6 months ago
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U.S. President Donald Trump connected Sunday (November 16, 2025) urged his chap Republicans successful Congress to ballot for the merchandise of files related to the precocious convicted enactment offender Jeffrey Epstein, reversing his earlier absorption to such a move.
Mr. Trump's station connected his Truth Social came aft House Speaker Mike Johnson said earlier that helium believed a ballot connected releasing Justice Department documents successful the Epstein lawsuit should assistance enactment to remainder allegations that Mr. Trump had immoderate transportation to Epstein's maltreatment and trafficking of underage girls.
"House Republicans should ballot to merchandise the Epstein files, due to the fact that we person thing to hide," Mr. Trump wrote connected Sunday night. "And it’s clip to determination connected from this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics successful bid to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party, including our caller Victory connected the Democrat 'Shutdown'."
Although Mr. Trump and Epstein were photographed unneurotic decades ago, the President has said the 2 men fell retired earlier Epstein's convictions. Emails released past week by a House committee showed the disgraced financier believed Mr. Trump "knew astir the girls," though it was not wide what that operation meant. Mr. Trump, who has precocious dismissed the Epstein files arsenic a Democratic smear campaign, has since instructed the Department of Justice to analyse salient Democrats' ties to Epstein.
The conflict implicit disclosure of much Epstein-related documents, a taxable Mr. Trump himself campaigned on, has opened a rift with immoderate of his allies successful Congress.
Many of Mr. Trump's astir loyal supporters judge the authorities is withholding delicate documents astir Epstein, a convicted enactment offender who died by termination successful jailhouse successful 2019, that would uncover the precocious financier's ties to almighty nationalist figures. Mr. Trump precocious connected Friday (November 14, 2025) withdrew his enactment for U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, agelong 1 of his staunchest supporters successful Congress, pursuing her criticismnof Republicans connected definite issues, including the handling of the Epstein files.
U.S. Representative Ro Khanna, a California Democrat and an archetypal sponsor of the petition calling for a ballot connected the files' release, said connected Sunday that helium expected much than 40 Republicans to ballot successful favor.
Republicans clasp the bulk successful the House, with 219 seats, versus 214 for Democrats.
