Just days ago, Trump didn’t want to know anything about the Epstein files. Now the US Congress is forcing him to sign a bill that says so. WELT spoke to a victim about how contradictory signals from the White House continue to shake the confidence of those affected.
At 14:17. on Tuesday, the chairman opened the vote on HR4405 with a bang of the gavel. Just 26 minutes later the results were clear. With 427 votes in favor and one against, the US House of Representatives approved a bill to make sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s files available to the Department of Justice.
Less than three hours later, the US Senate also approved the bill unanimously. Now US President Donald Trump still has to sign it and thereby allow investigative materials into the decades-long abuse of more than a thousand girls and young women to be made public – and with them also the famous names of royals, politicians, diplomats and business representatives.
Trump showed no interest in these developments on Tuesday evening. “I don’t care if the Senate passes the bill tonight or later. What I want is for Republicans to focus on all our big wins,” said the US President in his first reaction to the historic vote in the US Congress.
A reaction confirmed by victims such as Haley Robson in their skepticism about whether the government has a serious interest in solving the crime. Robson’s hands were sweaty as he left the House gallery shortly before 3pm. She was on the ballot along with other women who suffered from Epstein’s abuse. There were cheers when the Speaker of the DPR announced the results, followed by applause from members of parliament.
“We still have a lot of work to do”
It feels unreal. Seeing that the promise was finally fulfilled, Robson said with a trembling voice. He kept wiping tears from his eyes. It took 17 years until she found the courage to speak out about Epstein’s crimes against her. “17 years of silence. That’s a long time for a child to endure that kind of pain.” Robson was 16 when he was invited to a lucrative “massage” at a villa in West Palm Beach. For two years, Robson was part of a large network built by Epstein and his partner Ghislaine Maxwell.
“It was a very moving moment when all the members of parliament (after voting, d. Red.) turned towards us. For the first time we were noticed. But we still have a lot of work to do and this is just the beginning,” Robson said. The 39-year-old added that he was skeptical about what “agenda” was behind the White House turnaround. “I feel like Trump went back and forth with his administration and suddenly at the last minute he said he supports us. I just don’t understand that. I have no faith. I don’t trust Donald Trump.”
A fierce political tug-of-war over the publication of the document began last July. After Trump promised during the election campaign to make the files accessible, his justice secretary sparked massive protests in the summer, especially in the MAGA movement. Pam Bondi has stated that there is no list of Epstein’s “clients,” that she will not be making any further files public and that Epstein apparently committed suicide in New York custody in the summer of 2019. Great announcement.
As a result, an unusual coalition was formed between Democrats and Republicans in the US Congress who wanted to force publication by law. While Trump loyalist Mike Johnson used his power as Speaker of the House of Representatives to block the legislative process, former MAGA icon and now Trump foe Marjorie Taylor Greene joined the opposing camp. Greene and other Republicans have appeared publicly with Epstein’s victims and put enormous pressure on Trump.
Trump belittled this coalition and its support among his own supporters. According to a poll conducted by the Reuters news agency and the Ipsos Institute on Monday, only 44 percent of Republicans approved of Trump’s handling of the issue. Shortly before the vote in the US Congress, last weekend he asked the Republican Party to approve the law. Nevertheless, the US President on Tuesday continued to insist that the Epstein problem was a “creation” of the Democratic Party.
Disclosure of 100,000 page files
It’s unclear what will happen following the disclosure of the documents, which the Justice Department says contain more than 100,000 pages of documents. Prominent names may also appear. Larry Summers, Treasury secretary under former Democratic President Bill Clinton, announced his retirement from public life on Tuesday. He is in the same archives as former British minister Peter Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, brother of England’s King Charles III.
Haley Robson is not afraid of exposure. “I’m not afraid of anything. People who find out that they are in these files and will no longer be anonymous should at least fear shame. And the shame they will have to endure now – because this shame was never ours,” he said, drawing loud approval from the other victims standing beside him.
Before leaving the US Capitol, Robson shouted: “We have five governments, and all five governments are to blame. They must all be responsible and accountable for our failures.”
Stefanie Bolt has reported for WELT since 2023 as the US correspondent from Washington, DC. Previously, he was a correspondent in London and Brussels.
