With the House of Representatives set to vote on a bill that would force the DOJ to release the Epstein files this week, President Trump confirmed he will sign it into law. While speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump stated that if Congress passes the Epstein Files Transparency Act, he will sign it. “We have nothing to do with Epstein,” he noted, “the Democrats do! All of his friends were Democrats.”
The president’s about-face was an acknowledgement of the stark political reality before him: scores of Republicans were preparing to vote for the bill that would require DOJ to make public every document it has on disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. A discharge petition ensuring a House vote received the necessary 218 signatures last week. Four of the signatories were Republicans.
Trump reversed his position and gave his party permission to back the bill he spent months trying to bury, saying on Monday that he had “nothing to do” with Epstein and telling lawmakers they “can do whatever they want.” “All I want is for people to recognize the great job that I’ve done,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “And I hate to see that deflect from the great job that we’ve done. So I’m all for it.”
Trump also committed to signing the bill, if makes it through the Senate, removing another potential obstacle. The House is expected to vote on Tuesday afternoon. It’s unclear when or how quickly the Senate would take it up.