Vote comes days after Trump changed his stance on Epstein bill
President Trump encouraged House Republicans to vote for the bill late Sunday, a stark reversal after he spent months pushing Republicans to avoid the issue.
“House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide, and it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics in order to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party,” he wrote.
Days earlier, the president asked the Justice Department to investigate Epstein’s ties to financial institutions and to prominent Democrats like former President Bill Clinton. The former president has long denied any wrongdoing and said he wasn’t aware of Epstein’s behavior.
Mr. Trump had previously derided any Republican lawmakers who discussed the Epstein issue, calling them “stupid” and arguing they were falling for a diversion tactic by Democrats.
What files on Epstein have been released already?
The GOP-led House Oversight Committee has released several tranches of documents on Epstein so far this year. Those include records that were released by the Justice Department, files that were held by Epstein’s estate and transcripts from interviews with former government officials.
The most recent release contained emails in which Epstein alluded to having dirt on Mr. Trump, writing of the president at one point, “of course he knew about the girls as he asked ghislaine to stop.” In another message, Epstein referred to him as the “dog that hasn’t barked.”
Mr. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with any crimes related to Epstein. He and Epstein knew each other in the 1990s and early 2000s, but Mr. Trump has said he cut ties years ago.
Will the Senate take up the bill — and will Trump sign it?
Even if the bill passes the House, it’s not clear if the Senate will take it up.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, was noncommittal about bringing it up for a vote when asked in September. On Sunday, Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, a Wyoming Republican, said “we’ll take a look at it” but argued the effort was part of an “attempt by the Democrats to make President Trump a lame duck president.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson said he expects the Senate will make changes to the bill. The Louisiana Republican does not believe the bill goes far enough to protect victims, but told reporters Monday, “I do have some comfort that … if and when it’s processed in the Senate, that they’ll be able to correct some of those concerns.”
The bill would be sent back to the House for approval if it’s amended in the Senate.
Mr. Trump, who has the power to order the Justice Department to release the files without action from Congress, told reporters Monday he would sign the bill if it makes it to his desk.
What would the bill to release the Epstein files do?
The bill would require the attorney general to make public all unclassified records, documents, communications and investigative materials in possession of the Justice Department, the FBI and U.S. attorneys’ offices within 30 days of becoming law.
That could include materials related to Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, as well as flight logs, travel records and materials about Epstein’s detention and death. It also calls for the release of names of individuals and entities referenced in any Epstein case and internal communications about the case.
It would also make public any records “concerning the destruction, deletion, alteration, misplacement, or concealment of documents, recordings, or electronic data” related to Epstein and his associates.
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