US Congress orders release of Epstein files

WASHINGTON: US lawmakers voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday for releasing government files on sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after President Donald Trump dropped his opposition to opening the books on a scandal that has roiled politics, law enforcement, and the country's elite.

The president had put allies in Congress under intense pressure not to make the material public, but the Republican leader threw in the towel over the weekend as it became clear that much of his party was poised to defy him.

Congress approved the Epstein Files Transparency Act almost unanimously — compelling publication of unclassified documents detailing the investigation into the disgraced financier's operations and jailhouse death, which was ruled a suicide.

Lawmakers say the public deserves answers in a case with over 1,000 alleged victims.

Trump says the files will expose powerful Democrats' connections to Epstein, and has pledged not to veto the legislation.

The bill passed the House earlier on Tuesday with just one dissenter out of 428 members voting, and the Senate agreed to rubber-stamp and bounce the text straight to the White House, without a hand-count vote, as soon as it arrives from the lower chamber.

The Justice Department has wide latitude to hold back information if its release "would jeopardize an active federal investigation."

Meanwhile, Trump ordered officials to probe Epstein's ties with high-profile Democrats.

The saga has exposed rare fissures in support for the Republican leader, who previously campaigned on releasing the files but changed course after taking office, accusing Democrats of pushing a "hoax."

After multiple attempts by Republican leaders to block the vote, all Democrats and four Republicans signed a "discharge petition" — an extraordinary procedure forcing the bill to the House floor against the wishes of leadership.

Relenting on his longstanding resistance, Trump said on social media late on Sunday that Republicans should vote to release the files "because we have nothing to hide."

"I have nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein," Trump told reporters Tuesday at an Oval Office event with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. "I threw him out of my club many years ago because I thought he was a sick pervert."