WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has signed a legislation directing the Justice Department to make public records from its years-long probe into sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the documents long sought by both his critics and supporters who have pushed for more openness in the case.
The release is expected to provide further insight into Epstein’s dealings, including his interactions with Trump and Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan as well as other prominent personalities prior to Epstein’s 2008 conviction for soliciting a minor.
The issue has dogged Trump for months, partly because he has echoed various conspiracy theories about Epstein to his followers. Many of his supporters believe his administration concealed Epstein’s connections to influential individuals and key details surrounding his 2019 death in a Manhattan jail, which officials ruled a suicide while he was facing federal sex-trafficking charges.
Until recently, Trump had urged Republicans in Congress to block the bill, warning that publicising internal investigative files could create a precedent he believed would weaken the presidency. He shifted his stance this week once it became clear the legislation had enough bipartisan backing to pass regardless of his position.
After signing the measure, Trump, a Republican, hailed it on social media, claiming the disclosures would reveal the truth about certain Democrats and their associations with Jeffrey Epstein.
He also accused Democrats of exploiting the scandal to overshadow his achievements and distract from what he described as Republican successes. Trump painted Epstein as aligned with Democrats and said the forthcoming documents would highlight “their connections” to him.
“Maybe soon the truth about these Democrats and their associations with Jeffrey Epstein will come out,” he wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, Attorney General Pam Bondi told reporters that the Justice Department will release the Epstein-related documents within 30 days, as required under the legislation passed by the GOP-led House and the Senate on Tuesday.
