The Justice Department initiated new investigations just a few days ago. Trump had previously asked the Justice Department to investigate Epstein’s connections and relationships with, among others, former US President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, other people and companies. According to critics, this could mean that some files do not have to be released as a result of these investigations.
Yes, extracts of documents and information regarding the affair have already been published. At the beginning of September, for example, a parliamentary committee published a collection of documents containing more than 33,000 pages. The Justice Department made the files available. However, Democrats criticized the fact that most of the documents were already known.
The parliamentary committee is currently also examining Epstein’s estate. Members of Congress have recently published documents from this several times. Democrats recently published email excerpts in which Trump’s name appears. That sparked new speculation about whether and how much the Republican knew about Epstein’s crimes.
Because of Epstein’s broad contacts in American high society, there is much speculation about the possible involvement of influential circles in the abuse scandal.
Speculation about Trump’s specific involvement in the affair had repeatedly flared up in the past. At the beginning of September, for example, the Democrats posted a copy of an alleged birthday greeting online that Trump is said to have sent to Epstein more than 20 years ago. The Republican denied being the author of the letter.
The US government tried everything to keep Trump away from the Epstein issue. The president often responded harshly to questions from journalists – he assumed that the media was using fake news to downplay his successes. When it became apparent that there would be approval in Parliament, Trump changed course. In doing so, he prevented his own party, the Republicans, from going against his word, which would have been an embarrassment for him.
Before his election victory in November 2024, Trump promised to fully disclose the Epstein files. Since taking office in January, he has not kept this promise, which is why the pressure on Trump has increased – including within his own party. In addition to many Democrats and Epstein’s victims, some Republicans have also recently called for the release of all files and full transparency. If the Republicans had continued to block themselves, they would have risked being punished by voters in the 2026 congressional elections.
Critics complain that the publication of the investigation files now had to go through the legislative process. Trump could have ordered the release that way, they complained. That would have sped up the process significantly and made votes in both chambers of Congress – the House of Representatives and the Senate – unnecessary.
