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United States President Donald Trump on Sunday urged House Republicans to vote in favor of releasing all government documents related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The announcement came after Trump spent months pressuring Republican lawmakers to block the release of the records, collectively known as 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, including our recent Victory on the Democrat 'Shutdown,’” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
“Nobody cared about Jeffrey Epstein when he was alive and, if the Democrats had anything, they would have released it before our landslide election victory. Some 'members' of the Republican Party are being 'used,' and we can’t let that happen,” he added.
Trump’s abrupt change followed his public split Friday with longtime ally Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who refused to support his call to block the file release.
Speaking briefly to reporters earlier Sunday, Trump called Greene a “traitor” and said, “I don't think anybody cares about her,” signaling the breakdown of their once-close relationship amid the escalating Epstein controversy. He later wrote on social media that Greene “is working overtime to try and portray herself as a victim when, in actuality, she is the cause of all of her own problems.”
Trump’s reversal may signal the House is likely to approve the measure, with a vote expected as early as Tuesday. Four Republicans joined all Democrats last week to force the issue onto the floor.
“I don't care! All I do care about is that Republicans get back on point,” Trump wrote in another Truth Social post.
Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who has also drawn Trump’s ire, said Sunday he hopes to build a veto-proof majority in favor of the release.
“I think we could have a deluge of Republicans. There could be 100 or more,” Massie told ABC. “You will have voted to protect pedophiles if you don't vote to release these files, and the president can't protect you then.”
Epstein was found dead in his New York City jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. He had previously pleaded guilty in 2008 to procuring a minor for prostitution and was required to register as a sex offender in Florida.
Survivors have long demanded accountability and legal support in their pursuit of justice.
After the longest government shutdown in U.S. history ended last week, House lawmakers released a trove of emails obtained from Epstein’s estate.
In one message, Epstein claimed Trump “spent hours” with one of the victims at his residence. Another email referred to Trump as “dirty.”
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee said the emails “raise serious questions about Donald Trump and his knowledge of Epstein's horrific crimes.”
Following the release, Trump called on Attorney General Pam Bondi and the FBI to investigate potential connections between Epstein and former President Bill Clinton, as well as former Harvard President Larry Summers, who served as treasury secretary under Clinton.
The demand came despite a July memo from the FBI and Justice Department stating that no evidence had been found to warrant a probe into uncharged third parties.
With help from Ghislaine Maxwell, who acted as a recruiter, Epstein brought underage girls to his residences, notably in New York and Florida, where they were sexually abused, often under the pretense of providing erotic massages.
Trump’s conspiracy-minded supporters have long fixated on the Epstein case and voiced outrage after the FBI and Justice Department concluded in July that Epstein died by suicide while in custody, did not blackmail powerful individuals, and maintained no “client list.”
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