In a new twist to a political controversy that continues to ripple across Washington, President Donald Trump said he will sign a bipartisan bill to release long-hidden Epstein files, even as he insists he had “nothing to do with” Jeffrey Epstein and claims “all” of the disgraced financier’s friends were Democrats.

 The president’s remarks came Monday during an Oval Office appearance alongside FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

Trump Says He’ll Sign the Bill — With Conditions and Complaints

When asked about the bill known as the Epstein Files Transparency Act, Trump told reporters: “I do want to sign.”

The bill would force the Department of Justice to release case files from federal probes into Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

Even so, Trump again attempted to distance himself from Epstein:
“We have nothing to do with Epstein. The Democrats do. All of his friends were Democrats,” he said. “You look at Larry Summers, Bill Clinton. They went to his island all the time, and many others, all Democrats.”

But publicly available correspondence tells a more complicated story. Emails and communications involving political insiders across Washington indicate Epstein’s influence crossed far beyond party lines.

New Emails Surface: A Bipartisan Web of Connections

On Wednesday, the House Oversight Committee released another tranche of emails involving Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Many came from Democrats, but several came from Republicans as well, including figures deeply connected to both the pre-Trump and post-Trump political eras.

Among those correspondences were messages involving:

• Larry Summers – former Treasury Secretary in the Clinton administration
• Steve Bannon – former White House strategist and MAGA movement figurehead

One email reportedly featured Epstein’s insinuation that “Trump knew about the girls.” Both the White House and Trump have strongly denied that he had any knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activities.

31/ATLAS Radio Signal Detected from MeerKAT Reshapes Deep-Space Research - USA Herald

Historical Comparisons and Growing Pressure

Trump compared the public demand for information on Epstein to the release of documents related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Sen. Robert Kennedy, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“No matter what we give, it’s never enough,” he said. “We’ve already given… I believe the number is 50,000 pages.”

Despite his reluctance, the House is expected to vote Tuesday after 218 lawmakers signed a discharge petition forcing Speaker Mike Johnson to put it on the schedule. Signatories included all 214 House Democrats along with Republicans Thomas Massie, Nancy Mace, Lauren Boebert, and Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Trump and senior advisers had previously lobbied aggressively to prevent that vote.

Related links:

• Trump says he supports replacing ‘ranting lunatic’ MTG in 2026 amid her push to release Epstein files | The Independent
• Jeffrey Epstein’s creepy reach in DC extended far beyond Trump — and email receipts reveal all | The Independent

Senate Resistance and Trump’s Sudden Shift

For the bill to reach Trump’s desk, it must still pass the Senate. Majority Whip John Barrasso has warned that some Republican senators may resist the measure.

Yet once it became clear the House would approve the bill with bipartisan support, Trump abruptly changed course. On Truth Social, he urged Republicans to vote yes:

“House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide… It’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax.”

Attorney general, Pam Bondi, and FBI director, Kash Patel, have said the files only contain evidence implicating Epstein and Maxwell.