Is Donald Trump Named in the Epstein Files?
The recent controversy ignited after the Department of Justice and FBI issued a memo earlier this month declaring Epstein's death a suicide and denying the existence of a 'client list' of people involved in his alleged sex trafficking activities.
The memo contradicted a slew of conspiracy theories surrounding Epstein that have been particularly prominent on the right and had previously been fueled by top Trump Administration officials including FBI Director Kash Patel and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, who in February stated that the rumored 'client list' was 'sitting on my desk right now.' (Following the memo's release, both have walked back their previous comments: Patel stated that 'the conspiracy theories just aren't true, never have been,' and Bondi said that she was referring to the case file on Epstein in the February interview.) Trump himself brought the issue up more rarely than his allies, though he promised on the campaign trail to release more information related to the case.
The Administration's reversal on the matter has drawn outcry from the President's MAGA base and divided the Republican Party, as constituent concerns and calls for transparency have clashed with Trump's repeated attempts to downplay the scandal.
House Speaker Mike Johnson earlier this week prevented a vote on a bipartisan bill that would mandate the full release of the Epstein files—cosponsored by fellow Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna—by sending lawmakers home early for their five-week recess.
A day later, the House Oversight Committee voted late Wednesday to subpoena the Department of Justice for its files related to Epstein's case. 'The American people deserve transparency and accountability and his victims deserve justice,' Rep. Summer Lee of Pennsylvania, the top-ranking Democrat on the panel, wrote on X Wednesday. 'The wealthy and powerful are not above the law.' Three Republicans on the committee broke with their party to vote with Democrats on the matter.
The committee also issued a subpoena for a deposition from Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's long-time associate who is currently serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking and other crimes.
Here's what to know about the controversy and how the Administration is responding.
White House hits back at reports that Trump is named in the files
Questions about the Administration's handling of documents related to Epstein further mounted after the Wall Street Journal and other news outlets reported on Wednesday that Justice Department officials informed the President in May that his name is in the Epstein files.
His inclusion in the records, which also include the names of other influential figures, isn't evidence of wrongdoing, according to the Journal's report. Trump's name has previously appeared in unsealed documents in the case, along with those of a number of other Epstein acquaintances and associates.
Justice Department officials also reportedly informed Trump in the May briefing that they did not plan on releasing additional files related to Epstein because the material included child pornography and the personal information of victims.
The Administration is pushing back on the reporting.
White House communications director Steven Cheung referred to it as 'fake news' in a statement to TIME. 'The fact is that the President kicked him out of his club for being a creep,' Cheung said. However, a Trump official told Reuters that the Administration is not denying that Trump's name was mentioned in the files.
The Journal's most recent report comes as its parent companies, owner, two reporters, and one of the parent company's CEOs face a libel lawsuit filed by the President in response to an earlier story alleging that Trump was one of dozens of individuals who wrote letters to Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003. 'Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret,' the letter concluded, according to the media outlet.
TIME has not independently verified the reporting.
On Wednesday, Rep. Khanna told MSNBC's 'The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell' that he planned on issuing a subpoena for the birthday album, which is in the possession of the Epstein estate.
In the face of the escalating scandal, the Trump Administration has made some effort to release more files related to Epstein.
On July 18, the Justice Department filed a motion asking for grand jury transcripts in the case to be released. A Florida federal judge this Wednesday blocked one of the Administration's requests to unseal grand jury testimony, citing regulations barring courts from unsealing such transcripts except in narrow circumstances. Two other requests for information filed by the Department in the state of New York are still being considered.
What has Trump said about Epstein?
Despite Trump's attempts to distance himself from Epstein since the disgraced financier's first conviction in 2008, the two were previously pictured together on numerous occasions—including at Trump's 1993 wedding to Marla Maples and at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
In a 2002 interview with New York Magazine, Trump stated that he had known Epstein for around 15 years and referred to him as a 'terrific guy' and 'a lot of fun.'
'It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it — Jeffrey enjoys his social life,' the magazine quoted the President as saying.
In 2017, however, the Trump Organization denied that the President had a relationship with Epstein or was aware of his conduct. 'This has all been reported countless times in the press,' Trump Organization attorney Alan Garten told POLITICO.
The President has expressed ire at the media's focus on Epstein in recent weeks. 'I had the Greatest Six Months of any President in the History of our Country, and all the Fake News wants to talk about is the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax!' Trump wrote on Truth Social Wednesday.
What files have already been released on Epstein and is there a client list?
Public pressure for the unsealing of files regarding the notorious sex offender is in part due to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign promise to release more information regarding the matter.
Some previously sealed documents related to the Epstein and Maxwell cases have already been made public. In January 2024, more than 1,400 pages of records were unsealed under the Biden Administration, though they included little new information.
This February, the Trump Justice Department released what it referred to as the 'first phase of the declassified Epstein files,' first to a group of right-wing influencers and later publicly. The information, however, was mostly already public, including flight logs and a redacted copy of Epstein's contact book.
Trump is among other prominent figures named in the previously unsealed documents. He was mentioned in a 2016 deposition from Johanna Sjoberg, one of Epstein's victims, who said the disgraced financier's plane made an impromptu stop in Atlantic City in the 2000s. Sjoberg said 'no' when asked if she'd given Trump a massage.
The FBI and DOJ have denied the existence of a 'client list' of people Epstein allegedly trafficked young girls to. They also said there is no credible evidence that Epstein blackmailed associates to keep them quiet.
Why is the government meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell now?
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Tuesday that he intended to meet with Maxwell to discuss Epstein and what she knows about his actions.
Blanche said he reached out at Bondi's request. 'President Trump has told us to release all credible evidence,' he said. 'If Ghislane Maxwell has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say.'
Maxwell's lawyer confirmed in a post on X that they were in contact with the government.
The decision to speak with Maxwell, as well as the Department of Justice's request for grand jury testimony related to the Epstein to be unsealed on Friday, mark a shift in Bondi's approach to the issue as the Administration continues to take fire from its base and some Republican lawmakers and media figures.
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