US Congress approves bill to release Epstein files

2025-11-19 07:52:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Both houses of the US Congress have agreed to require the US Department of Justice to release its files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the bill, 427 votes to 1. The Senate quickly passed it unanimously without a formal vote.

The moves come just days after President Donald Trump reversed course and asked Congress to vote to release the records after public opposition from many of his supporters. Last week, Trump and his ties to Epstein returned to the headlines after more than 20,000 pages of documents were released, some of which named the president. The White House denied any allegations.

The bill requires Attorney General Pam Bondi to release all unclassified records, documents, communications and investigative materials related to Epstein and his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, no later than 30 days after the law's passage.

These materials include internal Justice Department communications, flight logs, and people and entities connected to Epstein. But the bill also gives Bond the power to withhold information that would jeopardize any active federal investigation or identify any victim.

Epstein was found dead in his New York jail cell in 2019 in what a coroner ruled a suicide. Thousands of documents were collected during two criminal investigations into Epstein, including transcripts of interviews with victims and witnesses.

Last week, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released three email chains, including correspondence between Epstein and Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking. /CNA