The US president previously resisted the push to make documents public, arguing the issue was being weaponized by the Democrats

US President Donald Trump has signed a bill requiring the Justice Department to release investigative files relating to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. The move came despite Trump initially opposing the measure, saying Democrats were using the Epstein case to damage him politically.

Epstein, a financier convicted of sex offences in 2008 and charged again in 2019 with trafficking minors and running an underage sex ring, was found dead in a Manhattan jail cell that year. Officials ruled the death a suicide, though there has been speculation that he was killed to prevent testimony about numerous wealthy and influential figures that could have used his services.

In a statement on Truth Social on Wednesday, Trump labeled Epstein "a lifelong Democrat" and recalled that several Democratic figures - including former President Bill Clinton - had ties to him.

Trump suggested that "perhaps the truth about these Democrats, and their associations with Jeffrey Epstein, will soon be revealed, because I HAVE JUST SIGNED THE BILL TO RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES!"

He went on to accuse Democrats of using the issue to distract from what he described as his administration's achievements. He added that the Biden administration "did not turn over a single file or page" related to Epstein, and that the Justice Department had already provided Congress with tens of thousands of documents at his direction.

"This latest Hoax will backfire on the Democrats just as all of the rest have!" he concluded.

Trump's move marked a shift from his earlier position. For months, he urged House Republicans to block the measure, arguing that Democrats were pushing the release to damage his presidency.

Trump has previously been mentioned in several Epstein-related materials, including an e-mail in which the financier claimed Trump "knew about the girls." White Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt pushed back, saying the emails "prove absolutely nothing."

Following the revelation, Trump ordered a probe into Epstein's ties to prominent Democrats and urged House Republicans to vote for releasing the Epstein files, "because we have nothing to hide." Following Trump's U-turn, the House approved the bill 427-1, and the Senate passed it unanimously.