Donald Trump signs bill to release Epstein files

Washington: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed the bill to release the files from the Justice Department investigation into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The material could shed more light on the activities of Epstein, who socialised with Trump and other notable figures before his 2008 conviction on charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution.

The scandal has been a thorn in Trump's side for months, partly because he amplified conspiracy theories about Epstein to his own supporters. Many Trump voters believe his administration has covered up Epstein’s ties to powerful figures and obscured details surrounding his death, which was ruled a suicide, in a Manhattan jail in 2019 as he faced federal sex trafficking charges.

At a news conference, Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed that the Justice Department will release its Epstein-related material within 30 days, as required by legislation passed by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives and the Senate on Tuesday.

"We will continue to follow the law and encourage maximum transparency," Bondi said.

The release of files, however, may not be comprehensive, because the legislation passed by Congress allows the Justice Department to hold back personal information about Epstein's victims and material that would jeopardise an active investigation.

Trump last week ordered the agency to investigate several Democratic figures who associated with Epstein, and officials could decide not to release any information tied to those people.

The Justice Department regularly cites the need to protect ongoing investigations when withholding other information from the public. Courts had previously rejected requests by Trump’s Justice Department this year to unseal transcripts of proceedings before grand juries that investigated Epstein and his former associate Ghislaine Maxwell.