President Donald Trump is now encouraging House Republicans to vote for the release of the so-called Epstein files, with a vote possible as early as Tuesday.
The legislation, known as the Epstein Files Transparency Act, requires the government to release all files related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 after being charged with sex trafficking. Republican lawmakers initially rejected putting the bill on the House floor. But House Democrats joined forces with enough Republicans to force a vote through a process known as a discharge petition.
"They're using Jeffrey Epstein as a deflection from the tremendous success that we're having as a party," Trump recently said.
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The president said Sunday he supports the upcoming vote — a reversal after a week in which his name appeared in several Epstein-related documents.
"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," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
"The House Oversight Committee can have whatever they are legally entitled to, I DON'T CARE!" he added. "All I do care about is that Republicans get BACK ON POINT."
Trump has denied wrongdoing and has not been charged with any Epstein-related crime, though he has faced accusations of knowing Epstein well — something he has called a “hoax.”
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Up until Sunday night’s post, Trump had shown willingness to challenge fellow Republicans on the issue, including longtime supporter Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
"Unfortunately it has all come down to the Epstein files," Greene said Sunday on CNN. "... I believe the country deserves transparency in these files."
Even if the House passes the bill this week, it would still need Senate approval. The margin of the vote could be a key indicator of whether the Senate might act.
