Article Update Nov. 17, 2025: President Trump has now publicly called for House Republicans to vote for the release of the long-sought Jeffrey Epstein files, stating, “We have nothing to hide” after previously resisting calls for disclosure. With pressure from both Democratic and Republican lawmakers ahead of an anticipated House vote, Trump’s new stance marks a shift in the ongoing debate over transparency in the Epstein case and signals growing bipartisan momentum for making the files public.

Original Article published Nov. 16: After months of delay tactics and a drawn-out discharge petition process, the House of Representatives is poised to vote on forcing the full release of the Department of Justice’s files related to Jeffrey Epstein this week.

The bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act, introduced by Democratic Representative Ro Khanna of California and Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, is expected to pass with substantial Republican support.

Despite intensive pressure from President Trump to secure votes against the release, Massie has predicted that as many as 100 or more House Republicans could vote in favor, potentially even reaching a veto-proof majority in the chamber.

If the House passes the bill, the measure faces an uncertain path in the Senate, where it would need 60 votes to overcome a procedural hurdle. At least 13 Republicans would need to cross party lines to join 47 Democrats and Democratic-aligned independents for the legislation to advance. 

However, even if both chambers manage to pass the legislation, President Trump is poised to veto the bill, effectively blocking the release of the Epstein files. Trump has opposed the discharge petition from its inception, calling the effort a “hoax” and a Democratic scheme to deflect from other failures. The president has characterized the entire push for transparency as politically motivated, even as his own Justice Department has held the very documents lawmakers seek to release.

Throughout the election cycle and into the early months of 2025, the push to release the Epstein files was largely a Republican-led initiative. Several high-profile GOP lawmakers, including presidential candidate Trump, framed the disclosure effort as a matter of public trust and accountability.

Earlier in 2025, Pam Bondi claimed during a televised interview that the unredacted documents were already “on her desk,” implying that the administration was prepared to act transparently. Within weeks, however, Bondi reversed course, stating that there was nothing left to be seen in the materials and that prior investigations had already exhausted their relevance. 

Still, despite repeatedly claiming that the Epstein files contained nothing of significance and characterizing the entire push for their release as a political “hoax,” President Trump called for sweeping investigations into his political rivals last week.

President Trump has ordered investigations into former President Bill Clinton, Democratic megadonor Reid Hoffman, former Treasury Secretary and Harvard President Larry Summers, and JPMorgan Chase, consistently framing the Epstein scandal as fundamentally a Democratic liability. Yet this narrative becomes difficult to sustain given the evidence: among the approximately 2,300 emails released in recent weeks, Trump’s name appears over 1,500 times.

Attorney General Pam Bondi quickly acquiesced Trump’s request, announcing that Manhattan U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton would lead the investigation with “urgency and integrity.”

Such a strategy would effectively circumvent congressional action, preventing disclosure even if both the House and Senate pass resolutions demanding transparency or secure the two-thirds majorities required in each chamber to override a presidential veto.

The House Oversight Committee has indicated it will continue releasing documents obtained from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate through subpoena. Last week, emails revealed the following:

1. Michael Wolff’s Strategic Advice on Trump Manipulation — Journalist Michael Wolff privately counseled Jeffrey Epstein on how to manage his relationship with Donald Trump during the 2016 campaign, offering strategic options to either leverage or control Trump based on electoral outcomes.
2. Epstein’s “Houseman” Anecdote About Trump — Multiple references to Trump allegedly becoming so focused on young women swimming at Epstein’s pool that he walked into a glass door, leaving a nose print.
3. Steve Bannon’s Extensive Communications with Epstein — Hundreds of texts and emails between Trump’s former White House chief strategist and Epstein covering media strategy, cabinet selections, and coordinated messaging on Trump administration issues.
4. Virginia Giuffre Connection and “The Dog That Hasn’t Barked” — Epstein’s 2011 email claiming a trafficking victim spent hours at his home with Trump, while noting Trump had never been publicly mentioned in connection with Epstein’s activities.
5. The “Knew About the Girls” Email — Epstein’s 2019 assertion that Trump was aware of Epstein’s recruitment of young women from Mar-a-Lago and had asked Ghislaine Maxwell to stop the practice.
6. Mar-a-Lago Recruitment Revelations — Documentation that victims were recruited from Trump’s club while underage, with at least one victim reportedly having worked for Trump at the resort.
7. Epstein’s Private Psychological Assessments of Trump — Multiple harsh characterizations describing Trump as “nuts,” “borderline insane,” “maniac,” and speculating about early dementia and mental breakdown.
8. “I Know How Dirty Donald Is” — Epstein’s 2018 claims about Trump’s financial practices and business methods, suggesting intimate knowledge of Trump’s business dealings.
9. The Maison de l’Amitie Real Estate Dispute — Epstein’s account of a 2004 property battle where Trump allegedly used “financial shenanigans” to outbid him for a $41.35 million Palm Beach mansion.
10. “I Am the One Able to Take Him Down” — Epstein’s cryptic claim in December 2018 that he possessed leverage over Trump sufficient to destroy him politically.
11. Offered Photos and Evidence — Epstein’s offers to provide photographs of Trump with bikini-clad young women at his homes and anecdotes from his staff.
12. The “Girlfriend” Claim and Stacey Williams — Epstein’s reference to a woman he gave to Trump in 1993, later corroborated by model Stacey Williams’ claim of being “delivered” to Trump Tower to be groped.
13. Wolff’s Strategic December 2015 Advice — Detailed guidance on crafting Trump’s response to potential CNN questioning, including options to “let him hang himself” or generate political “currency.”
14. Tom Barrack Coordination — Epstein’s advisories regarding Trump’s inaugural committee chairman and close ally, including a disturbing March 2016 email requesting “photos of you and child.”
15. Jared Kushner References — Epstein’s dismissals of Trump’s son-in-law’s influence while positioning Tom Barrack as the more important figure to cultivate.
16. Kathryn Ruemmler Communications — Extensive correspondence between Epstein and Obama’s former White House counsel, sharing harsh critiques of Trump and his cabinet selections.
17. Larry Summers Discussions About Trump’s Putin Meeting — Former Treasury Secretary asking Epstein if Russians possessed compromising material on Trump after the disastrous Helsinki summit.
18. Russia Connection and Putin Outreach — Epstein’s June 2018 attempt to position himself as a Trump expert to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov through Council of Europe officials.
19. Trump Tower Visit Post-Election — Epstein’s apparent claim of being at Trump Tower five days after the 2016 election, contradicting Trump’s assertion they had severed ties in the early 2000s.
20. Coordination with Ghislaine Maxwell — Emails showing Epstein and Maxwell orchestrating joint public response strategies to the Virginia Giuffre litigation, contradicting Maxwell’s later claims of minimal contact.
21. The 50th Birthday Book — A 2003 gift book allegedly featuring Trump’s signature on a page with typed text within a naked woman’s silhouette, concluding with references to “secret” communications.
22. Peter Thiel — The tech investor exchanged brief emails with Epstein in 2014, with Epstein writing “That was fun. See you in three weeks,” indicating ongoing personal contact between the billionaire and Trump supporter and the registered sex offender.

According to a three-page FBI index cataloging evidence seized during searches of Epstein’s properties in Manhattan and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the government is withholding materials containing more than 300 gigabytes of data—enough storage to hold hundreds of thousands of files. Law enforcement recovered 40 computers and electronic devices, 26 storage drives, more than 70 CDs, and six recording devices, yet none of these have been made available for public review.

The unreleased documents also include complete flight logs for Epstein’s private aircraft. While partial flight logs were released showing aircraft registration numbers and dates, complete versions with passenger manifests, crew communications, and maintenance records have not been disclosed.

There is also approximately one minute of missing prison surveillance footage from the night before Epstein’s 2019 death that the Justice Department could have.

To view the Epstein emails released by the House Oversight Committee click here.