Shortly after the Senate accredited and despatched a invoice to power the discharge of the Jeffrey Epstein recordsdata to President Donald Trump’s desk on Wednesday, Legal professional Common Pam Bondi confronted questions on how the administration will reply.
“We’ve launched over 33,000 Epstein paperwork to the Hill, and we’ll proceed to observe the legislation and to have most transparency. Additionally, we’ll all the time encourage all victims to return ahead,” Bondi stated at a information convention alongside FBI Director Kash Patel, Deputy Legal professional Common Todd Blanche and different officers on an unrelated legislation enforcement motion.
Legal professional Common Pam Bondi speaks with reporters throughout a information convention on the Division of Justice, Nov. 19, 2025, in Washington.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
Final week, Bondi introduced the Justice Division was initiating a renewed investigation into the files and potential ties between high-profile Democrats and Epstein simply hours after Trump ordered her to on his Reality Social account.
ABC Information Chief Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas pressed Bondi on Wednesday about what modified from the department’s memo in July through which they stated they deliberate to make no future public disclosures associated to their evaluate of Epstein’s case and no additional costs had been anticipated.
“There’s info, new info, further info,” she stated in response to the query from Thomas. “And once more, we’ll proceed to observe the legislation to research any leads. If there are any victims, we encourage all victims to return ahead. And we’ll proceed to offer most transparency beneath the legislation.”
It is unclear whether or not the DOJ will search to quote the brand new investigation as exempting a lot of the recordsdata from public disclosure on account of their relevance to the brand new investigation, regardless of DOJ and FBI stating unequivocally in a July assertion that it uncovered no proof in a evaluate of the recordsdata that might assist a predicated investigation in opposition to any uncharged people.
It is unlikely the Justice Division would launch your complete Epstein file, in accordance with sources. Any supplies associated to ongoing investigations or White Home claims of govt privilege will probably stay out of public view.
Legal professional Common Pam Bondi speaks in the course of the announcement of a legislation enforcement motion throughout a press convention on the Division of Justice in Washington, November 19, 2025.
Tom Brenner/Reuters
Senate Minority Chief Chuck Schumer, the chamber’s high Democrat, warned Trump in opposition to selectively releasing Epstein paperwork and stated Democrats would maintain him to account if the invoice is not faithfully executed.
“This isn’t an invite for Donald Trump to select and select his model of the reality. This invoice is a command for the president to be absolutely clear, to return absolutely clear, and to offer full honesty to the American individuals even when he would not need to,” Schumer stated. “So I need to be clear: Something lower than full transparency can be unacceptable within the eyes of the American individuals. If Donald Trump refuses to conform, if he refuses to obey the legislation, Senate Democrats will maintain him accountable.”
Earlier Wednesday, the Senate formally accredited the Epstein invoice handed by the Home on Tuesday. The Senate agreed to take action by unanimously, which meant there have been no amendments or adjustments to the invoice as Home Speaker Mike Johnson and different members of his Republican management group had urged.
Johnson on Wednesday stated he was “stunned” that no amendments had been made.
“I made clear for months that I believed there have been critical flaws within the underlying invoice, and I had hoped that the Senate would work to repair and proper these. They determined to go a unique route. That is their prerogative. I used to be stunned and dissatisfied by that,” Johnson conceded.
Nonetheless, the speaker stated he doesn’t count on Trump to veto the measure.
“The Congress has spoken,” Johnson emphasised “You recognize that the president will course of that, and there is not any delays on this in any respect. I imply, it is transferring ahead, so I’ll test the progress proper now.”
Senate Majority Chief John Thune speaks with reporters after the Senate accredited the Home decision to power the discharge of Justice Division recordsdata on the late convicted intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein, on the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Nov. 18, 2025.
Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg through Getty Photos
If the laws is signed into legislation, it may compel the discharge of federal data on Epstein and his convicted confederate Ghislaine Maxwell, in addition to different people, together with authorities officers, named or referenced in reference to Epstein’s “legal actions, civil settlements, immunity, plea agreements or investigatory proceedings,” in accordance with the laws textual content. Victims’ names and different figuring out info could be excluded from disclosure, as would any gadgets which will depict or comprise youngster intercourse abuse materials, in accordance with the textual content of the invoice.
Trump stated on Monday that he’ll signal the invoice ought to it attain his desk.
“I am all for it,” Trump stated.
However in a submit on his social media platform Tuesday afternoon, the president stated he would not “care when the Senate passes the Home Invoice, whether or not tonight, or at another time within the close to future,” and that he desires Republicans to remain centered on his agenda.
“I simply don’t need Republicans to take their eyes off the entire Victories that we’ve had, together with THE GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL, Closed Borders, No Males in Girls’s Sports activities or Transgender for Everybody, ending DEI, stopping Biden’s Report Setting Inflation, Greatest Tax and Regulation Cuts in Historical past, stopping EIGHT Wars, rebuilding our Army, being RESPECTED by each Nation within the World, having Trillions of {Dollars} INVESTED in the united statesA., having created the ‘HOTTEST’ Nation anyplace within the World, and even delivering a HUGE DEFEAT to the Democrats on the Shutdown,” Trump stated in his submit.
President Donald Trump speaks as he meets Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman within the Oval Workplace of the White Home, Nov. 18, 2025, in Washington.
Evan Vucci/AP
A senior White Home official later informed ABC Information that the invoice will “be signed each time it will get to the White Home.”
Trump didn’t want to attend for Congress to behave — he may order the discharge instantly.
At a vigil on Capitol Hill Tuesday afternoon, a gaggle of Home Democrats and Epstein survivors broke out in loud cheers upon studying that the Senate unanimously accredited the invoice.
After New Mexico Democratic Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez made the announcement from the rostrum, the group broke out in loud cheers, claps and smiles — a few of them tearing up.
Democrats had been seen hugging the survivors.
ABC Information’ John Parkinson, Lauren Peller, Rebecca Gelpi, Michelle Stoddart and Alex Mallin contributed to this report.
