President Donald Trump said Wednesday evening that he signed legislation directing the Department of Justice to release unclassified records tied to Jeffrey Epstein.
The move follows days of fast action in Congress and months of pressure from lawmakers who argued that a comprehensive, government-wide disclosure was the only way to end speculation and deliver a full public record.
Trump’s announcement capped a week in which he shifted from criticizing the disclosure push to endorsing it. Over the weekend he said he had “nothing to hide” and urged House Republicans to vote yes. By Tuesday, the House cleared the bill by a 421–1 margin, and hours later the Senate passed it by unanimous consent.
On Wednesday, the president said he had signed the measure, starting the clock for the Justice Department to post the records online.
What the new law does
The Epstein Files Transparency Act instructs the attorney general to make public, in a searchable and downloadable format, all unclassified records, documents, communications and investigative materials tied to Epstein and his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
The scope includes references to individuals mentioned in previous legal matters, details related to trafficking allegations, internal DOJ communications about the case and material regarding the investigation into Epstein’s 2019 death.
The law sets a firm deadline. DOJ must begin publication within 30 days of enactment. The department can withhold or redact content that would identify victims, reveal child sex abuse material, compromise an active investigation or disclose classified information. Officials said they will follow those standards as they assemble the archive and apply consistent redactions.
How Congress voted
The House vote was lopsided after a sustained campaign led by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., along with a bloc of Democrats who pushed for full disclosure. The lone no vote came from Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., who said the bill risked injuring “thousands of innocent people” by exposing names of witnesses, alibi providers and family members.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., ultimately voted yes but repeated concerns about privacy and safety. He warned that broad publication could deter future whistleblowers and informants and could inadvertently expose the identities of undercover law enforcement officers. Supporters countered that the statute’s redaction authority safeguards victims and live investigations while ending a pattern of piecemeal releases.
Hours after the House acted, the Senate cleared the bill by unanimous consent. Leaders in both parties agreed to pass the House text without amendments to avoid sending it back across the Capitol and delaying publication.
Why the White House position shifted
Trump had previously dismissed renewed efforts to release more records as a partisan attack. Over the weekend he changed course, saying the files should go out and that he welcomed a vote. He repeated that message in public comments this week and said he would sign the measure if it reached his desk.
The change eliminated the last major political obstacle and gave Republicans who had privacy reservations a clear path to support the bill.
The shift followed new document activity on Capitol Hill. Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee released three emails provided by Epstein’s estate that mention Trump. Republican offices then posted a much larger cache of roughly 20,000 pages tied to the case. Those releases intensified calls for a uniform publication that collects federal records in one place, with standardized redactions and an index.
What is in the new document batches
Emails released to the committee show Epstein communicating with Maxwell and others about high-profile figures. In an April 2011 message to Maxwell, Epstein wrote, “i want you to realize that that dog that hasn’t barked is trump.. (VICTIM) spent hours at my house with him ,, he has never once been mentioned. police chief. etc. im 75 % there.” Maxwell replied, “I have been thinking about that…”
In a separate 2019 email to author Michael Wolff, Epstein wrote that Trump “of course he knew about the girls as he asked ghislaine to stop.” Trump has said he barred Epstein from Mar-a-Lago after accusing him of approaching workers from the resort’s spa.
The documents themselves are genuine, but the statements inside remain unverified and uncorroborated. The releases do not allege criminal conduct by Trump, and no law enforcement records link him to Epstein’s crimes.
DOJ’s earlier posture and what changes now
In July, DOJ and the FBI said in a joint memo that they had no further information to share with the public about Epstein’s case and that the federal investigation had closed.
That stance drew criticism from Trump supporters who wanted the government to disclose more records, including any so-called “client list.” The new law supersedes that posture by creating a statutory publication mandate and a deadline.
Attorney General Pam Bondi told reporters Wednesday that the department will comply. Her office will oversee the review, apply the law’s redaction standards and coordinate with components that hold responsive records. A public portal will host the files and allow users to search and download documents.
