US President Donald Trump has announced he has signed the bill to unleash the bombshell Epstein files, a trove of emails and documents detailing the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s dealings with high-profile figures in the US and UK establishment.
The move comes after intense pressure from US lawmakers, predominantly Democrats, who have been campaigning relentlessly for the files to be made public. Following Trump’s surprising change of heart, the US House of Representatives overwhelmingly backed the Epstein Files Transparency Act with a 427-1 vote.
Trump points finger at Democrats’ Epstein ties
Trump took to his Truth Social platform on Thursday to make the announcement, declaring: “Jeffrey Epstein, who was charged by the Trump Justice Department in 2019 (Not the Democrats!), was a lifelong Democrat.”
He went on to allege that Epstein “donated Thousands of Dollars to Democrat Politicians, and was deeply associated with many well-known Democrat figures,” name-dropping the likes of Bill Clinton, Larry Summers, Reid Hoffman, Hakeem Jeffries, and Stacey Plaskett.
“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 proclaimed.
Abuse survivors celebrate outside Capitol
Epstein, the disgraced financier, was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of sexually abusing and trafficking underage girls.
Trump loyalist and Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene stood shoulder to shoulder with some of Epstein’s accusers and abuse survivors outside the Capitol on Tuesday morning, declaring: “These women have fought the most horrific fight that no woman should have to fight. And they did it by banding together and never giving up.”
Epstein’s web of powerful connections revealed
A separate House Oversight Committee investigation has recently unveiled thousands of pages of emails and documents from Epstein’s estate, exposing his ties to global leaders, Wall Street titans, influential politicians, and even Trump himself. However, being named in the files does not necessarily imply any criminal wrongdoing.
Trump distances himself from Epstein
Trump, who has never faced accusations of impropriety related to his relationship with Epstein, claims he severed ties with the disgraced financier years ago. He had initially resisted calls for disclosure, telling reporters on Monday that Epstein had more connections to Democrats and that he didn’t want the Epstein files to “detract from the great success of the Republican Party.”
About an hour before the vote, Trump reiterated he had “nothing to do” with Epstein. When questioned by a journalist, he responded: “I threw him out of my club many years ago because I thought he was a sick pervert and I guess I would turn out to be right.”
Trump also maintained he had “never” visited Epstein’s infamous private island.
