Donald Trump Signs Bill Mandating Public Release of Federal Records on Jeffrey Epstein

President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed a bipartisan bill requiring his administration to publicly release federal records related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Although Trump already held the authority to disclose many of these documents, he had declined to do so for several months.

Announcing the move on social media, Trump accused Democrats of leveraging the Epstein issue for political advantage. “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,” he wrote, framing his decision as a response to inevitable congressional action rather than a voluntary policy shift.

Under the new law, the Department of Justice must make public every file and communication connected to Epstein, including documents associated with the inquiry into his 2019 death in federal custody. The department has 30 days to comply. While limited redactions are permitted to protect victims or safeguard ongoing investigations, officials are explicitly barred from withholding information due to “embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity.”

The push for disclosure emerged as an unusual coalition of lawmakers—Democrats, a Trump-critical Republican, and several former Trump allies—joined forces to compel transparency. As recently as last week, the administration was still working to block the effort. Officials even summoned Representative Lauren Boebert, a Republican supporter of the bill, to the Situation Room in an unsuccessful attempt to sway her position.

By the weekend, Trump abruptly shifted course, acknowledging that Congress was poised to advance the legislation regardless of the White House’s objections. He argued that the ongoing focus on Epstein had become a needless distraction from the Republican policy agenda.

The House passed the bill in a lopsided 427–1 vote. The lone dissenting vote came from Representative Clay Higgins of Louisiana, who cautioned that the legislation could unintentionally expose private individuals who had no involvement in criminal wrongdoing but appeared in investigative materials. The Senate later approved the bill unanimously, without requiring a formal roll-call vote.

Trump has long been known to have been socially acquainted with Epstein, who moved in elite political and business circles. Trump has repeatedly denied any knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activities and has stated that he severed ties with him many years ago.

In the period leading up to Trump’s return to the White House, several of his political allies helped fuel conspiracy theories surrounding the government’s handling of the Epstein case, suggesting that officials were withholding potentially damaging information contained in the sealed records. The newly enacted law now ensures that those documents will be brought to light, marking a significant step toward public transparency in a case that has generated widespread controversy and speculation.