Trump Told In May He Was In Epstein Files, Report Says
Attorney General Pam Bondi told President Donald Trump he was named multiple times in the Epstein files at a routine briefing in May, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed senior administration officials, though just last week Trump denied Bondi said he was named in the documents, the latest turn of a quickly escalating White House crisis.
Key Facts
A source told the Journal the briefing was 'routine' and was not focused on the Epstein files.
Officials reportedly told Trump the files contained rumors about him and other high-profile figures who socialized with Epstein in the past, with one official claiming they contained hundreds of names.
Trump was also told that the Justice Department would not release further documents because they contained child pornography and victims' personal information.
Trump is suing the Wall Street Journal for at least $10 billion after the newspaper published a story connecting him to a 'bawdy' note left for Epstein's 50th birthday.
Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement Wednesday that there was nothing in the DOJ files that 'warranted further investigation or prosecution' and reiterated that the DOJ asked a court to unseal the grand jury transcripts, which a judge in Florida declined to do.
'As part of our routine briefing, we made the President aware of the findings,' the statement added.
Tangent
At the height of Trump's feud with Elon Musk in June, Musk claimed Trump was named in the Epstein files, insisting 'that's the real reason they have not been made public.' Musk's post has since been deleted. The comments came as the pair sparred on social media as Musk criticized Trump's 'big beautiful bill,' the major spending package Republicans passed and Trump signed into law on July 4.
Key Background
After promising on the campaign trail to release more documents related to Epstein, Trump's Justice Department handed out binders of documents to influencers at a press event in February. However, most of the documents released were already publicly available, frustrating people looking for more about the disgraced financier's past prosecutions, famous people connected to him and his death in federal custody. In July, the Justice Department abruptly announced the file releases would end—sparking outrage both from conservative critics and Democratic opponents in Congress. Before, Trump had a long association with the disgraced financier before Epstein pleaded guilty to sex crimes in 2008, with the two running in many of the same New York City social circles dating back to the 1980s.
What Has Trump Said About Whether His Name's In The Epstein Files?
A reporter asked Trump last Tuesday whether Bondi told him his name was mentioned in the files, and the president said she had not. 'No, no, she's given us just a very quick briefing, and in terms of the credibility of the different things that they've seen,' Trump said. 'And I would say that these files were made up by Comey, they were made up by Obama, they were made up by the Biden… and we went through years of that,' before changing the subject to other scandals.
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