US President Donald Trump says he has signed off on legislation to force the release of the “Epstein files” \u2014 the final step required to turn the bill into law.<\/p>\n
It means the US Department of Justice now has a 30-day deadline to release all unclassified documents about its investigation into late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.<\/p>\n
The bill was approved by both houses of the US Congress<\/a> on Tuesday, US time.<\/p>\n Just one member of Congress, Republican Clay Higgins, voted against it.<\/p>\n But some, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, raised concerns that the bill compelled the release of too much information and innocent people could be implicated.\u00a0<\/p>\n He called on the Senate to amend the bill, but senators agreed to pass it by “unanimous consent”, removing the opportunity to debate it or make changes.<\/p>\n If you or anyone you know needs help:1800 Respect National Helpline<\/a>: 1800 737 732Men’s Referral Service<\/a>: 1300 766 491Lifeline<\/a> (24-hour crisis line): 13 11 14Full Stop Australia<\/a>: 1800 385 578Bravehearts<\/a>: counselling and support for survivors of child sexual abuse: 1800\u00a0272\u00a0831<\/p>\n In a social media post announcing he had signed the bill, Mr Trump accused Democrats of using the Epstein issue to distract from the Republican Party’s “AMAZING victories”.<\/p>\n He also repeated his previous claims that the files could prove damaging to several Democratic figures.<\/p>\n “Perhaps the truth about these Democrats, and their associations with Jeffrey Epstein, will soon be revealed, because I HAVE JUST SIGNED THE BILL TO RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES!” he wrote on Truth Social.<\/p>\n Before Mr Trump signed the bill, Attorney-General Pam Bondi was asked about the next steps towards releasing the files.<\/p>\n Ms Bondi, who leads the Department of Justice, did not give specific details.<\/p>\n “We will follow the law,” she said.<\/p>\n “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.”<\/p>\n Bill signed into law after sailing through Congress<\/p>\n The bill’s passage through Congress was applauded by some of the survivors of Epstein and his co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year jail sentence for trafficking.<\/p>\n Survivor groups have long been lobbying for the release of the files, saying there are unanswered questions about other powerful figures connected to Epstein and Maxwell.<\/p>\n