US President Donald Trump delivers remarks to the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York City on September 23, 2025. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP)
US President Donald Trump has called on Republican lawmakers to support the release of all government-held documents linked to the late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, marking a sharp reversal of his earlier position.
Trump, writing on Sunday night, urged House Republicans to vote in favour of legislation that would compel the Justice Department to publish all unclassified records related to Epstein’s criminal activities and past investigations. “We have nothing to hide,” he posted on his Truth Social platform, while insisting that Democrats were using selective releases to create a “fake narrative” targeting him.
The renewed push for transparency follows recent releases by House Democrats, including a set of email exchanges between Epstein and his long-time associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking. One of the emails made a reference to Trump, though the White House stressed that there was no indication of wrongdoing on his part.
Momentum for the Epstein Files Transparency Act continues to build, with as many as 100 Republicans expected to break ranks and vote for the bill. The measure seeks to force the Justice Department to release all relevant records, communications, and investigative material concerning Epstein, who was found dead in his New York prison cell in 2019 in what was ruled a suicide.
The bill is likely to pass the House this week, though its fate in the Senate remains uncertain. Should it advance through both chambers, Trump would have to sign the legislation into law.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said a vote in favour would help dispel long-running allegations linking Trump to Epstein’s crimes. Though the two were photographed together at social events years earlier, Trump has consistently maintained that he cut ties with Epstein long before his 2008 conviction and was unaware of his criminal behaviour.
Trump’s shifting stance has prompted a public fallout with Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of his most vocal defenders. The president labelled her “wacky” and a “traitor”, while Greene accused him of abandoning his “America First” principles and attempting to intimidate Republican lawmakers ahead of the vote.
In a letter to Congress, Epstein survivors and the family of Virginia Giuffre urged lawmakers to support the bill, emphasising its importance for transparency and justice. They implored legislators to remember their duty to their constituents and consider how they would respond if their own loved ones had been targeted.
Meanwhile, the US Justice Department has confirmed it will examine Epstein’s ties to major financial institutions and prominent political figures, including former President Bill Clinton, LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, and former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers. All three have denied knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activities.
House Republicans recently released an additional 20,000 documents, accusing Democrats of “cherry-picking” earlier disclosures to malign Trump.
As both parties intensify their push for full transparency, the coming days may determine whether the long-withheld files are finally made public, potentially shedding light on one of America’s most controversial criminal networks.
Melissa Enoch
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