The US president says he supports lawmakers’ plan to release the files before this week’s House vote.
US President Donald Trump has urged his fellow Republican members of Congress to vote to release files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, reversing his previous resistance to such a move.
Trump’s post on Truth Social comes after House Speaker Mike Johnson said he believed a vote on releasing Justice Department documents in the Epstein case would help quell allegations that “Trump had something to do with it.”
Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Sunday: “House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide.
He added, “And now it’s time we move on from this Democrat fraud, perpetrated by radical left-wing lunatics to distract from the Republican Party’s great success, including our recent victory over the Democrat ‘shutdown.'”
Although photos of Trump and Epstein together were taken decades ago, the president has said the two had a falling out even before Epstein was convicted. Emails released by a House committee last week revealed that the disgraced financier, who died by suicide in prison in 2019, believed Trump “knew about the girls,” though it was unclear what that phrase meant.
Trump, who recently dismissed the Epstein Files as a smear campaign by the Democratic Party, has directed the Justice Department to investigate prominent Democrats’ ties to Epstein.
Some critics have accused Trump of concealing details—which the president denies—to prevent a vote, which has divided his usually loyal Republican Party.
“I don’t care what the House Oversight Committee can legally authorize! I just care that Republicans get back to the point, the economy and “affordability,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
On Sunday, Republican Congressman Thomas Massie challenged Trump on whether the president was making a “last-ditch effort” to prevent all files related to Epstein from being released by ordering a fresh investigation.
Massie and Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna, both U.S. Representatives who are leading a bipartisan effort to declassify all government-held files, expressed concern about the White House’s latest action.
Speaking on ABC’s “This Week” on Friday, Massie criticized Trump for ordering Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate Democrats with ties to Epstein.
Trump late Friday night withdrew his endorsement of U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, long one of his strongest supporters in Congress, after she criticized Republicans on certain issues, including the handling of the Epstein files.
Khanna, the original sponsor of the petition demanding a vote on the release of the files, said on Sunday that he expected more than 40 Republicans to vote in favor.
Republicans hold 219 seats in the House, while Democrats hold 214.
Trump’s stance on the issue has led to a public feud in recent days with Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, traditionally one of his staunchest supporters.
The US president attacked him on Friday, calling him a “crazy” and a “traitor” and suggesting he should be removed from power in elections next year.
Greene questioned whether Trump still prioritizes “America First” and said he was using her as an example to scare other Republicans into voting for the bill.
Meanwhile, the US Justice Department has confirmed that it will investigate Epstein’s alleged ties to major banks and several prominent Democrats, including former President Clinton. They have categorically denied having any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes.
Hoffman, a LinkedIn founder and major Democratic donor, and Clinton’s Treasury Secretary Summers both appeared in the recent release.
Summers previously expressed regret for remaining in contact with Epstein after his conviction, while Hoffman stated that his involvement with the pimp was limited to raising funds for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
