The Epstein List Could Be Set for Release as a Bill Heads to Trump's Desk

After years of speculation and suggestion, the case files around the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein are closer to being released in full to the public than ever before. A bill passed both the House and Senate on Tuesday that is set to release the files, and that bill is now headed to the president's desk.

Given the momentum around the release of these files, many are wondering when they might actually be made available to the public. Here's what we know.

Although the bill has passed the House and Senate, it still needs to be signed by President Trump before the files will be released. Trump has signaled that he will sign the bill, per the BBC, after revising his position on the release of the files. Trump and his administration had opposed the files' release, but now he says that he supports it. It's worth noting that the president could release the files at any time, with or without Congressional signoff.

It seems that Congress is forcing the president's hand here, though. What's less clear is what will happen after Trump does sign the bill, which he could do as soon as Nov. 19. The files will not be instantaneously made available. The bill instead calls for “all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials” to be released by Attorney General Pam Bondi no more than 30 days after the bill is passed.

The materials related to the case include internal Department of Justice communications, flight logs, and people and entities who are connected to Epstein.

Given that deadline, if the president signs the bill this week, the files themselves could be released any time over the next month, and will then take some additional time to peruse in detail, as it's likely to be an overwhelming amount of information.

According to CNN, a senior administration official has said that Trump will sign the bill “whenever it gets to the White House," although CNN also notes that there are other obstacles that might limit the release of information.

The bill gives Bondi the power to withhold information that would jeopardize an ongoing investigation or reveal personal information about the victims.

What's still unclear is whether the information that is ultimately released will paint a full picture of Epstein's connections to political figures, including Donald Trump, or whether the president is still making efforts to cover up key details. We won't know until the files are actually released exactly how much has been withheld, and for what reasons.

What seems clear is that Trump has been reticent to release any information about Epstein to the public. The evidence that has been released suggests that the two were close friends, and that Trump may have known something about Epstein's decades-long abuse of minors, and his facilitation of that abuse for other powerful men.