TRUMP REVERSES COURSE, URGES GOP TO RELEASE EPSTEIN FILES AMID PARTY RIFT: ‘WE HAVE NOTHING TO HIDE’
Washington — President Donald Trump abruptly reversed his stance on Sunday night, directing House Republicans to vote for the release of long-sought Jeffrey Epstein files as he insisted he had “nothing to hide” and dismissed the controversy as a Democratic hoax.The dramatic pivot came just hours after Trump landed at Joint Base Andrews following a weekend at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files. We have nothing to hide, and it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics in order to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party.”Trump’s about-face followed weeks of intense pressure from within his own party and mounting public scrutiny over his past social ties to Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges. The files in question — held by the Justice Department — include thousands of pages of investigative documents related to Epstein’s network of abuse, which involved high-profile figures across politics and business.Prior to Sunday, Trump had vehemently opposed the release, labeling the push a “scam” and withdrawing his endorsement of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., one of his most vocal allies, after she signed a bipartisan discharge petition to force a House vote. Greene, along with Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., had led efforts to compel the DOJ to disclose the records, arguing they were essential for transparency and justice for Epstein’s victims.”This has all come down to the Epstein files,” Greene said in recent interviews, attributing her fallout with Trump to her advocacy for the documents. Massie, who co-sponsored the measure with Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., predicted on Sunday that “100 or more” Republicans could defy White House resistance and support the bill when it hits the House floor as early as Tuesday.Trump’s reversal appeared aimed at quelling the growing GOP mutiny, which had exposed rare fissures in the party’s ranks. In his Truth Social post, he accused “weak Republicans” of being manipulated by Democrats and urged the party to refocus on economic issues like affordability.To bolster his defense, Trump shared a statement from David Schoen, Epstein’s former lawyer who also represented Trump during his second impeachment trial in 2021. “If Jeffrey Epstein had any dirt on Donald Trump, he would have had great leverage in the criminal case against him at the time he died,” Schoen wrote. “The fact that he unequivocally said he had none ought to shut down the false claims otherwise; but facts are no obstacle to political attacks.”Schoen further cited testimony from Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide in April. Giuffre, one of Epstein’s most prominent accusers, stated under oath that Trump “did nothing inappropriate” during their limited interactions, despite once being recruited by Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell while working at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.The controversy reignited last week when the House Oversight Committee released more than 20,000 emails from Epstein’s estate, some of which referenced Trump. One message quoted Epstein claiming Trump “knew about the girls,” though no evidence of wrongdoing by Trump has emerged. The White House dismissed the emails as a “fake narrative” selectively leaked by Democrats to smear the president.Trump has long sought to distance himself from Epstein, claiming he banned the financier from Mar-a-Lago after learning of his predatory behavior. On Friday, he directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate Epstein’s ties to Democrats, including former President Bill Clinton and ex-Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, as a counteroffensive.House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., welcomed Trump’s shift, saying a vote on the files would “put to rest allegations that he has something to do with it.” The measure, if passed, would require the DOJ to release unclassified documents within 30 days. Its fate in the Senate remains uncertain, though Trump’s endorsement could sway key holdouts.Epstein survivors, who have lobbied aggressively for full disclosure, hailed the potential vote as a step toward accountability. “Shine a light into this darkness. Expose it all,” said one victim in a recent ad campaign.The White House did not immediately respond to requests for further comment. The House vote is expected this week, marking a pivotal moment in the ongoing saga of Epstein’s crimes and their intersections with power.