The United States Congress approved this Tuesday (18) the full release of the Jeffrey Epstein case files, after months of political impasse. The decision received overwhelming support in both Houses and now depends solely on President Donald Trump’s sanction.
The Chamber authorized the measure by 427 votes to 1. Soon after, the Senate validated the text on the same day, following a motion presented by Democrat Chuck Schumer, minority leader. As a result, the project moved forward without the need for prolonged debate.
The document now goes to Trump, who had conditioned his signature on Congressional approval. The decision, however, represents a political setback for the president, who resisted full disclosure of the papers and contradicted a promise made during the campaign. He only changed his position over the weekend, after failing to convince Republicans to block the proposal.
The initiative puts pressure on the government amid the crisis caused by the Epstein case. The files bring together all the evidence produced by American authorities about the businessman, known for his closeness to Trump and for his connections with politicians, celebrities and influential executives.
Epstein faced allegations of abusing more than 250 underage girls and running a network of sexual exploitation. He was arrested in July 2019 and, according to authorities, died a month later, inside his cell, in circumstances officially treated as suicide.
The opening of the documents became one of the main focuses of debate in Trump’s second term, which began in January. During the campaign, the president defended full disclosure and claimed that the papers could incriminate figures from the Democratic Party. After taking office, however, he began to criticize the measure and attacked Republicans who insisted on the release.
Before the definitive vote, the government partially released some materials to congressmen. Among the documents is a set of emails exchanged by Epstein and allies. In one of them, the businessman claims that Trump “was aware” of his practices and reports that the president had spent “hours” at his home in the presence of a victim of abuse.
For Democratic parliamentarians, the messages reinforce doubts about the relationship between the two. In one of the emails seen by congressmen, Epstein writes that Trump “knew about the girls,” later identified by investigators as minors.
The White House reacted and accused Democrats of promoting a “selective leak” to harm the president. Meanwhile, public pressure is growing for the full disclosure of the files — a demand that even affects some of Trump’s voters.
