Trump urges House Republicans to release Jeffrey Epstein files, calls Democrat scrutiny a ‘hoax’

Former US President Donald Trump has called on Republican lawmakers in the House of Representatives to support a bill compelling the release of government documents related to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Trump made the appeal on Sunday night, asserting that Republicans “have nothing to hide” amid a steady release of Epstein-related documents by House Democrats. Some of these records reference Trump, who has consistently denied involvement in Epstein’s sex trafficking and abuse.

The call comes as multiple Republican members have signalled support for the legislation, potentially enough to pass the House this week. However, its fate in the Senate remains uncertain.

Epstein, convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor in 2008, was found dead in a New York prison cell in 2019. His death was ruled a suicide. At the time of his arrest, Epstein faced federal sex trafficking charges involving minors.

Trump, dismissing the heightened scrutiny, labelled the attention over the documents a Democrat-led “hoax” intended to distract from the party’s agenda. Posting on his Truth social platform, he wrote: “The Department of Justice has already turned over tens of thousands of pages to the Public on ‘Epstein,’… I DON’T CARE!… Republicans need to get BACK ON POINT.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, echoed Trump’s dismissal, saying that Democrats’ push to release the files is “the entire game plan” to politicise the issue. Johnson insisted Trump “has clean hands” and expressed frustration over the ongoing political focus.

The bill, if passed, would make public all federal investigations and documents related to Epstein, including references to other high-profile figures allegedly connected to him, such as former President Bill Clinton.