House of Representatives to vote on release of Epstein files after Trump U-turn – US politics live | US news
Key events
This is one of the emails released last week by Democrats which have put attention back on Trump and his history with Epstein. In it, Epstein wrote that Trump “knew about the girls”.
Ghislaine Maxwell and Trump. Photograph: House Oversight Committee Democrats/Reuters
In another email, Epstein wrote that Trump “spent hours” with one of the victims at his house, and another email referred to the president as “dirty.”
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have said the messages “raise serious questions about Donald Trump and his knowledge of Epstein’s horrific crimes.”
Trump and Epstein’s history
Trump’s friendship with Epstein has been a long-running scandal in American politics as the late disgraced financier had links to many other rich and powerful figures in the US and overseas.
Trump had previously said that he fell out with Epstein years before the disgraced financier’s convictions.
And as a candidate seeking re-election, he promised to release the files on Epstein, who, investigators concluded, killed himself in a New York jail cell in 2019.
Since resuming office so far though, Trump has failed to follow through.
Trump’s sudden Epstein files reversal
The president’s dramatic shift came after it became increasingly apparent that the bill will pass the House, most likely with significant support from Republican lawmakers.
Trump and House speaker Mike Johnson changed their approach from outright opposition to declarations of indifference.
“I DON’T CARE!” Trump wrote in a social media post on Sunday. “All I do care about is that Republicans get BACK ON POINT.”
Speaking in the Oval Office on Monday, Trump said he did not want the Epstein scandal to “deflect” from the White House’s successes, and claimed it was a “hoax” and “a Democrat problem”.
“We’ll give them everything,” he told reporters. “Let the Senate look at it, let anybody look at it, but don’t talk about it too much, because honestly, I don’t want to take it away from us.”
Good morning and welcome to the US politics live blog.
The Republican-controlled House of Representatives is due to vote on the release of investigative files related to convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
It’s the latest move in a scandal that has dogged Donald Trump since his return to the White House.
Trump initially had resisted the release of more files, but changed his stance on the weekend, urging Republican lawmakers in a message on TruthSocial to “vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide.”
I’m Frances Mao and I’ll bring you the latest news lines on this and other stories over the coming hours.
