President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he will sign a bill requiring the Justice Department to release documents about its investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein if Congress supports it. The move comes as some lawmakers build momentum for the legislation, which would compel officials at the Justice Department to release all unclassified records related to the Epstein case.
Trump expressed his willingness to share information with the Senate and anyone else who wants it but said he didn’t want it to be a ” Democrat problem”. He did not explain why he had previously refused to direct the Justice Department to release documents on similar investigations.
The bill’s supporters, including Representative Thomas Massie, claim that 100 or more House Republicans could vote in favor of releasing the Epstein files. Several Epstein survivors have been pushing for the release of more documents, and a group released a video urging lawmakers to back the vote.
However, Trump has said the focus on the Epstein files is a “hoax” promoted by Democrats, but he claims that some Republicans are backing him up. The president also launched an investigation into the connections between Epstein and prominent Democrats and donors at his request.
Lawmakers and experts have raised concerns that Trump’s demand for a new investigation could give Justice Department officials an excuse not to release all the documents. Meanwhile, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of four Republicans who backed the discharge petition, has expressed her support for releasing the Epstein files despite tensions with Trump over other issues.
Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/11/16/house-epstein-discharge-petition-trump