President Donald Trump dismissed the ongoing controversy surrounding Jeffrey Epstein as "irrelevant" during a press conference on Wednesday. His comments came amid a push in Congress to release all files related to the deceased sex offender.

"This is a Democrat hoax that never ends," Trump stated when asked about the demand for transparency regarding Epstein. He added, "From what I understand, thousands of pages of documents have been given. But it's really a Democrat hoax because they're trying to get people to talk about something that's totally irrelevant to the success that we've had as a nation since I've been president."

The president's remarks coincided with a group of Epstein survivors who joined House members in urging the Justice Department to release records that have not yet been made available to Congress. Haley Robson, one of the survivors, expressed her feelings about Trump's characterization of the situation. "It felt like being gutted from the inside out," she said. Robson, a registered Republican, extended an invitation to Trump to meet her in the Capitol, stating, "This is not a hoax. We are real human beings. This is real trauma."

The effort to compel the release of Epstein-related files is being led by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie and Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna. Their discharge petition had garnered 206 signatures as of Wednesday afternoon, needing 218 to force a vote on the House floor. Currently, four Republicans have signed the petition, including Massie, Reps. Nancy Mace, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Lauren Boebert. If all 212 Democrats support the petition, only two additional Republican votes are required.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has urged Republicans not to back Massie's petition, arguing that the ongoing investigation by the House Oversight Committee is a more effective approach. On Wednesday, the House passed a resolution instructing the Oversight Committee to continue its investigation into Epstein, with a vote of 212-208-1. Johnson described Massie's petition as a "placebo."

Johnson mentioned that he spoke with Trump about the Epstein files on Tuesday night. He said Trump encouraged him to "get it out there" and to ensure that all relevant information is disclosed. Johnson emphasized that the Oversight Committee's investigation would be bipartisan and would seek more information than what is covered in the discharge petition. He noted that the committee has subpoena authority, which would allow them to access additional documents, including those from the Epstein estate.

When asked about the Epstein survivors' concerns regarding the lack of action, Johnson suggested they were being "misled" by some Republican members who he accused of politicizing the issue. He expressed a desire to meet with the survivors to clarify the committee's commitment to uncovering the truth.

The House Oversight Committee released tens of thousands of pages related to Epstein on Tuesday night, but much of the information was already publicly available. Rep. Khanna pointed out that "less than 1% of these files have been released" and reiterated the demand for full disclosure through the discharge petition.

Epstein was arrested in July 2019 on charges of conspiracy and child sex trafficking. He died in custody a month later, with his death ruled a suicide by hanging.