ReutersUS President Donald Trump has called on lawmakers in his party to vote to release files relating to late convicted pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump wrote Sunday night that House Republicans should do so “because we have nothing to hide.”
The change in his recent position follows a slow flow of documents related to the disgraced financier from House Democrats, some citing Trump, who has always denied any connection to Epstein's sexual abuse and human trafficking.
But details of his and other prominent figures' past relationships with Epstein have fueled speculation and led to a public spat with one of Trump's staunchest supporters.
Potentially dozens of Republicans have now signaled they are willing to break ranks and vote for a bill that would force the US government to release all documents about Epstein and the criminal investigations it conducts into him.
Supporters of the bill appear to have enough votes for it to pass the House of Representatives this week, although it is unclear whether it will pass the Senate, the other chamber of the US Congress.
Epstein was found dead in his New York City prison cell in 2019, which a coroner later ruled a suicide. He was in custody on charges of sex trafficking and was previously convicted in 2008 of soliciting prostitution of a minor.
Trump repeated that the White House dismissed the focus on the Epstein files as a “hoax” led by Democrats to “divert” attention from the work of his party.
“The Department of Justice has already provided the public with tens of thousands of pages about Epstein, is looking into various Democratic figures (Bill Clinton, Reed Hoffman, Larry Summers, etc.) and their relationships to Epstein, and the House Oversight Committee can have everything they are legally entitled to, I DO NOT CARE!,” he wrote on his social media platform “Truth.”
He added that he wants Republicans to “get back to business.”
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson made a similar point Sunday, saying calls to release the files were the “complete game plan” for opposing Democrats.
“Trump has clean hands,” Johnson told Fox News. “It doesn't bother him. I talk to him all the time. He has nothing to do with this. “He's disappointed that they're turning this into a political issue.”
Back at the White House, Trump rejected the need to release more documents, even though it is a key demand of many of his supporters and some of his key allies.
Trump has historically been photographed at public events with Epstein, but he has repeatedly said he cut ties 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 comes after Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released three emails, including correspondence between Epstein and his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking.
Some of these exchanges refer to Trump. In one email sent in 2011, Epstein writes to Maxwell: “I want you to understand that the dog that didn't bark was Trump. [VICTIM] I spent hours with him in my house.”
The White House said Wednesday that the victim mentioned in the email was prominent Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre.
The emails do not suggest any wrongdoing on Trump's part.
Hours after the release, House Republicans released a much larger batch of 20,000 files to counter what they said was an attempt by Democrats to “cherry-pick the most important” documents in an attempt to “create a false story to smear” Trump.
Both Democrats and some Republicans supported legislation to release all documents. Republican Representative Thomas Massie, one of the bill's sponsors, said in an interview with ABC News on Sunday that 100 Republicans might vote for it..
The bill, known as the Epstein File Transparency Act, seeks to force the Justice Department to release all unclassified records, documents, communications and investigations related to pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump will also have to sign off on the documents being released if they are passed by both legislative chambers.
In a letter addressed to Congress, Epstein survivors and Giuffre's family called on US lawmakers to vote to release the files.
“Remember that your first duty is to your constituents. Look into the eyes of your children, your sisters, your mothers and your aunts,” the letter reads.
“Imagine if they were hunted. Imagine if you yourself had survived. What would you like for them? What would you like for yourself? When you vote, we will remember your decision at the ballot box.”
Trump's approach to this issue has led in recent days to public feud with Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greenetraditionally one of his most ardent supporters.
The US president attacked her on Friday, calling her “stupid” and a “traitor” and suggesting she should be barred from running in next year's elections.
Greene, for his part, questioned Trump's continued commitment to “America First” and said he was “leading by example” to discourage other Republicans from voting in favor of the bill.
Meanwhile, the US Department of Justice confirmed that it will investigate Epstein's alleged ties to major banks and several prominent Democrats, including former US President Clinton. He categorically denies knowing about Epstein's crimes.
The names of Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn and a prominent donor to the Democratic Party, and Summers, Clinton's Treasury secretary, appeared in the latest issue.
Summers previously expressed regret about contacting Epstein after his conviction, while Hoffman said the extent of his collaboration with the broker was to raise funds for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
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