President Donald Trump has signed legislation ordering the Justice Department to publish all records related to Jeffrey Epstein, requiring the materials to be made available in a searchable, downloadable format within 30 days. The measure compels the department to disclose documents from its Epstein probe, including investigative files, interview transcripts, seized items and other related records.
Trump had previously resisted making the files public but reversed his position after pressure from Epstein’s victims and members of his own party. With his backing the bill passed overwhelmingly in Congress: the House voted 427-1 and the Senate approved it by unanimous consent.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump accused Democrats of exploiting the issue to distract from his administration’s record and suggested the released materials could reveal Democrats’ ties to Epstein. The law covers a wide range of materials, such as internal Justice Department communications, flight logs and lists of people and entities connected to Epstein and his associates.
Congress had already released more than 20,000 pages of documents from Epstein’s estate the previous week; those estate records include 2018 messages in which Epstein referenced Trump. That congressional release did not require a separate vote, because the president could have ordered files made public on his own.
Epstein, a financier who associated with numerous high-profile individuals across politics, business, entertainment and royalty, was found dead in his New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex‑trafficking charges; a coroner ruled his death a suicide. He had earlier been convicted in 2008 of soliciting prostitution from a minor. In related developments, former Harvard president Larry Summers took a leave from teaching while the university investigates his email exchanges with Epstein.
Under the new law, the attorney general must release all unclassified records, documents, communications and investigative materials related to Epstein and his alleged co‑conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell no later than 30 days after the bill’s enactment. The statute also allows the attorney general to redact or withhold portions of the files if disclosure would invade personal privacy, identify victims, or jeopardize an active federal investigation. Trump has asked the Justice Department to investigate Epstein’s alleged links to major banks and several prominent Democrats. Republican Congressman Thomas Massie cautioned that newly opened probes could be used to justify withholding portions of the records.
