Trump hints Epstein files changed after 2024 win, says Dems ‘would’ve released’ evidence earlier
WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump has endorsed a conspiracy theory by his supporters that the records related to Jeffrey Epstein were altered or expanded after the 2024 presidential election.
He suggested that people who controlled the files could have added fake or misleading documents. He argued that if the files contained anything damaging, it would have already been used against him.
Trump fuels Epstein conspiracy ahead of vote
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday, Trump fuelled the idea of new conspiracy theories just as Congress prepares for a high-stakes vote to force the full release of all records tied to Jeffrey Epstein.
"If they had anything, they would have used it before the election, okay? I can't tell you what they put in since the [2024] election," Trump said, implying federal officials could have slipped new information into the trove of documents after he returned to White House.
When asked about why his team discouraged Reps Lauren Boebert and Nancy Mace from pushing for a full release, Trump dismissed the political fray, saying, "Because we think it's bad to talk about it, because it gets away from the subject of how well the Republicans are doing."
Trump's comment came as lawmakers, including many Republicans, prepared to break with him and Speaker Mike Johnson by supporting a bill that would require the Department of Justice to release all Epstein files.
GOP prepares for key Epstein records vote
Kentucky Rep Thomas Massie predicted there could be 100 or more GOP votes who co-sponsored the discharge petition with California Rep Ro Khanna.
Massie openly signaled a rebellion against his own party leadership, saying Johnson, Trump, and others would be taking a big loss this week.
Massie warned his colleagues, who are terrified of losing Trump's endorsement, that voting 'no' would leave a mark that could hurt their political prospects in the long term.
"The record of this vote will last longer than Donald Trump's presidency," he said.
The vote is expected to be one of the year's most dramatic, pushed forward by new documents, including a 2019 email in which Epstein said Trump knew about the girls.
Democrats and Republicans clash over Epstein release
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released a collection of damning emails on Wednesday, November 12, many sent directly from Epstein. One of them referred to Trump as the “dog that hasn’t barked,” and in another, Epstein apparently alleged that Trump spent hours with one of Epstein’s victims.
In turn, Republicans on the House Oversight Committee on the same day released more than 20,000 pages of records from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate, declaring, “You deserve the full truth.”
They released the records just hours after Democrats unveiled emails in which Epstein reportedly mentioned President Trump.
The sudden release followed accusations from the White House and GOP lawmakers that Democrats had selectively leaked material to slander the president.
