Washington, DC – The Republican-controlled US House of Representatives is scheduled to vote Tuesday on a bill that would release investigation files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The vote comes amid a sudden shift in the position of US President Donald Trump. He had previously opposed the release of the files, before reversing his stance just two days prior, making the legislation’s passage in Congress virtually certain.
Trump backtracks and describes the move as a “hoax”.
Until the end of last week, Trump and his team were pressuring the government to halt the release of files related to the Justice Department’s investigations, particularly those concerning the period leading up to Epstein’s death in prison in 2019, which was officially ruled a suicide.
But the president changed his stance on Sunday evening, writing on his social media platforms: “House Republicans must vote to release Epstein’s files, because we have nothing to hide,” before simultaneously describing the move as a “hoax” by the Democrats.
Reuters quoted a senior White House official as saying that the president made his decision after becoming “frustrated by the Republicans’ continued focus on the Epstein case.” He wants them to focus on more pressing issues for voters, including inflation, border security, and energy costs.
