August M
The move marks a sharp reversal from recent months, when Trump and several Republican leaders opposed further disclosure of the case files.
US President Donald Trump has signed a bill requiring the Justice Department to release additional documents linked to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump announced the signing on his Truth Social platform, claiming the documents could reveal connections between Epstein and several high-profile Democrats, including Bill Clinton, Larry Summers, Reid Hoffman, Hakeem Jeffries and Stacey Plaskett.
Many of those names — including Trump’s — already appeared in the nearly 23,000 pages released last week by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, a collection containing emails, news clippings, book excerpts and legal documents from Epstein’s estate.
In a social media post, the president accused Democrats of using the scandal to distract from Republican victories, and he framed past investigations into himself — from impeachment to the Russia inquiry — as politically motivated ‘hoaxes,’ reports.
What happens now?
According to Danish DR News, the Justice Department now faces a 30-day deadline to review and release the newly mandated records — but the process is expected to be complex and slow
Key exceptions
The law contains two major carve-outs:
- Witness protection: documents that could expose cooperating witnesses or victims may be withheld.
- Ongoing investigations: any material tied to active probes can remain sealed.
According to DR News US correspondent Jakob Krogh, the second exception could prove decisive.
Trump’s recent request that the DOJ investigate Clinton and others means the department may now treat portions of the case as part of an active inquiry.
That would allow Trump to legally delay the release of sections of the archive, potentially for months.
