US President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he has signed legislation compelling the Justice Department to publish all documents from its investigation into the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Under the new law, the department must make the files available within 30 days in a “searchable and downloadable” format.
The materials to be released include internal DOJ communications, evidence seized from Epstein’s properties, interviews with victims and witnesses, flight logs, and records of individuals and entities connected to Epstein.
Although Trump could have directed the release on his own, lawmakers in the House voted 427–1 to pass the bill, and the Senate approved it unanimously the next day.
Trump initially resisted such disclosures but shifted position after criticism from Epstein’s victims and members of the Republican Party.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump accused Democrats of championing the release to divert focus from his administration.
He suggested the documents may expose Democratic ties to Epstein, saying, “I HAVE JUST SIGNED THE BILL TO RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES!”
The files covered by this legislation differ from the more than 20,000 pages of Epstein estate documents released by Congress last week.
Those documents included remarks Epstein made in 2018, claiming he could “take down” Trump and suggesting he knew damaging information about him.
Trump and Epstein were once acquaintances, but Trump says they cut ties in the early 2000s and denies any involvement in Epstein’s crimes.
Speaking to reporters Monday, Trump asserted that Republicans had no connection to Epstein and argued that Democrats were more closely associated with him.
Epstein died by suicide in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges.
He had previously been convicted in 2008 for soliciting a minor.
His network included numerous well-known figures across politics, academia, business, and media, including Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Trump, and former Trump adviser Steve Bannon.
On Wednesday, former Harvard president Larry Summers stepped back from teaching duties as the university examines his previously undisclosed communications with Epstein.
Under the new law, Attorney General Pam Bondi must release “all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials” related to both Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking.
Certain information, however, can be withheld to protect the privacy of victims, avoid compromising ongoing investigations, or prevent disclosure of sensitive personal material.
Representative Thomas Massie, one of the lawmakers behind the bill, cautioned that the administration might invoke new investigations to justify holding back files.
“I’m concerned they may try to use those investigations as a basis not to release the documents,” he said.
