Trump calls on Republicans to vote for release of "Epstein files"

US President Donald Trump has called on lawmakers of his Republican Party to vote for the publication of documents concerning the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, convicted of sex crimes, UNN reports.

House Republicans should vote to release the "Epstein files" because we have nothing to hide

As the BBC notes, "his recent change of position followed the gradual release of documents related to the disgraced financier by House Democrats, some of which mention Trump, who has always denied any connection to Epstein's sexual abuse and human trafficking."

However, details of his past relationship with Epstein and other prominent figures have fueled speculation and led to a public spat with one of Trump's most ardent supporters, the publication notes.

According to the publication, potentially dozens of Republicans have already indicated that they are ready to break ranks and vote for a bill that would oblige the US government to publish all documents related to Epstein and the criminal investigations against him.

Supporters of the bill appear to have gathered enough votes for it to pass the House this week, although it is not yet clear whether it will pass the Senate, the other chamber of the US Congress.

Epstein was found dead in his prison cell in New York in 2019. The coroner later ruled it a suicide. He was held on charges of human trafficking for sexual exploitation, having previously been convicted in 2008 of soliciting a minor for prostitution.

Trump has repeatedly dismissed the White House's attention to the "Epstein files," calling them a "hoax" orchestrated by Democrats to "distract" from his party's work.

"The Department of Justice has already released tens of thousands of pages of materials in the 'Epstein case' to the public, is investigating the activities of various Democratic figures (Bill Clinton, Reid Hoffman, Larry Summers, etc.) and their connections to Epstein, and the House Oversight Committee can get everything it has a legal right to, I don't care!" - Trump wrote.

He added that he wants Republicans to "get back to business."

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed a similar view on Sunday, saying that calls for the release of documents are a whole plan of action for opposition Democrats.

"Trump has clean hands," Johnson told Fox News. "He's not worried about it. I talk to him all the time. He has nothing to do with it. He's upset that they're making it a political issue."

Since returning to the White House, Trump has dismissed the need to release more documents, despite it being a key demand of many of his supporters and some key allies.

Trump was usually photographed at social gatherings with Epstein, but he has repeatedly stated that he broke off contact with the financier years before Epstein's 2008 conviction and was unaware of his criminal activities.

The US president's change of position on the issue came after Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released three emails, including correspondence between Epstein and his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is now serving a 20-year prison sentence for human trafficking for sexual exploitation.

Some of these letters contain references to Trump. In particular, one email sent in 2011 from Epstein to Maxwell. The White House said on Wednesday that the victim mentioned in the email was a well-known Epstein accuser, Virginia Giuffre. The emails contain no hints of any wrongdoing by Trump, the publication notes.

Hours after the publication, House Republicans released a much larger batch of 20,000 documents to counter what they believed was an attempt by Democrats to "selectively" prepare documents to "create a false narrative for discussion" about Trump.

Both Democrats and some Republicans support legislation to release all documents. Republican House Representative Thomas Massie, one of the bill's authors, told ABC News on Sunday that up to 100 Republicans could vote for it.

The bill, known as the Epstein Files Transparency Act, aims to force the US Department of Justice to release all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigation materials related to Epstein.

Trump will also have to sign off on the release of the documents if it is approved by both chambers of the US Congress.

Trump initiates investigation into Epstein's ties to political opponents14.11.25, 18:25 • 3467 views