U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that he supports a House vote to release additional files related to Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender. This marks a shift from his previous stance against the measure. Trump expressed his views on his Truth Social platform, stating, "House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide."

The 79-year-old Republican has previously accused Democrats of promoting an "Epstein hoax" after emails surfaced suggesting that Epstein believed Trump was aware of his illicit activities involving underage girls. Critics have alleged that Trump sought to block the vote to conceal details about his own alleged misconduct, a claim he denies.

This issue has created divisions within the Republican Party, straining relationships between Trump and some of his allies in the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement. Over the weekend, Trump withdrew his endorsement of Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene for her 2026 re-election bid, further highlighting the rift.

House Speaker Mike Johnson announced that a vote would take place this week to compel the Justice Department to release remaining documents related to the Epstein investigation. Trump commented on this, saying, "Some 'members' of the Republican Party are being 'used,' and we can’t let that happen," referring to lawmakers who support the Democrats' call for the files' release.

Following the recent end of a prolonged U.S. government shutdown, the House of Representatives released a collection of emails from Epstein’s estate. One email indicated that Trump "spent hours" with one of Epstein's victims, while another email described Trump as "dirty."

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee stated that these messages raise significant questions about Trump's awareness of Epstein's crimes. In response to the email release, Trump has called for an investigation into potential connections between Epstein and former President Bill Clinton, as well as former Harvard president Larry Summers, who served as Clinton's treasury secretary. This request comes despite a memo from the FBI and Justice Department in July stating that there was no evidence to warrant an investigation of uncharged third parties.

Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking, had previously registered as a sex offender in Florida after pleading guilty in 2008 to solicitation of prostitution involving a minor. His associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, helped recruit underage girls for Epstein, who abused them at his residences in New York and Florida.

Trump's supporters have long been fixated on the Epstein case, expressing frustration over the FBI and Justice Department's findings that Epstein acted alone in his death and did not maintain a "client list" of powerful individuals. The ongoing debate over the release of Epstein-related documents continues to fuel speculation and controversy surrounding Trump's connections to the late financier.