Trump urges House GOP to release Epstein files

Trump reverses stance, urges House Republicans to vote for the release of Epstein files amid growing bipartisan support and ongoing investigations.

sarah

Nov 17, 2025 - 11:47

Trump urges House GOP to release Epstein files

House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide," Trump wrote on Truthout Social on Sunday night.

This significant shift in Trump's stance comes after dozens of Republicans have indicated they are willing to break with their party and vote for the release of these documents.

This week, the House is expected to vote on legislation that would force the Justice Department to publicly release these files. Supporters of the bill appear to have enough votes to pass the House, though it remains unclear whether it will pass the Senate.

If it passes both houses, Trump would also have to sign off on releasing the documents.

Both Democrats and some Republicans support the bill. Republican Representative Thomas Massie, a co-sponsor of the bill, said in an interview with ABC News on Sunday that more than 100 Republicans could vote in favor of it.

The bill, known as the Epstein Files Transparency Act, aims to force the Justice Department to release all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials related to pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Trump posted this statement shortly after arriving at Joint Base Andrews after spending the weekend in Florida.

Trump wrote, "The Justice Department has already released thousands of pages to the public on "Epstein," is investigating various Democratic operatives (Bill Clinton, Reid Hoffman, Larry Summers, etc.) and their ties to Epstein, and the House Oversight Committee can take whatever legal action it has, I don't care!" He further stated that he wanted Republicans to "get back to the point."

Trump's mention of Clinton comes after the US Justice Department confirmed that it will investigate Epstein's alleged ties to major banks and several prominent Democrats, including former US President Bill Clinton.

Trump said he would ask Attorney General Pam Bondi and the FBI to investigate Epstein's "involvement and connections" with Clinton and others.

Clinton has denied any knowledge of Epstein's crimes.

Trump's statement comes after Democrats on the House Oversight Committee last week published three email exchanges, including correspondence between Epstein, who died in prison in 2019, and his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking.

Some of those exchanges mention Trump. In a 2011 email, Epstein wrote to Maxwell: "I want you to understand that the dog that hasn't barked is Trump... [The victim] spent hours with him at my house."

Hours after the release of those exchanges, House Republicans released a large portion of 20,000 files to counter what they said was a Democratic attempt to "selectively withhold documents." They also said it was an attempt to "fabricate a false narrative to defame President Trump."

The House of Representatives then announced that it would vote next week on the broader release of Epstein-related material.

In his remarks Sunday night, Trump reiterated the White House's dismissal of the Epstein files, calling them a "hoax" by Democrats. His post came after House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a statement to Fox News that voting on the release of these documents would refute allegations that Trump had any connection to Epstein's abuse and trafficking of teenage children.

Trump and Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, traditionally one of his staunchest supporters, have been publicly feuding over the files.

On Friday, Trump called Greene a "crazy" in a social media post and said she should be ousted from power in next year's elections. On Saturday, he called her a "traitor."

Greene, in turn, questioned whether Trump was still prioritizing "America First" and criticized his handling of the Epstein files.

In a letter addressed to Congress, survivors of the Epstein case and the family of Virginia Giuffre, a prominent woman who accused Epstein, called on US lawmakers to vote in favor of releasing the files.