‘It’ll expose Democrats’: Trump signs bill to release Epstein files

United States President Donald Trump has signed legislation ordering the Justice Department to release documents from its investigation into sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Trump announced this in a post on his social media accounts on Wednesday night.

The files were eagerly sought by both his political opponents and members of his own base who have pressed for greater transparency in the case.

The documents could shed more light on the activities of Epstein, who socialised with Trump and other notable figures before his 2008 conviction on charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution.

The scandal has been a thorn in Trump’s side for months, partly because he amplified conspiracy theories about Epstein to his own supporters.

Many Trump voters believe his administration has covered up Epstein’s ties to powerful figures and obscured details surrounding his death, which was ruled a suicide, in a Manhattan jail in 2019 as he faced federal sex trafficking charges.

Until recently, Trump had urged Republican lawmakers to oppose the measure, warning that releasing internal investigative records could set a precedent he viewed as harmful to the presidency, according to two congressional aides.

He, however, reversed course this week as it became clear the bill had enough bipartisan support to pass with or without his backing.

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The president said the signing of the bill would help expose “the truth about certain Democrats and their associations with Jeffrey Epstein”.

Trump accused Democrats of weaponising the Epstein scandal to undermine his accomplishments and divert attention from what he called Republican policy victories.

He portrayed Epstein as a Democratic ally and said the upcoming document release would expose “their associations” with him.

“Perhaps the truth about these Democrats, and their associations with Jeffrey Epstein, will soon be revealed, because I have just signed the bill to release the Epstein files,” he stated.

The Star