Epstein Files Transparency Act

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Epstein Files Transparency Act
Great Seal of the United States (obverse).svg
Long titleTo require the Attorney General to release all unclassified documents and records in possession of the Department of Justice relating to Jeffrey Epstein, and for other purposes.
Announced inthe 119th United States Congress
Number of co-sponsors24 [a]
Citations
Public law Pub. L. 119–38
Legislative history

The Epstein Files Transparency Act is a law passed by the 119th United States Congress and signed by President Donald Trump on November 19, 2025. It requires the United States attorney general to "make publicly available in a searchable and downloadable format" all files pertaining to the prosecution of the deceased child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein (if needed, declassifying them to the extent possible) within 30 days of passage, and then to give the Judiciary Committees in both the House of Representatives and the Senate an unredacted "list of all government officials and politically exposed persons" named in the files.

Contents

In September 2025, Representative Thomas Massie, a member of the Republican Party, filed a discharge petition in support of the bill. On November 12, the discharge petition received the minimum-required 218 signatures needed, from 4 Republican representatives and 214  Democratic Party representatives, forcing a House vote on the bill.

The House of Representatives voted 427–1 to pass the act on November 18, 2025, with Republican representative Clay Higgins casting the lone nay vote. [1] The next day, the Senate passed the bill via unanimous consent, and Trump signed the bill into law. [2] [3] [4] [5] The law gave the attorney general 30 days to release the documents. [6]

Beginning December 19, the U.S. Department of Justice released several batches of files, while announcing that the remaining files would be released over the next several weeks. [7] The partial release was a violation of U.S. law, as it failed to meet the December 19 deadline, and received bipartisan criticism. [8] [9] Many documents contained extensive redactions, with hundreds of pages entirely blacked out. [10] [11] As of January 2026, less than 1% of the files have been publicly released. [12]

Background

Mug shot of Jeffrey Epstein, 2019 Epstein Final Mugshot.png
Mug shot of Jeffrey Epstein, 2019

During the 2024 presidential election, the Republican nominee and former president Donald Trump, when asked by Rachel Campos-Duffy on Fox News in June 2024 whether he would release the Epstein files as president, answered "yeah, I would." [13] In September, while appearing on Lex Fridman's podcast, Trump promised to release the Epstein files if elected. [14] Trump won the 2024 election in November.

In February 2025, the U.S. attorney general, Pam Bondi, stated in a Fox News interview that the Epstein client list was "sitting on my desk right now to review." [15] Later that month, the White House gave binders to several prominent conservative and right-wing figures, including Liz Wheeler and Scott Presler, reading "Epstein Files: Phase 1" and "Declassified". Later that day, Representative Anna Paulina Luna criticized the event, stating that they released "old info". [15]

On July 7, Bondi released a statement saying that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) found "no incriminating 'client list'", contradicting her February statement. That day, DOJ and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced that no further files from the Epstein investigation would be released. [15] Bondi's statement drew outrage from conservative figures; Wheeler called it "unforgivable behavior", while the Hodgetwins called for Trump to fire Bondi. [16]

On July 11, reports emerged that Dan Bongino, the deputy director of the FBI, had a heated confrontation with Bondi over her handling of the files, and was considering resigning. [17] Bongino was later demoted to Co-Deputy Director on September 15, 2025; [18] he later announced his upcoming resignation on December 17, 2025. [19]

On July 12, Trump defended Bondi and referred to Epstein as "somebody that nobody cares about." On July 16, Trump referred to the Epstein files as "a big hoax." [20] On July 23, reports emerged that earlier in May, Bondi and her deputy Todd Blanche informed Trump that his name was "among many in the Epstein files." Trump denied this report. [15]

Trump's change in position drew criticism from prominent podcasters close to Trump, as well as many conservatives. Joe Rogan accused the Trump administration of gaslighting the public, while Andrew Schulz said Trump was "insulting our intelligence". [21]

In August 2025, Judge Paul A. Engelmayer denied Bondi's request to unseal grand jury files from the Ghislaine Maxwell prosecution case. [15]

Legislative history

Discharge petition

Representative Thomas Massie was the first to file a discharge petition on the Epstein files. Thomas Massie official portrait, 2022.jpg
Representative Thomas Massie was the first to file a discharge petition on the Epstein files.

On September 2, 2025, (the first day the House was back in session after the August recess) Representative Thomas Massie moved to force the House to vote to require the Justice Department to release the files, through a discharge petition. [22] Trump and other Republicans launched a pressure campaign to prevent the release of the files, with one anonymous official calling voting for Massie's discharge petition a "very hostile act to the administration". [23]

Within several days, Nancy Mace, Lauren Boebert, and Marjorie Taylor Greene signed the discharge petition, alongside many Democrats. [24] Later that month, Greene tweeted: "The Epstein rape and pedophile network must be exposed. ... Release all the Epstein information by any means possible." She added that "if something happens to me, I ask you all to find out" who might be trying "to stop the information from coming out." [25]

On September 9, the House Rules Committee rejected a motion 8-4, from Democratic representative Jim McGovern, to request to vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act in the House, along party lines. [26]

The petition's final two signatures came from Democrats: James Walkinshaw, who won the Virginia 11th District special election on September 9 [27] and was sworn in the next day, and Adelita Grijalva, who won the Arizona 7th congressional district special election on September 23 [28] and was sworn in on November 12. [29]

In the hours before Grijalva was sworn in, Bondi, Blanche, and FBI director Kash Patel met with Boebert regarding the House effort. However, Boebert did not remove her name from the petition, and once Grijalva was sworn in and provided the 218th signature, it was no longer procedurally allowable for any signatories to remove their names. [30] [31] [32]

Mike Johnson, the speaker of the House of Representatives, had delayed Grijalva's swearing-in, generally attributing his decision to the 2025 government shutdown, arguing that the House could not swear in new members during pro forma sessions or during a government shutdown. However, some critics noted that Johnson had sworn in two Republican members, Jimmy Patronis and Randy Fine, during a pro forma session in April. [33] On October 21, the Arizona attorney general, Kris Mayes, sued Johnson, seeking to force him to swear in Grijalva. [34] That day, Johnson told Fox Business that the delay "has zero to do with Epstein", given that "the Epstein files are being released" [35] (seemingly referring to the House Oversight Committee's releases).

Interval period

On November 12, 2025, Johnson stated that the House would vote on the bill the following week (November 16–22). [36]

In the following days, Republican representatives Don Bacon, [37] Andy Biggs, [38] Rob Bresnahan, [37] Tim Burchett, [37] Eli Crane, [39] Warren Davidson, [40] Carlos A. Giménez, [41] Nicole Malliotakis, [41] Max Miller, [40] and Derrick Van Orden, [41] none of whom signed the discharge petition, stated that they will vote in favor of the legislation. Representative María Elvira Salazar stated when asked that she was still "thinking" over her vote. [42]

Politico reported that, according to anonymous sources, over 100 Republicans were expected to defect from Johnson and vote for the bill. [37] Representative Ro Khanna predicted that 40–50 Republicans might vote for release, while Massie similarly anticipated that Republican support could "snowball", [43] later predicting a deluge of "100 or more" Republican votes. [44]

On November 15, Trump ordered the DOJ to investigate Epstein's involvement with banks and prominent Democratic figures, including Bill Clinton, Lawrence Summers, and Reid Hoffman. On Truth Social, Trump wrote: "This is another Russia, Russia, Russia Scam, with all arrows pointing to the Democrats". Bondi subsequently assigned the investigation to U.S. attorney Jay Clayton. [45]

On November 16, Massie commented on the DOJ's new investigation ordered by Trump, saying:

The president's been saying this is a hoax. He's been saying that for months. Well, he's just now decided to investigate a hoax, if it's a hoax ... I have another concern about these investigations ... If they have ongoing investigations in certain areas, those documents can't be released. So, this might be a big smoke screen, these investigations, to open a bunch of them ... as a last-ditch effort to prevent the release of the Epstein files. [46]

Massie also added that he does not believe Trump himself is implicated in the files, but "instead is trying to protect a bunch of rich and powerful friends, billionaires, donors to his campaign, friends in his social circles". [46]

Several hours later, [46] Trump posted on Truth Social, reversing his stance, writing that "House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files ... it's time to move on from this Democrat Hoax". [47] Representative Robert Garcia commented on Trump's reversal, arguing Trump was "panicking ... he is about to lose this Epstein vote to force the Department of Justice to release the files ... Trump has the power to release all the files today ... instead, he wants to continue this cover-up and launch bogus new investigations to deflect and slow down our investigation." [48] Massie also responded, commenting that Trump "got tired of me winning." [49]

On November 17, Trump said that he would sign the bill, but did not want it to "take it away from us". Massie responded to Trump on Twitter, writing: "Looking forward to attending this bill signing." [50] That day, Johnson also stated that he might support it, if it could be improved in the Senate to better protect victims' identities. [51] Additionally, on that day, Mark Epstein, the brother of Jeffrey Epstein, claimed there was an active coverup to "sanitize" the files by "scrubbing the files to take Republican names out." Mark Epstein claimed he had heard as such from a "pretty good source" and it was the reason for Trump's sudden shift on releasing the files. [52] [53] [54]

On November 18, Massie, Khanna, and Greene hosted a press conference at Capitol Hill alongside Epstein abuse survivors. [55]

House vote

The House of Representatives voting 427-1 to approve the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Clay Higgins (R-LA-3) was the sole representative to vote against it. U.S. House Approves a Bill Demanding the Justice Department to Release the Epstein Files - November 18, 2025.png
The House of Representatives voting 427-1 to approve the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Clay Higgins (R-LA-3) was the sole representative to vote against it.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted on the act on November 18, 2025, just before 3 p.m. Eastern Time. The bill was considered by the House "under a suspension of rules", meaning it required a two-thirds majority (290) vote to succeed. [56]

The vote passed 427–1. Representative Clay Higgins, a Republican, was the lone vote against the bill, arguing that the release of the identities of innocent witnesses and family members related to the case would cause undue harm. [57] Five representatives – Democrats Don Beyer, Greg Casar, and Mikie Sherrill; and Republicans Michael Rulli and Steve Womack  – did not vote on the bill. [58] [59]

Epstein Files Transparency Act, November 18, 2025, House vote
PartyYesNoPresentDid not voteTotal
Republican 216 1 N/a2219
Democratic 211N/aN/a3214
Total4271N/a5433

Senate vote

After passing the House, the bill would require 60 votes to pass in the U.S. Senate. [60] That night, the Senate unanimously agreed to pass the bill as soon as it was received from the House. [61] The bill arrived in the Senate on November 19 and was formally transmitted from the Senate to the President's desk that morning. [62]

Signing

Trump stated on November 17, 2025, that he would sign the Epstein Files Transparency Act into law if it reached his desk. [63] House speaker Mike Johnson, who had previously expressed staunch opposition to the release of the files, said on November 18: "I am deeply disappointed in this outcome. ... It needed amendments, I just spoke to the president about that. We'll see what happens." [64] [65] A presidential veto did not occur, but it could have been overridden had both chambers voted by a two-thirds majority, which they had easily reached in the previous votes on the act. [66]

The act reached the presidential desk on the morning of November 19. [4] A senior White House official had told reporters that "the bill will be signed whenever it gets to the White House". In the evening, the White House told reporters that Trump would not appear on camera for the rest of the day, [67] after which Trump announced on Truth Social that he had signed the bill into law. [5]

Pre-release period

On November 19, Bondi said that the Department of Justice had obtained "new information" about Epstein that could potentially justify withholding the release of certain files. [68]

Her statement led to public warnings from Republican senators, including Thom Tillis, Lisa Murkowski, and John Kennedy, who advised her to avoid withholding files. Murkowski warned Bondi that Americans will feel "duped" if files are withheld, while Tillis stated that "You can adjust for whatever investigations are going on, but if you do a blanket hold, I think that they're going to have a lot of people angry." [69] Democratic senators also began to publicly criticize Bondi, with Peter Welch predicting that Bondi would work to conceal files. [69]

That week, Bondi also filed an expedited motion in the U.S. District Court of Southern Florida for the release of grand jury transcripts in the Epstein case. [68]

On November 26, U.S. district court judge Richard M. Berman ordered the Department of Justice to describe, by December 1, which materials it possesses and how it will protect survivors' privacy. [70]

On December 5, Judge Rodney Smith ordered the release of Florida grand jury transcripts, determining that the Epstein Files Transparency Act overrode a law prohibiting the release of grand jury materials. [71]

On December 16, Vanity Fair published a series of eleven interviews from Chris Whipple with Susie Wiles, the incumbent White House chief of staff, from the previous several months. During the interviews, Wiles stated that Trump is named in the Epstein files, but "he's not in the file doing anything awful." Wiles also described Trump as having an "alcoholic's personality", and criticized Bondi and Patel. Following the publication, Wiles criticized the article, saying that "Significant context was disregarded". When asked about the article, Trump showed his support for Wiles, describing her as "fantastic". [72]

Thomas Massie's December 18 video commenting on the required release of the Epstein files

On December 18, Massie released an 14-minute video covering the expected release of the files, required by the following day. Massie covered what documents are legally required to be released, stated that there are "at least 20 names of men who are accused of sex crimes in the possession of the FBI", and criticized Bondi, Johnson, and Patel for their handling of the Epstein files release. [73]

FBI documents and redaction

As of November 2025, the Department of Justice's unreleased Epstein documents consist of nearly 100,000 pages, as well as 40 computers, 70 CDs, 26 storage drives, and six recording devices, which contain a collective 300 GB of data. [74]

According to The New Republic , physical evidence in the FBI's possession also includes "photographs, travel logs, employee lists...blueprints of Epstein's island and Manhattan home...a logbook of visitors to Epstein's private island, and a list [of names]". [74]

On November 25, Jason Leopold of Bloomberg News began to report on the Epstein Files, after partially receiving redacted copies from the FBI; Leopold filed a FOIA request and a lawsuit against the FBI for the files. Leopold received a variety of files, mostly emails, which also revealed the existence of the "Special Redaction Project" (also internally referred to as the "Epstein Transparency Project"). [75] Leopold claimed that between January 2025 and July 2025, FBI personnel worked 4,737 overtime hours, costing the U.S. government over $851,000, to redact files related to the Epstein investigation. [75]

On December 18, CNN reported that the Department of Justice was racing to quickly redact documents over the past several weeks, ahead of the December 19 deadline. The article reported that each attorney associated with the case was processing up to 1,000+ documents per week, and that "Counterintelligence specialists were asked to drop nearly all of their other work to process the Epstein documents." [76]

Release

According to the text of the law, the Department of Justice was legally required to release the Epstein files by December 19, 2025. However, the law does not establish a penalty for noncompliance.

December 19 release

On December 19, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told Fox & Friends there would only be a partial release of files that day. Blanche said the Department of Justice would release "today, several hundred thousand [files], and then over the next couple weeks, I expect several hundred thousand more." [77]

Blanche's announcement received bipartisan criticism from politicians, and was viewed as a violation of U.S. law. [8] Republican politicians including Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene attacked the staggered rollout of the files. [78] Massie responded to Blanche's remarks with a photograph of the law's text on X, highlighting the requirement that all files be released within 30 days; [7] Senator Rand Paul described the partial release as a "big mistake." [79] Democratic politicians including Chuck Schumer, [7] Ro Khanna, [80] Jamie Raskin, and Robert Garcia all condemned Blanche's announcement, and threatened legal action over the decision. [81] Legal scholar Ryan Goodman also responded, writing on X that "This is a violation of the Epstein Files Transparency Act." [7]

Democratic representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X that "Everyone involved will have to answer for this. Pam Bondi, Kash Patel, whole admin. Protecting a bunch of rapists and pedophiles because they have money, power, and connections. Bondi should resign tonight." Khanna stated that he was considering bringing articles of impeachment against Bondi, [82] while Massie also suggested that Bondi could be charged with obstruction of justice, over her failure to release every file by December 19, 2025. [83]

According to CBS News, the Epstein files released on December 19 total 3,965 files, at 3 GB of data. [84] A website called The Epstein Library went live to the public, including thousands of PDFs. The site seemed to contain a search function, though HuffPost noted it was not immediately working. [85]

Redactions

"Grand Jury-NY" file. All 119 pages were released entirely redacted. EFTA00005586.pdf
"Grand Jury-NY" file. All 119 pages were released entirely redacted.

Following the December 19 release, the Department of Justice received widespread criticism for the level of redaction the released files contained. Fox News reported that the Department of Justice redacted the names of "politically exposed individuals and government officials", in violation of the law. This report was disputed by Blanche. [88] [ better source needed ]

In a letter written by Blanche, obtained by Fox News, 1,200 names of victims or relatives were redacted before the files released. [88] [ better source needed ]

On December 19, CBS News reported that among the approximately 3,900 files released, [89] at least 550 pages of documents were entirely blacked out. [90] One 119-page file attributed to the grand jury of New York was highlighted by Ro Khanna and Chuck Schumer for being entirely redacted. [87]

Content of files

Following the December 19 release, various news outlets began analyzing the available files. The Associated Press wrote in their analysis of the files that "the mere inclusion of someone's name or images in files from the investigation does not imply [wrongdoing]." [8]

The Associated Press reported that the files contained several photographs of former U.S. president Bill Clinton in a private plane and a hot-tub. [8] The New York Times reported that Trump appeared only a small number of times in the released files, with the documents instead appearing to focus heavily on Clinton. [91] The release also included photographs of Epstein with a variety of celebrities and public figures including Bill Gates, [92] Michael Jackson, Mick Jagger, [91] Diana Ross, Walter Cronkite, [93] Kevin Spacey, Chris Tucker, David Copperfield, Peter Mandelson, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Sarah Ferguson, Richard Branson, [94] David Brooks, David Blaine, Woody Allen, and Ehud Barak. [95]

Included was a 2003 press photo of Michael Jackson with Bill Clinton, Diana Ross, and their children — Evan Ross, Paris Jackson, and Michael "Prince" Jackson Jr. — the latter's faces redacted. [96] Evan Ross confirmed himself and the Jackson children as in the photo. Social media users criticized the photo's redactions as unnecessary, and argued it intended to imply Ross and the Jackson children were victims and their parents questionable. White House press secretary Abigail Jackson (no relation) defended the redaction on the ground the photo featured minors. [96]

Within a day of the release, over a dozen files were removed from the justice.gov website with no public notice or explanation, [97] including a photo showing a picture of Trump, Epstein, and Maxwell together. It had the filename "EFTA00000468". [98] [99] [100] Schumer highlighted that file's removal, stating; "if they're taking this down, just imagine how much more they're trying to hide... This could be one of the biggest cover ups in American history." [101] On December 21, the Department of Justice said that out of "an abundance of caution", the Trump photo was "temporarily removed... for further review"; the photo was restored to the website later that day. [102]

December 20 release

At around midnight, on December 20, the Department of Justice released some additional files containing grand jury materials, as well as flight logs with redacted names. These also included a 32-page slide presentation from 2019, as well as a FBI agent's testimony to a grand jury in 2019. [103]

December 22 release

On December 22, an additional 11,034 documents were released by the Department of Justice. Within hours, the public discovered that many redactions could be easily bypassed with software like Photoshop [104] or other basic editing tools, [105] or by copy-pasting the seemingly redacted material to reveal the underlying text. [104] [105] [106]

The redacted portions were found to contain significant findings as to the members and techniques of Epstein's trafficking ring, rather than only redacting the personal information of victims as permitted by the Transparency Act. [107]

December 23 release

On December 23, nearly 30,000 additional files were released by the Department of Justice. With their release, the Department of Justice issued a statement claiming that "untrue and sensationalist claims made against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election. To be clear: the claims are unfounded and false". [108] [109] [110]

Unlike the first document release, which mentions Trump in very few instances, the December 23 release mentions Trump more frequently. [108] One case file included a direct rape allegation against Trump. [111] An included 2020 email stated Trump had flown with Epstein "many more times than previously has been reported"; [110] [108] with Trump listed as a passenger on at least eight flights on Epstein's private jet, between 1993 and 1996.

Alleged Epstein-Nassar letter

A purported postcard from Epstein to Larry Nassar was also released, dated August 13, 2019; Epstein died on August 10, 2019, three days before the letter was postmarked. Additionally, the letter's envelope contained a postmark from North Virginia, while Epstein was incarcerated in Manhattan. [112] In the letter, Epstein allegedly wrote: "Our president also shares our love of young, nubile girls...When a young beauty walked by, he loved to 'grab snatch,'...Life is unfair".

The Department of Justice called the letter "fake", following FBI analysis, and stated it released it due to that being required by law. [108] The existence of the letter had first been reported in 2023 by The Associated Press . [113] Another document released showed the letter underwent a handwriting-analysis at the FBI in 2020.

Margaret Hartman of New York commented on the letter, writing "there is significant reason to doubt its legitimacy...It wouldn’t have been hard for someone to write this letter as a sick joke". [112]

Unsubstantiated FBI Tip

Additionally, a released document contained an unverified FBI tip, from an unnamed woman in New Mexico. The woman submitted an online tip to the FBI in August 2020, shortly before the 2020 election. The woman alleged that in 1984, she was sex trafficked by her uncle and Epstein, while pregnant at the age of thirteen. She additionally alleged that her child was killed shortly after being born in 1984, and that Trump was present for the disposal of the infant's body within Lake Michigan. [114]

Snopes has cast doubt on the legitimacy of the accusation, noting that "the information [does] not line up with the established timeline of Trump's friendship with Epstein." Snopes noted that the woman alleged that the incident occurred in 1984, while Trump and Epstein did not meet until years later in the late 1980's; additionally, there is no evidence or documentation of Trump or Epstein having ties to the town. [114]

Future releases

Axios reported on December 24 that there were 700,000 files remaining which were expected to be released by December 30. [115] Later that day, other outlets reported the Justice Department had yet to internally review and redact over a million files and said it "may take a few more weeks" to release them [116] [117] as it sought U.S. attorneys to volunteer over Christmas to remotely do this work. [118] On December 30, The New York Times reported that the Department of Justice was reviewing as many as 5.2 million files. [119] On January 5, the Department of Justice said in a court filing that it had reviewed "12,285 documents (comprising 125,575 pages)" but had yet to review at least 2 million documents. [120] The letter also referenced an additional report, which separately suggested more than 5 million documents could be under review. [121]

In early January 2026, less than 1% of the files were publicly released according to a DOJ letter sent to U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer. [12] On January 8, 2026, Khanna and Massie wrote to Judge Engelmayer, "to suggest the appointment of a Special Master and Independent Monitor" so as to force the Justice Department to produce the remaining files. [121] [122]

Reactions

Journalists

In an opinion article in The Hill , journalist and attorney Chris Traux argued that the Epstein files were "a political albatross hanging around [Trump's] neck", while being Trump's equivalent of the Hillary Clinton email controversy. Traux also argued that the bill's overwhelming success in Congress showcased the weakened influence of Trump's political power. [123] Contributor A. Scott Bolden similarly argued in The Hill that Trump's initial opposition to the bill proved to be a failure, while arguing that Bondi's new investigations were Trump's eleventh-hour attempt to withhold select files. [124] Contributor John Mac Ghlionn also argued in The Hill that Trump's initial failure to release the Epstein Files could "destroy whatever legacy he hoped to leave behind"; and is partially responsible for the increasing popularity of far-right commentator Nick Fuentes, a critic of Trump. [125]

Journalist Harrison Berger in The American Conservative argued that the bill granted too much power to Bondi to redact content while releasing the Epstein files. Berger argued that the Trump administration would likely abuse the bill's provision in order to hide Epstein's political and foreign ties. For example, Berger pointed to Drop Site News's report that Epstein worked on Israel's behalf with Ehud Barak during the Syrian civil war, in order to help remove Bashar al-Assad from power. [126]

Public opinion

A September 2025 Marist Poll, surveying 1,477 adult Americans, found that 90% of Americans answered that they wanted at least some of the Epstein files released, with the victims' names redacted. Among these surveyed, 77% stated that they wanted all of the Epstein files to be released, 13% wanted some of the files released, and 9% were opposed. Additionally, 84% of Democrats, 67% of Republicans, and 83% of independents answered that they wanted all of the Epstein files to be released. [127]

A December 2025 Economist/YouGov poll, surveying 1,591 Americans, found that 55% of Americans disapproved of Trump's handling of the Epstein investigation, while only 26% approved. Additionally, the poll found that 91% of Democrats, 78% of Independents, and 74% of Republicans supported releasing the Epstein files. [128]

A January 2026 Economist/YouGov poll, surveying 1,546 Americans, found that 56% of Americans disapproved of Trump's handling of the files, while 25% approved. Additionally, 49% of Americans answered that Trump is attempting to cover up Epstein's crimes, while 30% answered that he is not. [129]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ 23 Democratic and 1 Republican

References

  1. ↑ Bolton, Alexander (November 18, 2025). "Senate unanimously approves bill to force release of Epstein files". The Hill. Archived from the original on November 18, 2025. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  2. ↑ Feinberg, Andrew (November 17, 2025). "Trump says he'll sign bill to release Epstein files but claims 'all' the dead sex offender's 'friends were Democrats'". The Independent . Archived from the original on December 11, 2025. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  3. ↑ Raju, Manu (November 18, 2025). "Thune: House will formally transmit Epstein bill to Senate on Wednesday, then it'll go to Trump's desk". CNN. Archived from the original on November 19, 2025. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  4. 1 2 Goba, Kadia (November 18, 2025). "Congress to send bill to Trump to force disclosure of Jeffrey Epstein files". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 18, 2025. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  5. 1 2 Lebowitz, Megan (November 19, 2025). "Trump signs bill to release the DOJ's Epstein files". NBCNews.com . Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  6. ↑ Brennan, David (November 20, 2025). "After Trump signs Epstein files bill, focus shifts to release timeline". ABC News. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Betts, Anna (December 19, 2025). "US legislators say justice department is violating law by not releasing all Epstein files". The Guardian.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Live updates: Justice Department releases case files on Jeffrey Epstein". Associated Press. December 19, 2025. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  9. ↑ Meyer, Matt (December 20, 2025). "Trump administration criticized by lawmakers over Epstein files release - live updates | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved December 20, 2025.
  10. ↑ Walsh, Joe (December 20, 2025). "Over 500 pages in initial Epstein files release were entirely blacked out, CBS News finds". CBS News. Archived from the original on December 22, 2025. Retrieved December 21, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Trump news at a glance: justice department restores Epstein files image featuring Trump after outcry". The Guardian. December 22, 2025. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
  12. 1 2 Greene, Connor (January 6, 2026). "Less Than 1% of the Epstein Files Have Been Released, DOJ Says". TIME .
  13. ↑ Tani, Max (June 9, 2024). "How Fox News massaged a Trump interview". Semafor.
  14. ↑ "Trump promises to release Epstein's 'client list'; ex-prez insists he was 'never' on Jeffrey's island". September 4, 2024.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 Chappell, Bill (August 22, 2025). "Timeline: Trump administration's words as critics press for Epstein records". NPR.
  16. ↑ Glenza, Jessica (July 8, 2025). "Rightwing influencers indignant over FBI claim that Jeffrey Epstein's client list doesn't exist". The Guardian.
  17. ↑ Dilanian, Ken; Hillyard, Vaughn; Alba, Monica; Reilly, Ryan J.; Smith, Allan (July 11, 2025). "Dan Bongino weighs resigning from FBI after heated confrontation with Pam Bondi over Epstein files". NBC News.
  18. ↑ Barrett, Devin; Haberman, Maggie (August 18, 2025). "In Surprise Move, Trump Taps Missouri Attorney General to Help Run F.B.I." The New York Times .
  19. ↑ Samuels, Brett; Beitsch, Rebecca (December 17, 2025). "Trump on Bongino leaving FBI: 'I think he wants to go back to his show'". The Hill.
  20. ↑ Hunnicutt, Trevor (July 16, 2025). "Trump says supporters questioning Jeffrey Epstein case are 'weaklings'". Reuters. Retrieved December 25, 2025. It's all been a big hoax," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "It's perpetrated by the Democrats and some stupid Republicans, and foolish Republicans fall into the net and so they try and do the Democrats' work.
  21. ↑ Pereira, Ivan (July 29, 2025). "Joe Rogan slams Trump administration over Epstein investigation: 'Trying to gaslight'". ABC News.
  22. ↑ Delaney, Arthur (September 2, 2025). "Thomas Massie Files 'Discharge Petition' To Force House Vote On Epstein Files". HuffPost. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  23. ↑ Gold, Michael (September 3, 2025). "G.O.P. Thwarts Epstein Disclosure Bill as Accusers Plead for Files" . The New York Times. Retrieved November 13, 2025. None of it appeared to be enough to outweigh the pressure from Mr. Trump and Republican leaders, who have moved quickly to squelch legislation that would require the Justice Department to quickly and completely release what it uncovered about Mr. Epstein, the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. (...) The White House, for its part, has made its opposition to Mr. Massie's bill clear.
  24. ↑ Kim, Ellis (September 5, 2025). "Here's what's next in the Epstein files saga". CNN. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
  25. ↑ Mazza, Ed (September 29, 2025). "'Not Suicidal': Marjorie Taylor Greene Posts Ominous 'If Something Happens' Message". HuffPost. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  26. ↑ "Here's the Name of Every Republican Who Voted to Kill Epstein Bill". The New Republic. ISSN   0028-6583 . Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  27. ↑ English, Molly (September 23, 2025). "Adelita Grijalva will win US House special election in Arizona, CNN projects, delivering decisive vote for Epstein files push". CNN. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  28. ↑ Bolton, Alexander (September 15, 2025). "GOP momentum grows to force Trump DOJ to release Epstein files". The Hill. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  29. ↑ Delaney, Arthur (November 12, 2025). "It's Official: The House Will Vote To Release The Epstein Files". HuffPost. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  30. ↑ Karni, Annie; Barrett, Devlin; Gold, Michael (November 12, 2025). "Trump Summons Lauren Boebert as He Pushes GOP to Block Epstein Vote". The New York Times. Retrieved November 13, 2025. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, confirmed that the meeting had taken place...
  31. ↑ Polantz, Katelyn; Collins, Kaitlan; Rabinowitz, Hannah; Treene, Alayna (November 12, 2025). "Exclusive: Trump administration plans meeting over House effort to force release of all of DOJ's Epstein files". CNN. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
  32. ↑ Ferris, Sarah (November 12, 2025). "Johnson says House will vote next week on whether to release Epstein files". CNN. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
  33. ↑ "House Pro Forma Session". C-SPAN. April 2, 2025. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  34. ↑ Wong, Scott (October 21, 2025). "Arizona AG sues to force House Speaker Johnson to seat Democrat Adelita Grijalva". NBC News. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
  35. ↑ Brancolini, Janna (October 21, 2025). "Mike Johnson Cornered on Fox News Over Epstein Vote Saga". The Daily Beast. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
  36. ↑ Yilek, Caitlin; Hubbard, Kaia (November 12, 2025). "Epstein discharge petition secures final signature needed to force House vote on releasing files". CBS News.
  37. 1 2 3 4 Wardwell, Faith; Lee Hill, Meredith (November 12, 2025). "Republicans expecting mass defections on Epstein vote". Politico.
  38. ↑ Sievers, Catilan (November 14, 2025). "Andy Biggs says he will vote to release the Epstein files, despite Trump's opposition". AZ Mirror.
  39. ↑ Griffing, Alex (November 12, 2025). "House Republicans Scramble as Epstein Files Petition Hits Magic Number — Several Announce They're Now Voting in Favor". Mediate.
  40. 1 2 BeMiller, Haley (November 17, 2025). "Will Ohio Republicans vote to release Epstein files? Where members of Congress stand".
  41. 1 2 3 "GOP lawmakers signal support for bill to release Epstein files and shrug off Trump's attacks on Greene". CNN. November 17, 2025.
  42. ↑ Heddles, Claire (November 14, 2025). "Will Miami's Congressional delegation vote to release Epstein files?". Miami Herald.
  43. ↑ Wagner, Meg (November 13, 2025). "Here's where some Republicans stand on releasing the Epstein files". CNN. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  44. ↑ Vento, Sophia (November 16, 2025). "Massie predicts a 'deluge' of House Republicans will vote to release Epstein files". The Hill.
  45. ↑ Gregorian, Dareh (November 14, 2025). "Trump directs DOJ to investigate Jeffrey Epstein's relationship with political and other figures". NBC News.
  46. 1 2 3 Fortinsky, Sarah (November 17, 2025). "Massie warns DOJ's new Epstein probes may block document releases". The Hill.
  47. ↑ Suter, Tara (November 16, 2025). "Trump, in reversal, calls on House GOP to vote to release Epstein files". The Hill.
  48. ↑ "Trump is 'panicking' after failing 'to kill our Jeffrey Epstein investigation', says top Democrat, after president's sudden pivot". The Guardian. November 17, 2025.
  49. ↑ Suter, Tara (November 17, 2025). "Massie on Trump's Epstein files U-turn: 'He got tired of me winning'". The Hill.
  50. ↑ Jaramillo, Alejandra (November 17, 2025). "Trump says he'd sign bill to release Epstein files but warns it shouldn't overshadow his agenda". CNN.
  51. ↑ Meyer, Matt (November 17, 2025). "Johnson signals he could support Epstein bill if Senate promises to make changes". CNN. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  52. ↑ Djordjevic, Patrick. "Jeffrey Epstein said he had 'dirt' on Trump, brother says". NewsNation . Retrieved November 18, 2025. 'I've been recently told the reason they're going to be releasing these things, and the reason for the flip is that they're sanitizing these files,' Epstein alleged. (...) 'There's a facility in Winchester, Virginia, where they're scrubbing the files to take Republican names out of it. That's what I was told by a pretty good source," he added.'
  53. ↑ Niemietz, Brian (November 18, 2025). "Jeffrey Epstein's brother claims there's 'dirt' on President Trump". New York Daily News . Retrieved November 20, 2025. 'I've been recently told the reason they're going to be releasing these things, and the reason for the flip is that they're sanitizing these files,' Epstein told Chris Cuomo during an appearance on NewsNation Monday night. (...) Mark Epstein attributed his information to 'a pretty good source,' who allegedly told him there's a facility in Virginia where the FBI is 'scrubbing the files to take Republican names out of it.'
  54. ↑ "Jeffrey Epstein's Brother: GOP 'Sanitizing' Names From Files... That's Why Trump Now Supports Release". TMZ . Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  55. ↑ Hutzler, Alexandra; Pecorin, Allison. "Epstein survivors speak out ahead of House vote, take aim at Trump". ABC News. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  56. ↑ Kim, Ellis (November 17, 2025). "House to vote on Epstein files release tomorrow afternoon". CNN.
  57. ↑ Becket, Stefan; Yilek, Caitlin (November 18, 2025). "Who voted against releasing the Epstein files? Rep. Clay Higgins explains his opposition to the House's bill". CBS News. Retrieved November 20, 2025. The bill passed the House on Tuesday in a 427-1 vote (...) Higgins explained his reasons for opposing the measure, saying the files could inadvertently entangle innocent people if they are released.
  58. ↑ "Roll Call 289 | Bill Number: H. R. 4405". Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. United States House of Representatives. November 18, 2025. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  59. ↑ "How every House member voted to release the Epstein files" . The Washington Post. November 18, 2025. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  60. ↑ Stracqualursi, Veronica (November 18, 2025). "Here's the Epstein bill's possible path in the Senate". CNN. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  61. ↑ "Live: US House and Senate approve release of Epstein files". BBC News. November 18, 2025. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
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  64. ↑ Ferguson, Malcolm (November 19, 2025). "Mike Johnson Gives Away the Game on Next Steps on Epstein Bill". The New Republic. ISSN   0028-6583 . Retrieved November 19, 2025.
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  66. ↑ Tait, Robert (November 19, 2025). "What to know about the US Senate vote on releasing the Epstein files". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  67. ↑ Jaramillo, Alejandra (November 19, 2025). "White House calls a lid, offering no update on Epstein bill". CNN. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  68. 1 2 Venkat, Surina (November 21, 2025). "Bondi files to release sealed Epstein grand jury transcripts". The Hill.
  69. 1 2 Bolton, Alexander (November 20, 2025). "GOP senators warn Bondi not to slow-walk release of Epstein files". The Hill.
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  72. ↑ Scott, Rachel; Murray, Isabella; Gomez, Justin (December 17, 2025). "Susie Wiles tells Vanity Fair Trump 'is in' Epstein files but not 'doing anything awful'". ABC News.
  73. ↑ Mancini, Ryan (December 18, 2025). "Massie: Epstein files' release will show whether Bondi, Patel were lying". The Hill.
  74. 1 2 Rashid, Hafiz (November 26, 2025). "Trump's FBI Spent Nearly $1 Million on Redacting Epstein Files". The New Republic.
  75. 1 2 Leopold, Jason (November 25, 2025). "Inside the FBI's Review and Redaction of Epstein Files". Bloomberg.
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  82. ↑ "Rep. Ro Khanna, who co-authored Epstein files law, says he's considering impeaching AG Pam Bondi". CNN. December 19, 2025.
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  94. ↑ Guardian staff (December 19, 2025). "Photos from the first batch of the Jeffrey Epstein files". The Guardian.
  95. ↑ "Who is in the Epstein files? A look at the latest names". USA Today. December 19, 2025.
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  107. ↑ Chidi, George (December 23, 2025). "Some Epstein file redactions are being undone with hacks". The Guardian.
  108. 1 2 3 4 "DOJ drops more Epstein files as scrutiny mounts over slow release". The Hill. December 23, 2025.
  109. ↑ "What to Know About the Latest Release of Documents From the Epstein Files". The New York Times. December 23, 2025.
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  111. ↑ Sutherland, Callum (December 23, 2025). "Trump Named in New Epstein Files Published by Justice Department". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
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  114. 1 2 PerryCook, Taija (December 26, 2025). "FBI tip alleged Trump witnessed Epstein victim's baby being killed, dumped in Lake Michigan". Snopes.
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  116. ↑ Cohen, Marshall (December 24, 2025). "DOJ says it has found over a million additional documents potentially related to Epstein". CNN. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
  117. ↑ Mitchell, Taiyler (December 24, 2025). "DOJ Says It Needs A Few More Weeks To Review 'Over A Million More' Potential Epstein Docs". HuffPost. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
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  120. ↑ Cheney, Kyle (January 5, 2026). "DOJ says millions of Epstein files have yet to be released". Politico. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
  121. 1 2 Fortinsky, Sarah (January 8, 2026). "Massie, Khanna ask judge for special master on Epstein files release". The Hill .
  122. ↑ Khanna, Ro; Massie, Thomas (January 8, 2026). "Re:// United States v. Ghislaine Maxwell 20 Cr.330 (PAE)" (PDF). khanna.house.gov. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
  123. ↑ Traux, Chris (November 21, 2025). "The Epstein files are a turning point in the Trump presidency, but it's not over yet". The Hill.
  124. ↑ A. Scott Bolden (November 21, 2025). "Congress rejected Trump's cover-up of the Epstein files, but it may yet succeed". The Hill.
  125. ↑ Mac Ghlionn, John (December 14, 2025). "What the right gets wrong about Nick Fuentes (and why it matters)". The Hill.
  126. ↑ Berger, Harrison (November 19, 2025). "Corporate Media Ignores the Real Epstein Story". The American Conservative .
  127. ↑ "The 1st Amendment in the U.S., October 2025". MaristPoll. October 1, 2025.
  128. ↑ Montgomery, David (December 23, 2025). "Less than half of MAGA Republicans strongly approve of Trump's handling of the Epstein investigation". YouGov .
  129. ↑ Montgomery, David (January 6, 2025). "Half of Americans think Donald Trump is trying to cover up Jeffrey Epstein's crimes". YouGov .
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