Donald Trump’s name reported to feature in DoJ files about Jeffrey Epstein
Wall Street Journal report says president’s name appears ‘multiples times’ as Congress subpoenas Ghislaine Maxwell
Donald Trump faced a new crisis Wednesday following reports that his name was included in the Justice Department’s files on Jeffrey Epstein, and Congress subpoenaed the accused’s accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell.
The president’s spokesman denied a Wall Street Journal report that Attorney General Pam Bondi informed Trump last May that her name appeared in the infamous Epstein files.
The newspaper cited senior administration officials as saying that Trump had also been informed of the names of several other senior figures and that the department had no plans to release any further documents related to the investigation.
The White House sought to downplay the connection between Trump and Epstein. “The truth is, the president kicked him out of his club for being a creep,” spokesman Stephen Cheung said in an emailed statement. “This is just a continuation of the fake news concocted by Democrats and the progressive media.” »
Last week, Trump filed a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and its owner, Rupert Murdoch, over a report about an alleged letter bearing his name, included in a 2003 album released for Epstein’s birthday. The president denied writing the letter and has since sued the newspaper.
The White House subsequently barred a reporter from the newspaper’s flight to Scotland on Air Force One.
The Justice Department concluded earlier this month that there was no basis for further investigation into Epstein, prompting a backlash from Trump supporters, who have long viewed it as a cover-up of Epstein’s crimes and relationships with influential figures.
It also fueled speculation about Trump’s 15-year friendship with Epstein. In June, Elon Musk, the president’s billionaire friend-turned-foe, tweeted that Trump was “in the Epstein files.”
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday: “When Justice Department officials reviewed what Attorney General Pam Bondi called a ‘heavy trove’ of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein earlier this year, they found Donald Trump’s name appeared repeatedly.”
“Nothing in these files warrants further investigation or prosecution, and we have filed a request with the court to make the grand jury transcripts public. As part of our regular briefings, we have informed the president of our findings,” Pam Bondi and her deputy, Todd Blanch, said in a statement.
In 2008, Epstein reached a plea agreement with federal prosecutors in Florida, allowing him to avoid more serious federal charges and plead guilty to state charges of procuring and soliciting a person under 18 for prostitution.
The wealthy financier was later arrested in 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges. His former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, was accused of helping him abuse teenage girls.
Epstein was found dead in his cell at a federal prison in New York about a month after his arrest. Investigators ruled it a suicide. Maxwell was later convicted at trial and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
The Justice Department has asked Maxwell’s lawyers to clarify whether she is willing to speak with prosecutors, and Blanche said Tuesday that she expects to meet with her in the coming days.
Democrats and a dozen Republicans in the House of Representatives are also demanding answers. On Wednesday, the powerful House Oversight Committee subpoenaed Maxwell to appear before the Federal Correctional Institution in Tallahassee, Florida, on August 11.
In a letter accompanying Maxwell’s subpoena, Committee Chairman James Comer wrote: “As the Department of Justice works to uncover and publicly disclose additional information regarding your case and that of Mr. Epstein, it is critical that Congress monitor the federal government’s enforcement of sex trafficking laws generally, and specifically its handling of the investigation and prosecution of you and Mr. Epstein.
In particular, the Committee seeks your testimony to inform its consideration of potential legislative solutions to improve the federal fight against sex trafficking and to reform the use of non-prosecution agreements and/or plea agreements in sex crime investigations.”
