President Trump said Sunday evening House Republicans "should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide, and it's time to move on from this Democrat Hoax."
Why it matters: Trump's apparent change of heart indicates that the vote on releasing the Epstein files would likely pass, as he faces backlash from some in the MAGA movement and has clashed over the matter with Republicans including former loyalist Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.).
Driving the news: The House is preparing a vote to force the release of the files from the Department of Justice's investigation into sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which Trump has repeatedly called "a hoax," to the upset of the late financier's survivors.
- In his call for Republicans to back the release of the files, Trump claimed on Truth Social that the Epstein "Hoax" was "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.'"
- Trump said the DOJ had already released "tens of thousands of pages" on Epstein and was "looking at various Democrat operatives" and their relationship to the sex offender.
- The House Oversight Committee "can have whatever they are legally entitled to, I DON'T CARE," he said of the panel that last week released thousands of pages from the Epstein estate, adding that all he cares about is "that Republicans get BACK ON POINT, which is the Economy," before touting his second-term record.
Yes, but: Trump controls the Justice Department and could release the files himself without Congress.
State of play: Massie introduced a petition with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) in July to force a vote on requiring the DOJ to release all the Epstein files it has and he told ABC Sunday that "100 or more" Republicans might back the move.
- Trump, who claimed in his post that nobody cared about Epstein when he was alive, said some Republicans were being "used" in the files release push.
- "Let's start talking about the Republican Party's Record Setting Achievements, and not fall into the Epstein 'TRAP,' which is actually a curse on the Democrats, not us," he added.
- Trump had earlier dismissed demands for additional files tied to the Epstein investigation as a Democratic "hoax."
- The president has acknowledged he was once friendly with Epstein, but said they had a falling out and he has never been charged with any wrongdoing related to the investigation.
Of note: Epstein's survivors say their push for more files in the case to be made public is not politically motivated.
What we're watching: A vote on the Epstein files is expected in the House this week, but it's unclear whether the bill would pass in the Senate.
- Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told CNN previously he was "not sure what that achieves" by holding a vote on the bill.
More from Axios:
- Here are all the "Epstein files" that have been released
- Epstein files become a fiasco of Trump's own making
- MTG, Massie defy Trump in push for Epstein transparency
- Epstein wrote Trump "knew about the girls," newly released emails show
Editor's note: This article has been updated with additional details throughout.
