By Harshit
WASHINGTON, D.C., NOVEMBER 17, 2025
In a dramatic reversal that has shaken Washington and stunned members of both parties, President Donald Trump on Sunday night publicly encouraged House Republicans to vote in favor of releasing the full Jeffrey Epstein files—just days after aggressively pressuring GOP lawmakers to block the effort.
The statement, posted on Truth Social shortly after 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time, marked a significant shift for the White House, which spent the past week dismissing the push to disclose thousands of documents as a “Democrat Hoax.” Trump’s new position comes on the eve of a high-stakes House vote that could see a historic wave of Republican defections.
“House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide,” the president wrote. “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 statement stunned GOP leaders, many of whom had spent the week working to shield the president from political exposure while navigating rising pressure from rank-and-file Republicans and a bipartisan coalition demanding transparency.
Growing GOP Support for Release of the Files
The vote was triggered by a rare bipartisan discharge petition led by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), who successfully gathered more than 218 signatures to force legislation requiring the Department of Justice to release all unclassified documents related to Epstein.
Speaking on ABC’s This Week earlier Sunday, Massie predicted an “overwhelming” number of Republicans would support the bill.
“I think we could have a deluge of Republicans,” he said. “There could be 100 or more. I’m hoping to get a veto-proof majority.”
Khanna shared similar confidence, noting that Republican voters—particularly those skeptical of entrenched elites—support broad transparency in the Epstein investigation. “He’s out of touch with his own base,” Khanna said of Trump. “They want accountability.”
For days, House leadership privately warned the White House that Republican members were preparing to break ranks on a massive scale. Several GOP lawmakers said anonymously that the president’s pressure campaign was “backfiring” and generating even more support for the release.
Trump’s reversal appears timed to avoid an embarrassing public split inside his party.
Pressure Builds After New Document Releases
The sudden change in tone followed the House Oversight Committee’s release of thousands of pages of new emails from Epstein’s estate, along with correspondence between the late financier and high-profile political, business, and academic figures. The documents renewed public scrutiny of the DOJ’s handling of Epstein’s case, and triggered new calls for full transparency.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, who earlier dismissed the bill as “a moot point,” signaled on Sunday morning that Republicans were preparing to yield to the pressure.
“We’ll just get this done and move it on,” Johnson said on Fox News Sunday. “There’s nothing to hide.”
The floor vote is scheduled for Tuesday.
White House Sought to Redirect Scrutiny
Before reversing positions, Trump tried a different tactic: calling for the Justice Department to investigate Epstein’s connections to a long list of prominent Democrats. Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed Friday that the DOJ would begin a targeted review led by the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.
The move drew concerns from legal analysts who warned that the president risked appearing to weaponize the Justice Department for political gain.
Massie openly criticized Trump for attempting to protect “rich and powerful friends,” suggesting Trump’s resistance was driven by political relationships—not legal concerns.
“The record of this vote will last longer than Trump’s presidency,” he told ABC.
Greene–Trump Alliance Collapses Over Files
A central subplot to this week’s political turbulence has been the extraordinary public feud between Trump and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), once one of his most loyal defenders.
Greene, who signed the discharge petition, accused Trump of trying to intimidate House Republicans into opposing the release. The president responded by calling her “wacky,” a “lunatic,” and finally—on Saturday—a “traitor.”
Greene said on CNN Sunday that Trump’s attacks had put her life at risk.
“He’s made me a target,” she said. “This has all come down to the Epstein files.”
Earlier in the week, Greene claimed Trump was “fighting harder than anyone” to block their release, and said she had no explanation for why.
“That is the question everyone is asking,” she said. “Why fight this so hard?”
Trump’s endorsement withdrawal further widened the rift, marking a rare break with one of the House’s most aggressively pro-Trump lawmakers.
What Happens in the Senate?
While the House is expected to pass the bill by a significant margin, the Senate remains uncertain.
Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has downplayed the urgency of the legislation, citing recent DOJ disclosures already released under the House Oversight investigation.
Khanna, however, warned that public pressure could force the Senate’s hand if the House passes the bill decisively.
Massie agreed, saying: “If we get a big vote in the House, the pressure on the Senate is going to be enormous.”
A Rare Moment of Transparency Consensus
Political strategists note that public support for releasing the Epstein files cuts across partisan lines, driven by deep distrust of elites and suspicions about the federal handling of Epstein’s network.
Epstein, a convicted sex offender, died in 2019 in federal custody. His death was officially ruled a suicide, though widespread skepticism remains.
The House bill seeks the release of:
- All unclassified DOJ documents
- Internal communications related to Epstein’s investigation
- Information on plea negotiations
- Materials from Epstein’s associates and visitors
- Any FBI notes detailing interactions with political leaders
If passed, the law would require disclosure within 60 days.
Trump’s Reversal: Crisis Management or Political Calculation?
For Trump, the reversal may have been inevitable.
A senior Republican strategist speaking anonymously described the shift as “damage control.”
“He saw the vote count. He saw the momentum. He was going to lose—and lose publicly,” the strategist said. “Reversing course lets him claim leadership instead of resistance.”
Others argue Trump is responding to growing distrust among his own base, with many conservative activists openly asking why the president had fought the release at all.
“If there’s nothing to hide,” one GOP aide said, “then it shouldn’t have been this hard.”
For now, the political trajectory is clear: the House will vote Tuesday, and a bipartisan majority is expected.
Whether this moment becomes a turning point in transparency or another flashpoint in the nation’s political wars will depend on the Senate—and the scope of what the Epstein files ultimately reveal.