Epstein files bill signed by Trump, starting timer for release

President Donald Trump on Wednesday night said he signed a bill ordering the Department of Justice to release its files on sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The announcement in a lengthy Truth Social post followed the bill’s near-unanimous passage in Congress.

“I HAVE JUST SIGNED THE BILL TO RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES!” Trump wrote in the 390-word post, which painted the notorious financier as a “lifelong Democrat” who “was deeply associated with many well-known Democrat figures.”

Trump, a former friend of Epstein’s, also stressed that he had asked Republican leaders in the House and Senate to pass the bill — even though his administration had reportedly opposed the push to release the files. After the vote on the bill was scheduled in the House, Trump on Sunday night abruptly urged Republicans to back it.

“Because of this request, the votes were almost unanimous in favor of passage,” Trump wrote Wednesday night.

The bill instructs Attorney General Pam Bondi to publicly release unclassified records relating to Epstein and his convicted accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, among other information, within 30 days of its signing.

But the legislation contains exceptions, including for information containing victims’ personally identifiable information or child sex abuse materials.

It also includes a carve-out for records that “would jeopardize an active federal investigation or ongoing prosecution.” Bondi, acquiescing to a request from Trump, said last week that she had assigned Manhattan U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton to investigate Epstein’s ties to several of the president’s perceived foes.

The legislation received overwhelming support in the House, with all but one lawmaker, Republican Rep. Clay Higgins of Louisiana, voting for it on Tuesday.

It passed immediately when it was sent to the Senate on Wednesday morning. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., had secured a unanimous consent agreement, which allowed the legislation to sail through the upper chamber as soon as it was received.

Despite his sudden shift in stance on the bill, Trump has continued to fume about the focus on Epstein, calling it a “hoax” being pushed by Democrats to distract from his administration’s achievements.

He has repeatedly lashed out at reporters when asked about his connections to Epstein, who died by suicide in jail in 2019 while facing federal sex trafficking charges. Trump and Epstein were friends until the early 2000s, but the two had a falling out years before Epstein’s death.

When an ABC News reporter asked Trump on Tuesday why he has not released the Epstein files on his own — as he has the power to do — the president insulted her and called for ABC’s broadcast license to be revoked.

The White House did not immediately respond…