DONALD Trump urged his fellow Republicans to vote for the release of files related to pedo financier Jeffrey Epstein saying he has “nothing to hide”.
The US president said he wants to bring an end to the “hoax,” calling the efforts to release the Epstein files a smear campaign launched by the Democrats.
“House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday.
“And it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics in order to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party, including our recent Victory on the Democrat ‘Shutdown.’”
The president recently dismissed the Epstein files as a Democratic smear campaign, but has since instructed the Department of Justice to investigate prominent Democrats’ ties to Epstein.
Over the weekend, Trump cut off his long-term ally Marjorie Taylor Greene over her “wacky” demands to release all the Epstein files.
He branded the Georgia Rep. a “lunatic” and officially withdrew his support for her – apparently after a text urging him to publish the documents.
Although Trump and Epstein were photographed together decades ago, the president has said the two men fell out before the sex offender’s convictions.
The Epstein furor this week was reignited when Democrats released selectively redacted emails that mentioned Trump.
Trump accused Democrats of pushing an “Epstein hoax” after emails emerged in which the disgraced financier suggested Trump “knew about the girls.”
The White House said one of Epstein’s victims who “spent hours” with Trump insisted he never did anything wrong.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt slammed the Democrats for the release of three emails from Epstein and how they redacted Virginia Giuffre’s name.
The White House said Ms Giuffre, who the disgraced financier claimed “spent hours” with the future US president, already vowed that Trump had never done anything wrong.
Trump’s Republican Party then dumped more than 20,000 other files – including previously unseen emails.
Trump promised in his election campaign to blow open the Epstein vault and release all the files – but since then, the process has been slow.
The President lived in Florida at the same time as Epstein and the two are known to have associated.
What happens next?
FOLLOWING the two separate releases of Epstein files on Wednesday, there will be a House vote this week on whether to force the publication of all remaining material.
Representatives will vote on a measure which would mandate the Justice Department to release all files relating to the late paedo financier.
Mike Johnson, the US House speaker, said: “We are gonna put that on the floor for [a] full vote next week, [as] soon as we get back.”
Under House rules, Johnson could have waited until early December to bring the vote – but he decided to go early.
Even if the bill passes the House, it still needs to get through the Senate and be signed by Trump.
Senate leaders have shown no indication they will bring it up for a vote, and Trump has blasted the bid as a “Democrat hoax.”
Trump has always said he cut ties with Epstein and banned him from Mar-a-Lago in the 2000s.
The email release this week showed Epstein bitterly complaining he had been booted out of the club and his madam – Ghislaine Maxwell – had been ordered to stop approaching girls at the resort.
The chorus of voices calling for full disclosure is growing louder, and it’s coming from within his own party as well.
Various MAGA figures – including Speaker of the House Mike Johnson – have supported going public with the files.
After the latest file release, Johnson announced the House would vote this week on whether to mandate the Justice Department to publish all remaining material.
HORROR TOWN
Our once proud town is besieged by masked machete yobs – even cops are targets
CRUEL ORDEAL
I was blinded & my pals were killed by dangerous trend in Brit holiday hotspot
Republicans hold the majority in the House, with 219 seats, versus 214 for Democrats.
A mass defection of Republican lawmakers is expected in the vote – perhaps over 100 of the House’s 219 – meaning the motion is likely to pass.