Today, the House overwhelmingly voted to release the Epstein Files after months of Donald Trump calling the files a “hoax.” Trump and his White House have stalled the release of the files in an attempt to cover up the truth about Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes and deny long-overdue justice, transparency, and accountability to the survivors and the American public. 

In response, DNC Spokesperson Jaelin O’Halloran released the following statement: 

“Despite months of Donald Trump’s stonewalling, we are one step closer to achieving justice for the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes and the transparency and accountability that the American people deserve. Trump’s last-ditch effort to placate his base and save his crashing approval rating came too late. Americans know that he’s been using the power of the government to protect predators and save himself from scrutiny. The time for damage control is over. The American people won’t stand for a government cover-up, and they certainly won’t stand for protecting Epstein and his inner circle of rich elites over everyday Americans.” 

Despite Trump’s sudden “support” for releasing the Files to save his flailing approval numbers, today he called the files a “hoax” — AGAIN. Trump has spent this year repeatedly calling the files a “Democratic Hoax,” a “scam,” and “bullshit” — a slap in the face to the survivors of Epstein’s crimes. During a press conference this morning, survivors responded to Trump, saying, “This is not a hoax. What we endured was real,” and, “survivors are not a political tool.” 

Last week, the House Oversight Committee published several emails between Epstein and convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell in which Epstein wrote that Trump “knew about the girls” and “spent hours at [Epstein’s] house” with one of Epstein’s victims. To make matters worse, reporting in July revealed that Epstein’s 50th birthday book included a crude letter and drawing with Trump’s name and signature. 
Trump can release the files without congressional approval, and he already would have done so if his administration had actually “done more with respect to transparency” than any past administration. But Trump has been blocking their release — because he knows his name will be all over them.