House of Representatives votes to release Epstein files after Donald Trump urged Republicans to back motion

President Donald Trump had fought for months against the release before ending his opposition two days ago.

Before the vote, about two dozen survivors of Epstein's alleged abuse joined a trio of Democratic and Republican lawmakers outside the US Capitol to urge the release of the records.

The women held photographs of their younger selves, the age at which they said they first encountered Epstein, a New York financier who fraternized with some of the most powerful men in the country.

Despite his changed position on the bill, the Republican president remains angry about the attention paid to the Epstein matter.

On Tuesday, he called a reporter who asked about it in the Oval Office a "terrible person" and said the television network the journalist worked for should have its license revoked.

Mr Trump socialised and partied with Epstein in the 1990s and 2000s before what he calls a rift, but the old friendship has become a rare weak spot for the President with his supporters.

A poll published yesterday found 44 per cent of Republicans approve of President Trump's handling of the matter, well below the 82 per cent who approve of his overall performance.

Jena-Lisa Jones, who said Epstein sexually abused her when she was 14, told a press conference outside the Capitol a few hours before the vote: "Please stop making this political, it is not about you, President Trump...I voted for you, but your behavior on this issue has been a national embarrassment."

Mr Trump has said he had no connection to Epstein's crimes and has begun calling the issue a "Democratic hoax," despite some Republicans being among the loudest voices calling for the release of the records from criminal investigations of Epstein.

President Trump's opposition soured relations with one of his strongest Republican supporters in Congress, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has expressed anger at the Justice Department not releasing more details on Epstein.

She said Mr Trump pressured her to withdraw her support for the resolution and publicly called her a traitor after she doubled down.

The Georgia representative joined protesters at the Capitol before voting in favour of the resolution, telling reporters: "A traitor is an American that serves foreign countries and themselves.

"A patriot is an American that serves the United States of America and Americans like the women standing behind me."

President Trump said his u-turn was an effort to get Republicans to move on from a damaging feud about Epstein and "because we have nothing to hide."

It is unclear what the Republican-led Senate would do next. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has declined to comment.

Even after their successful effort to hold the vote, some lawmakers are worried about how full the disclosure of Epstein records would be.

Last week, Mr Trump instructed the Justice Department, which has traditionally avoided acting at the whims of a president, to investigate Epstein's ties to prominent Democrats and other political opponents.

The resolution passed by the House allows the Justice Department to withhold material that would "jeopardise an active federal investigation or ongoing prosecution".

Epstein pleaded guilty to a Florida state felony prostitution charge in 2008 and served 13 months in jail.

The US Justice Department charged him with sex trafficking of minors in 2019. Epstein pleaded not guilty to those charges before his death.