U.S. President Donald Trump has signed a bill to compel the release of all files related to Jeffrey Epstein.
Financier Epstein, a convicted sex offender, died by suicide in jail in August 2019 while in custody on federal charges for the sex trafficking of minors.
A savvy networker, Epstein cultivated friendships with many high-profile figures, including politicians and celebrities, over the course of his life, which have since attracted significant controversy.
Following speculation about information in the Epstein files, Trump announced via his Truth Social platform on Wednesday that he has signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which was passed by the U.S. Congress earlier this week.
In his message, the American leader accused Democrats of campaigning for the files to be released as a means of distracting from the achievements of his Republican administration.
"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 exclaimed. "At my direction, the Department of Justice has already turned over close to fifty thousand pages of documents to Congress. Do not forget - The Biden Administration did not turn over a SINGLE file or page related to Democrat Epstein, nor did they ever even speak about him... This latest Hoax will backfire on the Democrats just as all of the rest have! Thank you for your attention to this matter. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
The bill requires Department of Justice (DOJ) officials to "make publicly available in a searchable and downloadable format" all files related to the prosecution of Epstein within 30 days.
In addition, the DOJ must report what information has been released, a summary of any redactions made, and a list of all "government officials and politically exposed individuals" named or referenced in the published materials.
Trump and Epstein had been friends at one point, though they had a falling out around 2004, and ceased contact. Epstein was first arrested in 2006.
Trump, 79, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and always maintained he did not know about the businessman's crimes.
