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President Donald Trump's sudden reversal on the release of the files related to his former friend and late convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein is under scrutiny from skeptics weary of his motives, reports Newsweek.
In a Truth Social post Sunday, Trump said, "House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide, and it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics in order to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party, including our recent Victory on the Democrat ‘Shutdown.'"
The Trump administration spent months resisting calls to release all the federal investigative files related to Jeffrey Epstein, before recently changing course amid political pressure from everywhere, including his MAGA base.
"The president’s shift appears to be an acknowledgment that the Epstein Files Transparency Act has enough support to pass in the House, although its future in the Senate remains unclear," Newsweek writes.
The Epstein Files Transparency ActEpstein Files Transparency Act is a bipartisan proposed bill that would require the Department of Justice to release all unclassified records, documents, and investigative materials related to Epstein and his associates. The bill has reached a critical stage in the House, where a vote is expected this week.
Trump's Sunday night reversal comes amidst a crack in his MAGA base, including a split with Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who, along with Reps. Thomas Massie (R-WV), Nancy Mace (R-SC) and Lauren Boeberg (R-CO), has remained steadfast on her insistence to release the files.
Explosive emails released last week reveal Epstein’s ties to Trump, including a 2019 email that Epstein wrote to a journalist that said Trump "knew about the girls."
Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), the bipartisan co-sponsors of the legislation, said on Sunday that dozens of Republicans would vote in favor of the bill.
Trump, in his Truth Social post, said "tens of thousands of pages to the Public" on Epstein and that the House Oversight Committee "can have whatever they are legally entitled to, I DON’T CARE! All I do care about is that Republicans get BACK ON POINT."
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), the top Democrat on the committee, posted to Trump on X, "I’m glad you finally realized that you are about to lose this Epstein vote and are now encouraging Republicans to VOTE YES. But you have the power to release them today without a vote. Stop the cover-up, RELEASE THE FILES!"
Mike Nellis, a Democratic strategist who previously served as a senior adviser to Vice President Kamala Harris, thinks Trump flip flopped because it looks like a large number of Republicans are about to vote to release the files.
"The only reason Trump is telling Republicans to vote for the release of the Epstein files is because so many were already going to do it—likely well over 100 GOP votes. He was forced into this position, and it's better to look like he's going along than face a full-blown rebuke from his own party," Nellis wrote on X.
Conservative editor-at-large of The Bulwark and Trump critic Bill Kristol wondered whether Trump’s sudden reversal meant some of the files had already been destroyed.
"Trump doesn’t have to call on House Republican to vote to release the files. Trump can order Bondi and Patel to release the files. Tomorrow. The question is, has he already ordered Bondi and Patel to destroy some of the files after they went through them months ago," Kristol posted on X.
Former Republican congressman Justin Amash posted on X, "Trump tried and tried to block the House vote to release the Epstein files, but he’s clearly now been told he’s going to lose. So, in classic Trump fashion, he’s pretending he was always good with this vote—as he and his lackeys keep scheming to prevent it from going any further."
MAGA media personality Eric Daughterty sees things differently, writing on X, "President Trump, who Democrats claimed for WEEKS has ‘something to hide’ in the Epstein Files, just…instructed Republicans to vote to release the Epstein Files. Within a matter of hours, this issue will be out of the news cycle. You played yourself, Democrats."
The general consensus, however, is that Trump is in a bad place and has no choice.
"I think Donald Trump himself is afraid of what's going to be released . . .There's a ton of embarrassing material in there and I think that's what Trump is afraid of," David Rodhe, MS NOW's senior national security reporter said Monday on "Morning Joe."