Both houses of the US Congress have agreed to order the Justice Department to release its files on the case of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the BBC reports.
The vote comes days after US President Donald Trump abruptly reversed course and called on Congress to vote on releasing the files. Last week, about 20,000 pages of documents related to the Epstein case were released to the public, reviving the Trump-Epstein connection. The White House has denied that the president did anything wrong.
The only Republican senator to oppose the release of the files in the House of Representatives was Republican Senator Clay Higgins of Louisiana, who said that releasing the information could harm innocent people. In Washington, Trump’s abrupt reversal, from attacking those who wanted the documents released to declaring that there was nothing to hide, has come as a surprise.
The bill was expected to take several days to pass the Senate, but the unanimous vote in the House of Representatives has expedited the process. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer used the procedure known as unanimous consent for the bill – meaning that since no one objected, there was no discussion and no amendments were made.
Now the bill will go to Trump’s desk.
The bill would require Attorney General Pam Bondi to release all records, documents, communications and investigative materials related to Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell within 30 days of the law taking effect. The materials also include internal communications from the Justice Department, flight logs, and individuals and organizations associated with Epstein. At the same time, Bondi will retain the right not to release materials that could interfere with the investigation or identify victims.
Epstein was found dead in a New York jail in 2019, and at that time a forensic expert concluded that the criminal committed suicide. He was in custody for human trafficking for the purpose of prostitution. Thousands of documents have been collected in two criminal cases against Epstein, including transcripts of interviews with victims and witnesses. Trump also once socialized with the deceased pedophile, but he reportedly stopped his friendship with Epstein before 2008, when he was convicted of inciting a minor to engage in prostitution. Trump also reportedly did not know about Epstein’s criminal activities.
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