A vote to release the Epstein files should only be Congress’ first step toward ensuring justice for victims | Editorial
Only the full release of the files may reveal why President Donald Trump has been so reluctant to act on a promise he made to his supporters.
For months, Donald Trump has tried to insult, bully, and intimidate his way to keeping the House from voting on the release of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
On Sunday night, fearing that more than a handful of Republicans would break ranks and support the measure in a vote scheduled as soon as Tuesday, the president tried to keep the word humiliating from preceding a description of his defeat.
“The House Oversight Committee can have whatever they are legally entitled to, I DON’T CARE,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
The abrupt about-face clears the way for Republicans to join Democrats and steadfast GOP Reps. Thomas Massie, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, and Nancy Mace in compelling the U.S. Department of Justice to release the files.
» READ MORE: Epstein’s emails are the end of America as they ruined it | Will Bunch
This is an important win for the many alleged victims — around 200 women and underage girls — of the late disgraced financier, whose ties to the rich and powerful (including Trump and former President Bill Clinton) have sparked conspiracy theories about a mass cover-up and suspicion around Epstein’s 2019 suicide in a federal jail cell in Manhattan.
Once the House clears the way, the Senate should quickly follow suit and send the bill to the president’s desk. Transparency, accountability, and justice for Epstein’s victims have been delayed long enough.
Of course, even if Congress and Trump approve the measure, the fight will likely continue.
The president’s capitulation may only be a strategic retreat. His persistent unwillingness to release the information — which he had promised to make public if elected — forecasts further obstruction.
It is not difficult to wonder why.
Despite Trump’s denials, he and Epstein were once good friends, part of an elite cadre that included financial titans and political leaders. There are videos and photos of them together, and Trump repeatedly flew on Epstein’s plane (known as “the Lolita Express”).
Trump himself has faced sexual misconduct allegations by dozens of women and was found liable for sexual abuse in 2023. His appearance in published Epstein documents, which have so far included a salacious birthday card and email allegations that he “knew about the girls,” indicates there could be worse to come.
Even as he told Republicans to vote to release the files, Trump nonsensically railed that this was all a “Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics.” He argued in the same breath that Republicans shouldn’t fall into the “Epstein trap,” which was “actually a curse on the Democrats, not us.”
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Only the full release of the files may reveal why the president has been so reluctant to act on a promise he made to his supporters. Why he has pressured his party so effectively that a vote on the House bill had to be forced upon Republican leadership. As this board has asked before: What are they hiding? Who are they protecting?
Unfortunately, the American people cannot fully trust those in charge of the files. Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel have shown that they value loyalty to Trump above all else, including going after the president’s political enemies regardless of any evidence.
Congress must ensure that both fully discharge their duties and release all required information, regardless of who is embarrassed or implicated.
Justice — and, at least for now, the president — demands it.