Topline
Congress passed a bill Tuesday that would force the Justice Department to release its full files on Jeffrey Epstein, but even if the bill becomes law, the Trump administration could use its new investigation into Epstein’s ties to top Democrats to keep some files concealed.
Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks as U.S. President Donald Trump looks on during a press conference in the Oval Office of the White House on October 15 in Washington, DC.
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Key Facts
After House lawmakers voted 427-1 to approve the bill, the Senate unanimously approved legislation that requires the DOJ to release its files on Epstein within 30 days of the bill becoming law.
President Donald Trump has said he will sign the bill, backtracking from his monthslong opposition to its passage.
While the bill requires the DOJ to turn over its full files on Epstein, the legislation carves out a few exemptions that allow the government to hold documents back—most notably any documents that “would jeopardize an active federal investigation or ongoing prosecution.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed last week that, at Trump’s direction, the DOJ is launching an investigation into Epstein’s ties to such “people and institutions” as former President Bill Clinton, Democratic megadonor Reid Hoffman, economist Larry Summers and JP Morgan Chase.
Legal experts have speculated the Trump administration will use that probe to justify not turning over many of the Epstein files under the federal investigation exemption, with former U.S. attorney Barb McQuade telling TIME the DOJ investigation could be “a strategic effort to block the release of further documents in the Epstein case.”
The Epstein bill does not allow those documents to be hidden forever, saying any documents withheld due to investigations must be “narrowly tailored and temporary,” but since it’s unclear how long the DOJ’s investigation will last, it’s hard to say when any full documents could be released.
Crucial Quote
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., the sponsor of the House bill, told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday that he’s “concern[ed]” about how the Trump administration’s new Epstein investigation will impact the files’ release. “If they have ongoing investigations in certain areas, those documents can’t be released,” Massie said, adding the probe “might be a big smokescreen … as a last-ditch effort to prevent the release of the Epstein files.”