US President Donald Trump signed a new law on Thursday that requires the Justice Department to release files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The signing also gave Trump an opportunity to criticize the Democratic Party, which had supported the law to make the documents public.

Trump announced the signing in a long post on his social media platform, Truth Social. He framed the move as a victory for transparency that he personally helped achieve. At the same time, he highlighted Epstein’s alleged connections to Democrats, suggesting that the released files could expose them.

“Jeffrey Epstein, who was charged by the Trump Justice Department in 2019, was a lifelong Democrat. He donated thousands of dollars to Democratic politicians and was closely connected to well-known Democrats like Bill Clinton, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman,” Trump wrote. “Perhaps the truth about these Democrats and their associations with Epstein will soon be revealed, because I HAVE JUST SIGNED THE BILL TO RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES!”

The law, known as the Epstein Files Transparency Act, passed the House of Representatives with a nearly unanimous vote of 427-1. The Senate quickly approved it without any objections, and it was sent to the Oval Office. Under the law, Attorney General Pam Bondi must release all unclassified Epstein-related records within 30 days. She can withhold or redact information that might interfere with ongoing federal investigations.

Trump also criticized Democrats, calling their push for the file releases a “hoax” aimed at distracting from his administration’s achievements. He said the Biden administration had never released any Epstein files and accused Democratic lawmakers of trying to use the issue to damage Republicans politically.

The Epstein files have been in the news before. Last week, House Republicans released more than 20,000 pages of documents from Epstein’s estate, following earlier releases of Epstein emails by Democrats. Some of these emails mentioned Trump, bringing him back into the spotlight.

The release of these files could reveal more details about Epstein’s activities and his connections with influential people, including Trump and other high-profile figures. 

Epstein was convicted in 2008 for soliciting a minor for prostitution and died by suicide in a Manhattan jail in 2019 while facing federal sex trafficking charges. For months, the case has been controversial and a source of tension within Trump’s political base, with many supporters believing some information about Epstein’s connections has been hidden.