After the House and Senate passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act with overwhelming bipartisan support, President Donald Trump signed the bill into law on Wednesday.
As reported on Thursday’s AM Update, its passage came in the wake of the president’s change in tune on the issue. Following months of resistance, Trump reversed course last weekend and called on Congress to pass the bill in an effort to move on from the case he calls a “Democrat hoax and an attempt to deflect from the White House’s success.”
Remaining Questions
The act compels the Department of Justice to release all Epstein-related records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in its possession – with the exception of classified information, child sex abuse material, information identifying victims, and anything tied to an ongoing investigation.
That final exception is what has many questioning whether a fresh DOJ probe could limit what is revealed. Earlier this month, President Trump ordered Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate Epstein’s connections to Democrats, including former President Bill Clinton and tech billionaire Reid Hoffman. Bondi assigned the probe to U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton in the Southern District of New York.
At a Wednesday press conference prior to Trump signing the legislation, the attorney general was questioned on whether the Department of Justice will withhold any materials due to the investigation. “So we have released 33,000, over 33,000 Epstein documents to the Hill, and we’ll continue to follow the law and to have maximum transparency,” Bondi told reporters. “Also, we will always encourage all victims to come forward.”
When further pressed about what “follow the law” means in relation to the 30-day deadline, Bondi once again kept her cards close the vest. “We will follow the law,” she reiterated. “The law passed both chambers last evening. It has not yet been signed. But we will continue to follow the law, again, while protecting victims, but also providing maximum transparency.”
The bill also requires the Justice Department to explain any redactions or withheld materials in a report within 15 days of the files being released, barring the exclusion of any materials on the basis of embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity including to any government official, public figure or foreign dignitary.
Trump’s About-Face
In addition to the questions surrounding what will be released and when, there are questions about what led to President Trump’s about-face that cleared the way for the bill to breeze through Congress.
On Wednesday’s edition of The Megyn Kelly Show, Megyn was joined by Buck Sexton, co-host of The Clay and Buck Show to to talk about what made the president suddenly support the full release of the Epstein Files and what it will mean for Democrats:
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