Congress agreed to release the Epstein files. Now what? Live updates

 

WASHINGTON – For months, controversy over what more information the federal government might have about the late Jeffrey Epstein has consumed Washington and much of the country.

Americans, and the politicians who represent them, have clamored to know more about the extent of the disgraced financier and accused sex trafficker's web of relationships with the rich and powerful, including President Donald Trump.

On Tuesday, all that scrutiny came to a head when both chambers of Congress overwhelmingly agreed to pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a bipartisan bill that would compel the Justice Department to release as much information as possible about federal investigations into Epstein. The legislation went immediately to the desk of the president after an abrupt about-face to support the measure despite initially opposing it.

The success of the measure was a remarkable show of bipartisan force. It also was the culmination of a rare rebuke from congressional Republicans of Trump, whose decades-old ties to Epstein have recently come back to haunt him.

It's unclear how the Justice Department will immediately respond to the new bill, or what the timeline will be for the release of more information. But in the short term, the new bill represented a win for Epstein's many victims, and potentially, a growing willingness among congressional Republicans to buck the president – at least on some issues.

Bondi says ‘new information’ led to new Epstein investigations targeting Democrats

After closing the Epstein case in July, Bondi on Wednesday said “new information” obtained by federal authorities prompted the Justice Department to launch the new investigation targeting prominent Democrats’ ties with Epstein.

“There’s information, new information, additional information,” Bondi said, without expounding. “Again, we’ll follow to follow the law to investigate any leads. If there are any victims, we encourage any victims to come forward.”

Bondi announced the new investigation in the Southern District of New York at the direction of Trump, who singled out former President Donald Trump, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, and venture capitalist Reid Hoffman as subjects of the probe.

When Bondi announced the administration’s decision not to release the Epstein files in July, the Justice Department and FBI said investigators found no evidence to prompt an investigation into uncharged third parties in the Epstein case.

Under the new Epstein files bill that passed Congress, the Justice Department can withhold documents if they jeopardize ongoing investigations.

AG Bondi pledges to ‘follow the law’ after passage of Epstein files bill

Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Justice Department will “follow the law” after both chambers of Congress approved legislation compelling the full release of the files in the Epstein investigation.

“We'll continue to follow the law with maximum transparency while protecting victims,” Bondi said on Nov. 19. “The law passed both chambers last evening. It has not yet been signed, but we will continue to follow the law.”

Under the bill that Trump is expected to sign, the Justice Department has 30 days to publicize “all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials” from the investigation.

However, the Justice Department is permitted to withhold documents that could jeopardize ongoing investigations or violate privacy rights of Epstein victims.

Two days before Trump changed his tune by calling for House Republicans to vote to release the Epstein files, the president ordered the Justice Department to investigate Democrats linked to Epstein, who died by suicide in a federal prison in 2019.

Jay Clayton, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, has been tapped to lead the investigation.

Epstein survivor hopes Trump invites them to the Epstein files bill signing

Having some Epstein survivors present when President Donald Trump signs the Epstein files bill would honor their experience and their push for justice, Teresa J. Helm told usa today on Tuesday. Helm was sexually assaulted by Jeffrey Epstein in the early 2000s.

"Every family knows a survivor of sexual violence," she said. "I truly hope that we are further seen and honored, not for anything political, but for our experience and our pursuit of justice, because it's hugely important. We are directly contributing to our democracy because anything built on corruption always crumbles eventually."

The signing has not yet been scheduled. Many bills are signed into law without a public ceremony.

--Sarah D. Wire

Harvard reportedly investigating Epstein connections after Larry Summers emails

Harvard University said in a statement to The Harvard Crimson, the university's newspaper, on Wednesday that it is "conducting a review of information concerning individuals at Harvard included in the newly released Jeffrey Epstein documents to evaluate what actions may be warranted.” usa today has reached out to Harvard.

It comes after Larry Summers announced he would continue teaching at the school but step back from other public commitments over his connection to Epstein.

Lawmaker who texted with Epstein avoids censure

The House on Tuesday evening narrowly voted against formally reprimanding Del. Stacey Plaskett, a Democrat who represents the United States Virgin Islands in the House of Representatives, for communicating with Epstein during a 2019 congressional hearing.

In a 209-214 vote, all House Democrats, along with three Republicans, Reps. Don Bacon of Nebraska, Lance Gooden of Texas, and Dave Joyce of Ohio voted against the measure. Three other Republicans, Reps. Andrew Garbarino of New York, Dan Meuser of Pennsylvania and Jay Obernolte of California voted present. 

Thousands of documents released last week included copies of text messages that Plaskett exchanged with Epstein during an Oversight Committee hearing. Plaskett was going to question Michael Cohen, a former friend of Epstein’s, during the hearing.

During a floor speech on Tuesday, Plaskett denied wrongdoing and said that Epstein was a constituent at the time, as he was a resident of the Virgin Islands. She said it was “not public knowledge at that time that he was under federal investigation” and that she was just seeking information.

“I know how to question individuals,” she said. “I know how to seek information. I have sought information from confidential informants, from murderers, from other individuals because I want the truth."

– Rebecca Morin

Trump speaking at investment forum

Trump is scheduled to speak at noon at the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum.

Speakers at the Kennedy Center event include Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, and a range of other U.S. business leaders and Saudi officials.

The event comes a day after Congress passed legislation to release the Epstein files. The bill now heads to Trump’s desk. The Investment Forum is the only item on Trump’s public schedule today.

-Zac Anderson

Larry Summers resigns from the OpenAI board

Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers has resigned from the board of tech company OpenAI, days after announcing he was stepping away from public commitments due to his connection to Epstein.

"In line with my announcement to step away from my public commitments, I have also decided to resign from the board of OpenAI. I am grateful for the opportunity to have served, excited about the potential of the company, and look forward to following their progress," Summers said in a statement to USA TODAY on Wednesday.

OpenAI's board said in a statement, "Larry has decided to resign from the OpenAI Board of Directors, and we respect his decision. We appreciate his many contributions and the perspective he brought to the Board."

Emails released on Nov. 12 showed that Summers, who served as president of Harvard University from 2001 to 2006, sought relationship advice from Epstein in 2019.

-Melina Khan

Who is Clay Higgins? Meet the only House member to vote against releasing the Epstein files

Rep. Clay Higgins, a former police officer, was the lone vote against the legislation on Tuesday. For the Louisiana Republican, who typically votes with other conservatives, it was a politically unusual choice. But he said it came down to privacy concerns.

Safeguarding the personal information of Epstein's many victims was his primary issue with the deal, even though most GOP lawmakers, following President Donald Trump's lead, joined with Democrats to support the measure in recent days.

The bill's bipartisan authors – Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, and Ro Khanna, D-California – have stressed that the legislation will not expose victims. It stipulates that the Justice Department is permitted to withhold certain information, such as personal details about victims and materials that would jeopardize any active federal investigations.