Trump Administration Under Mounting Pressure To Open Epstein Files (Worthy News In-Depth)

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

WASHINGTON/PARIS/LONDON (Worthy News) – The U.S. Justice Department came under mounting pressure to release all files related to deceased convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, despite strong opposition from the White House and signs that U.S. President Donald J. Trump is reluctant to make the documents fully public.

Momentum grew after newly sworn-in Democratic Representative Adelita Grijalva from Arizona signed a “discharge petition” forcing a House vote to order the Justice Department to publish all Epstein-related files.

Her signature brought the petition to the threshold needed to advance, though it remained possible that one of the Republican signatories — understood to be facing White House pressure — could withdraw their name, which would block the move.

President Trump has repeatedly downplayed demands for transparency. When asked in July about the investigation, he said he did not understand the “fascination” with what he called the “very sordid” and “boring” Epstein matter.

He also labeled the push for disclosure a “scam” by political opponents, telling supporters that “nothing will be good enough for the troublemakers and radical left lunatics making the request.” Trump dismissed the renewed scrutiny as a “hoax.”

These statements have intensified accusations from critics that the White House is reluctant to release the complete files.

CRITICS SAY WHITE HOUSE ‘STALLING’

Democratic legislators, who recently released newly obtained emails referencing Trump, say the administration is avoiding accountability. Representative Robert Garcia, a Democrat from California, said: “The more Donald Trump tries to cover up the Epstein files, the more we uncover.”

He argued the material raises “glaring questions about what else the White House is hiding.”

Republican members of the House Oversight Committee accused Democrats of “selectively leaking” information to “create a fake narrative,” according to the same outlet.

Federal courts have also complicated matters. Judge Richard Berman rejected a Justice Department request to release grand-jury transcripts, calling the proposal a “diversion” from other material the government already holds and has been asked to release.

The renewed push to release the files has revived global scrutiny of Trump’s past association with Epstein. The Wall Street Journal reported that Attorney General Pam Bondi informed Trump in May that his name appeared in Justice Department files — a claim the White House denied as “fake news.”

In September 2025, the U.S. House released Epstein’s “birthday book,” which contained an alleged 2003 note from Trump to Epstein. The White House disputed its authenticity.

‘DOG THAT DIDN’T BARK’

Emails obtained by U.S. legislators reportedly showed Epstein telling an associate in 2011 that “the dog that hasn’t barked is Trump” and claiming a victim “spent hours at my house with him.”

Flight logs also revealed that Trump flew on Epstein’s private plane at least six times in the 1990s, according to sources familiar with the case.

There is no public evidence that Trump was involved in or aware of Epstein’s crimes, but critics question why he appears reluctant to disclose Epstein-related records despite campaign pledges to release them.

The controversy has once again put the spotlight on Epstein, the American financier who sexually abused and trafficked underage girls, often using his wealth and social connections to recruit victims and shield himself from prosecution.

He pleaded guilty in 2008 and was detained again in 2019 on federal sex-trafficking charges before dying in custody later that year at age 66.

His network of associates and the scope of his crimes continue to raise global questions about who may have been involved or protected.

Epstein’s operations also drew renewed attention following the conviction of his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who in 2021 was found guilty in U.S. federal court of child sex trafficking and related charges. Prosecutors said Maxwell helped recruit and groom underage girls for Epstein over many years. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison, making her the highest-profile figure to be held criminally accountable in connection with Epstein’s crimes. Her conviction strengthened calls for the release of all remaining Epstein-related records.

SURVIVORS AND ADVOCATES DEMAND ANSWERS

Survivors of Epstein’s abuse and their legal teams have repeatedly called for complete transparency surrounding the case, saying the remaining sealed records are essential to understanding how Epstein operated for years with limited accountability.

Among the most vocal survivors is Virginia Giuffre, who has publicly urged U.S. authorities to release all remaining files and has said in earlier interviews and court filings that full disclosure is necessary to establish the truth about Epstein’s network. Her lawyers have likewise argued that all available documents should be made public in the interest of the victims.

Another survivor, Sarah Ransome, has also stressed in publicly recorded interviews that releasing sealed records would help victims move forward and shed light on systemic failures that allowed Epstein to operate with impunity.

Internationally, the scandal has prompted confirmed investigations. French prosecutors opened an inquiry in 2019 after receiving complaints alleging serious crimes committed in France, including suspected sexual violence against minors. Authorities in the U.S. Virgin Islands have also pursued civil cases against Epstein’s estate, saying in publicly filed documents that he used his properties on Little Saint James and Great Saint James as part of his criminal activities.

Britain’s Prince Andrew, 65, has faced continued scrutiny due to his association with Epstein. In 2022, he reached a confidential out-of-court settlement with Giuffre in a U.S. civil lawsuit. Court filings confirm that both sides agreed to dismiss the case, and the settlement included no admission of liability. Prince Andrew has consistently denied wrongdoing.

Survivors and their advocates say these developments reinforce the need for the United States to release all remaining Epstein-related records. Attorneys representing victims have argued in confirmed legal filings that greater transparency is essential to answering longstanding questions about who enabled Epstein and why earlier investigations failed to stop him.

Latest Worthy News