US President Donald Trump on Sunday called on congressional Republicans to support the release of documents tied to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, marking a notable shift from his earlier reluctance on the issue.
Trump’s remarks, posted on his Truth Social account, followed comments from House Speaker Mike Johnson, who suggested that making the Justice Department files public could help dispel lingering accusations linking Trump to Epstein’s crimes involving underage girls.
In his post, Trump insisted that Republicans should endorse full disclosure. “House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files because we have nothing to hide,” he wrote, adding that the controversy was a “Democrat hoax” being used by political opponents to distract from what he described as recent Republican gains, including their stance in the debate over a potential government shutdown.
The president’s shift in tone comes despite long-circulated photos showing Trump and Epstein together in social settings decades ago. Trump has repeatedly stated that he severed ties with Epstein before the latter’s legal troubles and convictions.
Last week, emails released by a House committee indicated that Epstein believed Trump “knew about the girls,” a phrase whose meaning remains unclear and has fueled further speculation. Trump has dismissed the documents as a partisan smear and, in a counter-move, has directed the Justice Department to investigate alleged connections between Epstein and prominent Democrats.
The push to release more Epstein-related documents has also deepened internal divisions among Republicans.
Although Trump once campaigned on calls for transparency in the Epstein case, his recent wavering has generated friction with some of his closest allies. The debate escalated Friday when Trump publicly withdrew his political support for Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, one of his most vocally loyal defenders, after she criticized Republican leadership over their handling of the matter.
Democrats, meanwhile, say momentum is growing for disclosure.
Representative Ro Khanna of California, who helped spearhead the effort to force a vote on making the documents public, said Sunday he expects at least 40 Republicans to join Democrats in backing the measure. With the GOP holding a narrow House majority—219 seats to the Democrats’ 214—the vote could prove consequential for both parties.
Epstein, who died by suicide in a Manhattan jail in 2019 while awaiting federal charges, remains the center of numerous conspiracy theories and public demands for transparency.
Many of Trump’s supporters argue that federal agencies are still withholding key documents that could expose Epstein’s network of powerful associates, adding further pressure on Republican lawmakers ahead of the expected vote.
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