EXCLUSIVE: Trump's Hand Was 'Forced' by the American Public to Release the Epstein Files, Famed Author Claims — Who Demands All Documents Be Revealed Immediately

Donald Trump was "forced" into finally signing off on releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files, RadarOnline.com can reveal.

Now the waiting game is underway, after the president signed a hastily passed bill to officially unseal the files within the next 30 days.

After months of saying there's nothing to see here and calling the entire ordeal a Democratic hoax, Trump suddenly changed his tune and agreed to make the files public.

Famed investigative reporter Andrew Lownie told RadarOnline.com after so much pressure and clear signs the scandal wasn't going away, the politician finally had little choice.

"I think it's an exciting development. The American public forced Trump's hand," Lownie reasoned.

There is a chance, however, that Trump may still have some sort of plan to delay or derail the release, or make sure nothing of importance is actually unearthed.

But the author said even if that happens, this is still a big win for Epstein's victims, who have crusaded for the list to be made public for decades now.

"It's amazing. I didn’t expect that we would get to this stage," Lownie added. "And even if a lot of this material is missing or redacted, I think it’s still a huge step forward to bring some justice to the victims."

As RadarOnline.com reported, Trump took to Truth Social last week to confirm the monumental news.

"I HAVE JUST SIGNED THE BILL TO RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES! As everyone knows, I asked Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, to pass this Bill in the House and Senate, respectively," he exclaimed.

"Democrats have used the 'Epstein' issue, which affects them far more than the Republican Party, in order to try and distract from our AMAZING Victories," Trump added.

There is, however, some growing concern after the discovery of a legal loophole in the congressional bill that gives Attorney General Pam Bondi the complete freedom to "redact" any information she chooses.

The bill requires Bondi to release all files related to Epstein and his co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell, within 30 days of the law being enacted.

However, a deep dive into the bill revealed it gives Bondi the ability to redact records in specific instances, including documents that would "jeopardize an active federal investigation or ongoing prosecution."

That could include names and other key details, leaving the public frustratingly back at square one.

Meanwhile, Lownie has told RadarOnline.com Epstein was confident he would get off scot-free, and was sure Trump would grant him a pardon for any sex related claims and accusations.

"The two had been pretty close; they hadn’t totally parted company," Lownie claimed. "Whether Epstein was justified in thinking this... he kind of thought that he had everyone sewn up, and that Trump would pardon him."

But after the arrest, Trump quickly cut ties with Epstein, telling reporters at the time, "I was not a fan. I had a falling out with him a long time ago."

Lownie said Epstein wasn't used to facing that kind of rejection.

"When he was told that wouldn't happen, I was told he made all sorts of threats," Lownie claimed. "He threatened some of the victims. He threatened Sarah Ferguson. He could be pretty intimidating."