WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s weekend reversal on the release of the Epstein files has him in an unusual position — aligned with the majority of Maryland lawmakers.
“He clearly read the writing on the wall,” Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Montgomery County Democrat, told The Baltimore Sun. “He knew he was going to lose in a landslide in the House. So he decided: If you can’t beat them, join them.”
The House of Representatives will vote on Tuesday on a resolution to release government files on Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier who died in prison after being charged with the sex trafficking of minors. The resolution is expected to be approved with bipartisan support.
For months, Trump has tried to kill the resolution. But after failing to convince Republican lawmakers to oppose it, the president decided to abandon his opposition. In a Truth Social post on Sunday, Trump said that House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files “because we have nothing to hide.”
“It’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics in order to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party, including our recent Victory on the Democrat ‘Shutdown,’” Trump said in the post, adding that he doesn’t care about stopping the documents’ release but wants Republicans to “get back on point.”
“Let’s start talking about the Republican Party’s Record Setting Achievements, and not fall into the Epstein ‘TRAP,’ which is actually a curse on the Democrats, not us,” Trump added.
On Monday, Trump told reporters that he doesn’t want the files to distract from the GOP agenda. He said he would sign the resolution if the Senate approves it.
“From day one, Trump has had the authority to release the Epstein files — and he still does,” Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen said in a statement when asked if Trump’s support would help the resolution be considered in the Senate. “Now that he’s realized the votes are against him, he’s changed his tune. As for the spineless Republicans in Congress who’ve stood in the way of transparency, they now should have no problem voting to bring out the full truth — for both the victims of Epstein’s abuse and the American people.”
While he has called the Epstein files a hoax, on Friday, Trump directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate prominent Democrats, including President Bill Clinton and former president of Harvard University Larry Summers, and several financial institutions for potential ties to Epstein. Recent emails detailed years of correspondence between Summers and Epstein, including requests for romantic advice.
The president’s pivot has him re-aligned with his America First base — who for years have pursued transparency about who else potentially knew of or participated in Epstein’s crimes — and the Democratic lawmakers who joined the movement earlier this year, after Trump distanced himself from releasing the documents.
“After a period of time, you get tired of the narrative,” State Sen. Johnny Salling, a Baltimore County Republican, told The Sun. “So maybe he’s just saying, ‘Okay, let’s just get this over with.’”
“No parties should think, ‘Oh, we don’t want this,’” Stalling added. “People, at times, think they’re above the law. And they think they can do whatever they want and get away with it. It should never be that way.”
Democrats have hounded Trump and Republican congressional leaders to support the bipartisan petition since it began over the summer, started by Republican Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California.
Rep. Andy Harris, an Eastern Shore Republican, did not respond to a request for comment.
Although Trump told House Republicans to approve the resolution, his support doesn’t seem to extend far enough to render the petition redundant.
“The congressional effort was because the president was fighting the release with so much force,” Rep. Johnny Olszewski, a Baltimore County Democrat, said. “This is a vote that would compel Trump to release the files. So if the president agrees they should be released, let’s just make it quick and easy and simply release them now.”
Given the timing and that Trump didn’t immediately act, Olszewski and others questioned the motives behind the sudden about-face.
“It’s disingenuous,” Brittany Martinez, a GOP strategist, said. “If he wanted to, he would release the files.”
Regardless of motive, the president’s tentative support could see more Republicans openly support a bipartisan cause, and a greater chance it is taken up by the Senate.
“He’s finally come to the understanding that everybody else has for some time,” Rep. Kweisi Mfume, a Baltimore City Democrat, told The Sun. Mfume is on the committee that has released a tranche of documents detailing Epstein’s personal communications. “There’s no value whatsoever in preventing and blocking this material from being released.”
Have a news tip? Contact Ben Mause at bmause@baltsun.com.
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