Congress has rushed through the bill to release the Jeffrey Epstein files after months of resistance from President Donald Trump and Republican House leadership – but when exactly that will happen remains a mystery.
A drawn-out fight by survivors of Epstein’s abuse, MAGA, rebel GOP reps and Democrats culminated in The Epstein Files Transparency Act clearing the House and the Senate Tuesday, and it is expected to land on Trump’s desk imminently.
It calls for Attorney General Pam Bondi to release the remaining unclassified records in the case relating to the late sex offender, who died by suicide in his jail cell in August 2019.
Epstein survivors and campaigners were jubilant as they watched the bill sail through the upper chamber, but questions remain as to when the files might finally be released, particularly because Bondi still has the power to redact and omit certain records.
So far, the Justice Department has stayed silent on how it will proceed, and there is some trepidation that Bondi could put the brakes on the release of the files, despite the passing of the bill in Congress.
What is in the Epstein Files Transparency Act?
The bill calls on Bondi to release “all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials” held by the Justice Department, FBI and each U.S. Attorney’s Office related to Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell within 30 days.
It also calls for files to be released that relate to individuals, including government officials, named or referenced in connection with criminal activities in the case, and any corporate, nonprofit, academic or governmental entities “with known or alleged ties to the trafficking or financial networks of Jeffrey Epstein.”
But the bill also gives Bondi the power to withhold records that contain sensitive information about a victim or child witness, depicts or contains child pornography or any image of death, physical abuse or injury of any person.
Crucially, the bill also states that Bondi can withhold or redact documents that would jeopardize an active federal investigation or prosecution, or contain information “specifically authorized under criteria established by an Executive order to be kept secret,” citing national defense or foreign policy.
When will Trump sign the bill?
All eyes are now on the president to sign the bill into law, which he promised to do if it got through the House and the Senate — though Trump has had the power all along to order the release of the files with or without Congress.
The bill cleared the lower and upper chambers Tuesday, and is now on its way to the White House staff secretary’s office for Trump’s signature.
But it remains unclear exactly when the president will sign it. He has a busy day, according to his schedule, and is on day two of a charm offensive with the Saudi crown prince, Mohammad bin Salman.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said he was “deeply disappointed” that the Senate approved the bill without making further amendments, and said he and Trump “both have concerns.”
When asked by an MSNOW reporter if the president could veto the bill, Johnson said: “I’m not saying that. I don’t know.”
Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal told CNN that he believed “30 days would be a more than sufficient time” for the Justice Department to release the files.
Republican Senators Thom Tillis and Eric Schmitt also told CNN the Justice Department should comply with the bill and release the files.
What has the Department of Justice said?
The department has kept relatively quiet about the bill.
Bondi addressed the Epstein files saga on her X account on November 14, where she responded to a Truth Social post from Trump instructing her to launch an investigation into Epstein’s Democratic associates.
“Thank you, Mr. President. SDNY U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton is one of the most capable and trusted prosecutors in the country, and I’ve asked him to take the lead,” Bondi said. “As with all matters, the Department will pursue this with urgency and integrity to deliver answers to the American people.”
In a press conference on November 19, Bondi said the department will “continue to follow the law,” when asked what her plan was after Congress passed the bill.
Now the biggest question that remains is whether the Trump administration will argue that this investigation means that the documents cannot be released.
Bondi has already faced the wrath of MAGA after claiming in February that the files were “sitting on [her] desk,” and invited right-wing influencers to a White House photo-op where they received binders of documents containing information largely already in the public domain.
Then, the Justice Department and FBI issued a joint memo in July, effectively drawing a line under the case by stating that no further documents would be released.
Since then, the issue has refused to die down and the White House became engulfed in a months-long controversy.
A former White House lawyer in Trump’s first term, Ty Cobb, told CNN that he believed that Bondi would stop the release of the files by citing the ongoing investigation.
“I think [Trump] and Bondi have determined that they’ll try to use Trump-ordered ‘investigations’ of Democrats ‒ but not Republicans, as he stated ‒ as a bar to producing anything,” Cobb told the network.
“I think it’ll be a long time before we see anything, although there are certain documents that could be easily produced.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said it was “a very reasonable concern.”
“There’s no reason to believe that they’re going to behave in any kind of independent fashion, particularly now that Donald Trump has, once again, charged the Department of Justice with weaponizing the federal government against people he perceives to be his political adversaries,” the Democrat said.
