WASHINGTON, Paris 19: US Congress has cleared a plan that tells the US Justice Department to release its records on Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender and financier, the BBC reported.
The House backed the proposal with a 427 to 1 vote, and the Senate moved it forward without holding a formal vote, sending it on a fast track. The move came soon after Donald Trump shifted his position and encouraged lawmakers to make the files public after many of his supporters demanded transparency, according to the BBC.
Trump returned to the spotlight last week when more than 20,000 pages of case documents surfaced, some of which mentioned him. The White House rejected any suggestion of wrongdoing. Only one lawmaker, Republican Clay Higgins of Louisiana, voted against the measure, saying he feared the release might injure people who were not involved. Trump’s sudden turn from critic to supporter of disclosure surprised many in Washington, the BBC mentioned in its report.
In reversal, Trump supports House vote to release Epstein files
Republican leaders in Congress had followed Trump’s earlier stance and argued against making the files public, calling the push a political move by Democrats. House Speaker Mike Johnson had used that line for weeks before voting in support of the release on Tuesday. The strong House vote sped up the timetable and pushed the bill quickly to the Senate, according to the BBC.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer brought the bill forward using a process called unanimous consent. No senator objected, so the chamber approved it without debate or changes. The bill now heads to Trump, who is expected to sign it. Congress did not need to pass a law to release the records, since Trump could have ordered it himself, the BBC stated.
Under the plan, Attorney General Pam Bondi must release every unclassified document, communication, and record related to Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell within 30 days of the bill becoming law. The records include internal emails, flight logs, and lists of individuals associated with Epstein. Bondi can withhold information that might harm an active investigation or expose victims, according to the BBC.
Epstein was found dead in a New York jail in 2019, a death the coroner ruled a suicide. He had been charged with sex trafficking and had earlier been convicted in 2008 for soliciting prostitution from a minor. Over the course of two probes, authorities collected transcripts and statements from victims and witnesses. Trump and Epstein once moved in the same social circles, but Trump has said he cut ties long before the 2008 conviction and denied knowing about Epstein’s crimes, the BBC said.
Last week, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released three email chains involving Epstein and Maxwell. Some messages made mention of Trump. One note from 2011 had Epstein telling Maxwell that a victim had spent hours with Trump.
The White House said the victim referenced was Virginia Giuffre, who died in April. She had said she had never seenTrump take part in abuse. The White House accused Democrats of selectively leaking messages to shape a false narrative, as reported by the BBC.
The bipartisan push for release was led by Republican Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Democrat Ro Khanna of California. Massie, who has clashed with Trump over this issue, said he was standing his ground. Another Republican supporter, Marjorie Taylor Greene, broke with Trump and said she was speaking for survivors. She called Trump a traitor for resisting disclosure. Survivors at the same event urged Congress and Trump to release the files. Annie Farmer, one of the survivors, said the long delay in exposing the case amounted to betrayal that allowed more people to be harmed, according to the BBC.
