President Donald Trump on Sunday called on House Republicans to vote in favour of releasing documents tied to the federal investigation of Jeffrey Epstein, marking one of his clearest reversals on an issue that has stirred bipartisan pressure and internal strain within the Republican Party.
Trump, who had previously dismissed the push to make the files public as a politically charged effort aimed at damaging him, posted a sharply different message on his social-media platform, Truth Social.
“House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide,” he wrote, adding that the party should “move on” from what he described as a “Democrat hoax” and return its focus to economic issues.
The reversal comes at a time when a bipartisan discharge petition—led by Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, and Rep. Ro Khanna, a Democrat from California—is gathering momentum. If it secures the required number of signatures, the petition would force a vote compelling the Department of Justice to release unclassified records and internal communications connected to Epstein’s criminal network and prosecution.
For weeks, Republican leadership had signalled reluctance, arguing that large volumes of material had already been made public through the House Oversight Committee. Speaker Mike Johnson repeated that position in televised interviews, saying the chamber had “nothing to hide” but cautioning that Democratic lawmakers were using the issue to target Trump politically. Still, he acknowledged that if the matter came to the floor, members would not be prevented from voting their conscience.
Trump’s shift complicates the dynamics within the GOP. Some lawmakers had warned that resisting transparency would expose Republicans to accusations of shielding powerful individuals from scrutiny. Massie, one of the leaders of the petition effort, directly urged colleagues to support disclosure, arguing that anything short of full transparency would appear like protection of wrongdoing.
The push for release has also been energised by renewed public scrutiny following the publication of documents from ongoing committee reviews. Among them were emails in which Epstein referenced Trump, including one cryptic line stating, “the dog that hasn’t barked is Trump.”
Although no wrongdoing has been alleged in the newly surfaced material, the references intensified calls for full disclosure from both parties as well as from survivors of Epstein’s trafficking network.
Whether the files will ultimately be released remains uncertain. Even if the House passes the measure, the Senate would need to approve it before it reaches the president’s desk. With Trump now publicly supporting release, a veto appears unlikely, but the legislative path remains unsettled.
For now, the president’s sudden endorsement has reshaped the debate, placing renewed attention on the contents of the remaining sealed records and increasing pressure on congressional Republicans who had previously resisted a full vote.
