Trump signs bill approving release of Epstein files after facing mounting pressure

Donald Trump signed a bill approving the release of the case files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the US president revealed in a state on his social media platform, Truth Social.

The Justice Department now has 30 days to publicly release files regarding investigations into Epstein, as well as his longtime confidance and girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell. The bill also directs the Justice Department to release its internal communications on Epstein and his associates, and information regarding his death in prison.

However, certain exemptions still apply. The legislation specifies that the Justice Department may withhold personally identifiable information about victims, any child sexual abuse material, and information that the administration considers classified for reasons of national defence or foreign policy.

The total number of files amount to roughly 100,000 pages, according to a federal judge who has reviewed the case.

Trump had initially been against making the files public, after it was alleged that he may personally be implicated. However, pressure from both political opponents and within his own party grew, pushing him to provide greater transparency regarding the files.

The US president repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, claiming he had cut ties with Epstein years ago.

Who was Jeffrey Epstein?

Jeffrey Epstein was accused of having trafficked women, many of them underage, and forced them to perform sexual acts on his friends, largely comprised of entrepreneurs, lawmakers and wealthy individuals from the US and abroad, in parties on his infamous Little Saint James private island in the US Virgin Islands.

Many of the world’s richest and most influential people were alleged to have participated in Epstein’s parties, including Trump, Elon Musk, the former-Prince Andrew, Bill Gates, Bill Clinton and others, all of whom denied any wrongdoing.

Allegations started surfacing around Epstein’s crimes in 2005. He first faced criminal charges a year later at a Florida court where he was indicted on a single charge of soliciting prostitution.

Since then, many more victims came forward, accusing Epstein of trafficking them on his island, along with his longtime partner and accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.

Epstein was later arrested in 2019, after more than a decade of accusations against him. He was charged with sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors. Epstein died in prison in August of the same year by suicide while awaiting trial.