release to stating there was “nothing to hide”—surprised many in Washington.

Republican congressional leadership was caught off guard, having aligned their message with the president for weeks and opposing the release.

House Speaker Mike Johnson had repeatedly called the push to release the Epstein files a “Democrat hoax.

On Tuesday, however, he voted in favor of the release.

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The measure was expected to take several days to reach the Senate, but following the resounding afternoon vote in the House, the timeline was accelerated.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer brought the bill to the Senate floor under a procedure called unanimous consent. With no objections, there was no debate and no amendments were added.

The bill will now be sent to the president’s desk, where he is expected to sign it into law.

A congressional vote was not required to release the files—Trump could have ordered their release on his own.

The bill mandates that Attorney General Pam Bondi release “all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials” related to Epstein and his co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell no later than 30 days after the law is enacted.

These materials include internal Justice Department communications, flight logs, and information about individuals and entities connected to Epstein.

However, the bill also grants Bondi the authority to withhold information that would jeopardize any active federal investigation or identify any victims.

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Epstein, a financier, was found dead in his New York prison cell in 2019 in what a coroner ruled a suicide.

He was being held on sex trafficking charges, having previously been convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor in 2008.

During two criminal investigations into Epstein, thousands of documents were collected, including transcripts of interviews with victims and witnesses.

Trump and Epstein previously moved in similar social circles, but the president has said he cut ties with Epstein many years ago—before his 2008 conviction. Trump has also stated he was unaware of Epstein’s criminal activity.

Last week, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee published three email chains, including correspondence between Epstein and Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking.

Some of the emails mention Trump, including one sent in 2011 in which Epstein wrote to Maxwell: “I want you to realize that that dog that hasn’t barked is Trump.. [VICTIM] spent hours at my house with him.”

The White House confirmed last week that the victim referenced in the email was prominent Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre.

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‘She did it’: Virginia Giuffre’s family speaks to BBC after Congress approves release of Epstein files

Giuffre, who died in April, said she never saw Trump participate in any abuse, and the emails do not imply any wrongdoing by the president.

Following the vote, Giuffre’s brother Sky Roberts praised her role in seeking justice for Epstein’s survivors.

“She did it, she paved the way… She paved the way for us to come forward as advocates, for her survivor sisters to come forward, and we won’t stop,” Roberts said.

Trump has consistently denied any involvement in Epstein’s crimes. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the emails were “selectively leaked” by House Democrats to “liberal media to create a fake narrative to smear President Trump.

The push to release the Justice Department’s investigative files was led by Republican Thomas Massie—a Kentucky congressman who sometimes breaks with his party—and Democrat Ro Khanna, a California congressman, both of whom introduced the legislation.

Massie has faced criticism from Trump for his push to release the files but has stood firm.

“In 2030, he’s not going to be the president,” Massie told ABC News over the weekend. He added that fellow Republicans who voted against the release “will have voted to protect paedophiles”.

Another Republican who pushed for the release is House Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene. She was a staunch Trump supporter before the two fell out over the issue, with the president now calling her a “traitor.

At a Tuesday news conference, Greene said she was speaking up on behalf of Epstein’s survivors and directly criticized Trump.

“Let me tell you what a traitor is. A traitor is an American that serves foreign countries and themselves; a patriot is an American that serves the United States of America and Americans like the women standing behind me,” Greene said.

She added that the dispute over the Epstein files has been one of the “most destructive things” to Trump’s Make America Great Again movement since his 2016 election.

Survivors of Epstein’s abuse also spoke at the news conference, urging lawmakers to release the files and calling on Trump to do the same.

Epstein survivor Annie Farmer said keeping the files secret amounted to “institutional betrayal.

“Because these crimes were not properly investigated, so many more girls and women were harmed,” Ms. Farmer said.

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