By Pascal Ibe

Claim

An X account, PoliticsVideoChannel claimed that the U.S. Senate Just Forced Trump to release The Full Epstein files by August 15th.

Verdict

This claim is MISLEADING. Only the Senate Democrats NOT the Senate, moved to compel the Trump administration to release material connected to the investigation into the accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, invoking a little-known law in a bid to force Republican leaders to confront the growing furor over the case.

Full Text

The words “Epstein files” have been haunting the Trump administration for weeks as it grapples with a growing crisis stemming from the sex crimes of late convicted paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Pressure has been growing from President Donald Trump’s supporters and voices within his own Republican Party for more transparency on what the investigations into Epstein uncovered.

Reports have emerged that Trump himself was told in May by his attorney general that his name appeared in files related to the investigations.

He was friends with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s, and being named is not evidence of any criminal activity, nor has Trump ever been accused of wrongdoing in connection with the Epstein matter.

The president said while campaigning for the 2024 election that he would be open to making public more information.

But he changed his position earlier this month, saying the case was closed and even criticising his supporters who have continued to press him on it.

The president said while campaigning for the 2024 election that he would be open to making public more information.

But he changed his position earlier this month, saying the case was closed and even criticising his supporters who have continued to press him on it.

Regarding this, an X account, PoliticsVideoChannel has claimed that the U.S. Senate Forced Trump to release The Full Epstein files by August 15th.

The post garnered over 5 million views and more than 100k reposts on the X platform.

Verification

According to reports by US news organizations, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the minority leader, and all seven Democrats on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee sent a letter to the Justice Department requesting that it turn over its files on Mr. Epstein, the disgraced financier who died in federal prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.

Under a section of federal law commonly referred to in the Senate as the “rule of five,” government agencies are required to provide relevant information if any five members of that committee, which is the chamber’s chief oversight panel, request it.

That provision — which became law in 1928 and sets a seven-member rule for the House’s oversight committee — effectively offers a way for members of the minority party to compel information from the executive branch because they cannot issue congressional subpoenas. But it has been infrequently used, and it has not faced significant tests in court, raising questions over whether it can be enforced.

However, Democrats could still face challenges with forcing the actual release of the files, with party leaders saying they would prepare for litigation if needed.

Check this similar report here and here.

Conclusion

Only US Senate Democrats asked the Trump administration to release the Epstein files by August 15th while seeking the support of the Republicans.