With pressure mounting, the House and the Senate this week passed legislation mandating the release of a slew of government documents involving financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. President Donald Trump signed the bill late Wednesday.

The Justice Department files have been the source of rumor, innuendo and distraction, as Democrats openly speculate — without evidence — that the documents may show Trump was more closely linked to the disgraced pedophile than he has previously admitted. Meanwhile, rabid MAGA supporters demand disclosure, seeing the government’s reluctance to make the information public as evidence of a cover-up designed to protect the powerful.

Epstein, who had ties to various titans in the world of business, entertainment and politics, was convicted in 2008 in Florida of soliciting a prostitute and procuring a child for prostitution and served 13 months. Critics accused the prosecutor of going soft on the wealthy businessman. In 2019, Epstein was arrested again, this time on federal charges of sex trafficking involving minors. He died in his jail cell while awaiting trial. His death was ruled a suicide.

It’s worth noting that the Biden administration could have released the files and opted not to do so — all without prompting significant outcry. But Trump has added fuel to the controversy. Many accused him of backtracking on a campaign promise to open the documents up for inspection. Instead, the Justice Department in February dropped only a partial set of files, which contained no bombshells. The department later insisted — along with Trump — that the rest of the papers didn’t warrant disclosure. This further riled the conspiracy theorists and prompted congressional Democrats to seize the issue as a means of damaging the president. Trump has since called the controversy a “hoax” created by Democrats.

The lesson in all this is obvious: Err on the side of disclosure. Government secrecy is an incubator for public mistrust and suspicion. Accountability is a hallmark of a healthy democratic republic.

In this case, respect for Epstein’s victims may mean some information must be withheld. But many of the women whom Epstein abused have publicly supported releasing the files. “Your career is in front of you, and that choice will follow you,” one victim told House members this week.

The House vote was 427-1. The Senate approved the bill without dissent. Trump has signed the bill. The Justice Department should keep redactions to an absolute minimum and release the documents without delay.

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