President Donald Trump has shifted to support releasing Justice Department records related to Jeffrey Epstein and urged House Republicans to back the move. The reversal comes amid intraparty strain and a public feud with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a prominent GOP supporter of the bill. A House vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act is expected as early as Tuesday.
The turnabout
After months of resistance, Trump on Sunday night said House Republicans should vote to release Epstein-related files, writing on Truth Social that he has “nothing to hide” and calling the controversy a Democratic “hoax.” His shift followed days of pressure from within the party and a growing bipartisan push in the House. Independent outlets also reported the reversal, noting earlier White House pushback. (apnews.com)
What the bill would do
The Epstein Files Transparency Act, introduced July 15, 2025, would require the Justice Department to publish all unclassified records tied to the Epstein investigation in a searchable format. The measure explicitly covers materials related to Ghislaine Maxwell, flight logs and travel records, and references to individuals, including government officials, with provisions to protect victims and ongoing probes. (congress.gov)
New documents and disputed inferences
House Oversight Democrats last week released three emails from Epstein’s estate, including a 2011 message saying Trump “spent hours” at Epstein’s home with a victim and a 2019 note claiming Trump “knew about the girls.” The White House called the selective release a smear and pointed to Virginia Giuffre’s past statements that she did not accuse Trump of wrongdoing. Hours later, the GOP committee majority posted roughly 20,000 additional pages from the estate. (apnews.com)
What accusers and witnesses have said about Trump
Under oath in a 2016 deposition, Giuffre said she did not believe Trump participated in Epstein’s abuse. Separately, in a Justice Department interview released this summer, Maxwell said she never witnessed Trump in any inappropriate setting. Those statements do not resolve broader questions raised by the emails, but they frame the competing claims now circulating on Capitol Hill. (businessinsider.com)
Inside the GOP split
Four Republicans—Reps. Thomas Massie, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert and Nancy Mace—joined Democrats on a discharge petition that forced a House vote. With a new Democrat sworn in, the petition reached the 218-signature threshold, and floor action was set for Tuesday, according to outlets tracking the whip count and schedule. (dailycaller.com)
Trump–Greene rupture
Trump withdrew his endorsement of Greene on Friday into Saturday, then escalated attacks, calling her a “Lightweight Congresswoman” and a “RINO” in Truth Social posts. On CNN the next day, Greene linked the feud to her push to “release the Epstein files,” asking, “why fight this so hard?” She also said the rhetoric had been “hurtful” but maintained she supports the administration. (reuters.com)
Trump’s targets—and a contested statistic
Trump has also said he directed the Justice Department to scrutinize Democrats’ ties to Epstein—naming Bill Clinton, Reid Hoffman and Larry Summers—and claimed tens of thousands, even “50,000,” pages have already been released. Those assertions reflect Trump’s own statements; independent tallies vary by tranche and source. As context, flight logs show Clinton took 26 flights aboard Epstein’s jet in 2002–03—counting legs within a handful of trips—a figure often misconstrued as separate journeys. (dailywire.com)
What’s next
House Speaker Mike Johnson has said he favors releasing the files and expects a vote this week. If the bill reaches the Senate, backers say it would likely need 60 votes to advance, and its fate there is unclear. Rep. Ro Khanna, a Democratic co-sponsor, framed the effort as standing with survivors against the “Epstein class.” (reuters.com)
