Donald Trump shuts down claims he's named in Jeffrey Epstein files, 'up to' Attorney General to decide what gets released
While Trump suggested on his presidential campaign he would be open to looking into a client list relating to convicted sex offender Epstein, who died in jail in 2019, he appears to have changed his tune.
During a press conference on Tuesday, local time, the President said he didn't "understand" the fascination with the documents which were being called upon to be released.
'I don't understand it, why they would be so interested. He's been dead for a long time. He was never a big factor in terms of life. I don't understand what the interest and what the fascination is. I really don't. And the credible information has been given,' he told reporters before leaving an event in Pennsylvania.
'I don't understand why the Jeffrey Epstein case wold be of interest to anybody. It's pretty boring stuff. It's sordid, but it's boring,'
'And I don't understand why it keeps going. I think really only pretty bad people, including fake news, want to keep something like that going.'
The US Department of Justice and the FBI released a joint two-page memo earlier this month which attempted to shut down the interest over the Epstein files, reporting the systemic review conducted by the two government bodies "revealed no incriminating 'client list'".
It also said FBI investigators concluded that Epstein committed suicide in his prison cell in New York City.
At a separate press briefing on the White House lawn, Trump was asked if Attorney General Pam Bondi told the President he was named in the files but he said claims he was included in the documents were "made up".
'No, no. (Bondi) has given us just a very quick briefing and in terms of the credibility of the different things that they've seen,' Trump said.
'I would say these files were made up by (former FBI Director James) Comey and (former President Barack) Obama, made up by the Biden (administration) and we went through years of that with the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax.
'But she's handled it very well. And it's going to be up to her, whatever she thinks is credible, she should release.'
Trump's unfazed attitude to releasing the files comes as he faces calls from within his own administration for the documents to be shared publicly.
US House Speaker Mike Johnson called for the justice department to make the documents public during an interview with Benny Johnson which was released on Tuesday.
'It's a very delicate subject, but we should put everything out there and let the people decide it,' the Speaker of the House said.
'I agree with the sentiment that we need to put it out there.
'We need the DoJ focusing on the major priorities. So let's get this thing resolved."
Trump's own daughter-in-law and former chair of the Republican National Committee, Lara Trump also backed the idea of "more transparency" on the files in an appearance on Benny Johnson's podcast.
'I do think that there needs to be more transparency on this, and I think that that will happen.
'I believe that there will probably be more coming on this.
'And I believe anything that they are able to release that doesn't, you know, damage any witnesses or anyone underage or anything like that, I believe they'll probably try to get out sooner rather than later'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
AU Financial Review
14 minutes ago
- AU Financial Review
Britain will lower voting age to 16 in electoral reform
London | Britain will lower the voting age from 18 to 16 by the next national election as part of measures to increase democratic participation, the government announced Thursday. The Labour Party pledged before it was elected in July 2024 to lower the voting age for elections to Britain's Parliament. Scotland and Wales already let 16- and 17-year-olds vote in local and regional elections.
ABC News
14 minutes ago
- ABC News
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev issues warning over Ukraine escalation
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says the country must be ready to strike the West in the event of escalation in Ukraine, including by launching pre-emptive strikes. The comments by the senior Russian figure, published by Russia's TASS news agency, is the latest indication Moscow sees the confrontation with the West over Ukraine escalating after US President Donald Trump demanded a peace deal within 50 days. In his remarks, Mr Medvedev dismissed repeated NATO and Western European claims that Russia would one day attack a member of the US-dominated military alliance. But he added that Russia needed to be ready to respond "in full" should the West push any further. "The statements of Western politicians on this topic are complete nonsense," Mr Medvedev, who served as president between 2008 and 2012, said. He said that many in the West had "treachery in their blood" and an outdated view of their own superiority. "We need to act accordingly. To respond in full. And if necessary, launch pre-emptive strikes." Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, asked about Medvedev's remarks, said that he had expressed his opinion and that his concerns about the "confrontational" environment of Europe were justified. Mr Peskov said Russia was analysing Trump's threat to slap 100 per cent secondary sanctions on the purchasers of Russian exports unless Putin agreed to a peace deal in 50 days. Mr Medvedev, who currently serves as deputy chair of Russia's Security Council, previously cast himself as a liberal moderniser when he was president from 2008 to 2012. But he has since emerged as an anti-Western Kremlin hawk, and diplomats say his remarks give an indication of thinking among some within the political elite. It came as Ukraine launched an overnight salvo of drones at Russia, according to the RIA news agency, which said 122 of them were destroyed by air defences. On Thursday, Russia handed over 1,000 bodies to Ukraine and received 19, according to the Kremlin. Russia's defence ministry also announced it had seized several more towns in eastern Ukraine, as Mr Putin's forces continue their gradual advance across four Ukrainian regions. Meanwhile, Mr Zelenskyy has told the New York Post newspaper he and the US president are considering a weapons "mega-deal" centred around drones. The agreement would see Washington buying battlefield-tested Ukrainian drones in exchange for Kyiv purchasing weapons from the US. It comes days after European nations struck a deal to buy equipment from the US to then supply to Ukraine, bolstering Kyiv's military at a time when Russia is making steady territorial gains. Mr Zelenskyy said his latest talks with Mr Trump focused on a deal that would help each country bolster its aerial technology. "The people of America need this technology, and you need to have it in your arsenal," he said. "We will be ready to share this experience with America and other European partners." In a further sign that tensions between the US and Ukraine are being repaired after Mr Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy's confrontation in the White House earlier this year, the Ukrainian president has unveiled his country's new ambassador to the United States. Olha Stefanishyna, a deputy prime minister responsible for Euro-Atlantic integration, will take up the role. Mr Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram that he had appointed her as the special presidential representative to the US so that she could develop relations with Washington while the procedures necessary for her appointment took place. Ukraine is seeking to mend frayed ties with the US, and in recent weeks Mr Trump has appeared more positive about the country and sympathetic to its citizens as they endure nightly Russian drone attacks. Ukraine's current ambassador to the US, Oksana Markarova, has long been accused by Republicans of favouring the Democratic party during last year's election. Ms Stefanishyna's appointment came on the same day Mr Zelenskyy also unveiled a cabinet reshuffle, appointing a prime minister for the first time in five years. Yulia Svyrydenko, 39, has been tasked by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy with boosting domestic weapons production and reviving Ukraine's loan-dependent economy. In a speech to parliament, Zelenskiy said he expected his new government to increase the share of domestic weapons on Ukraine's battlefield to 50% from 40% within six months. He also singled out deregulation and expanding economic co-operation with allies as other key aims of the biggest government reshuffle since Russia's February 2022 invasion. Svyrydenko, an experienced technocrat who had served as first deputy prime minister since 2021, pledged to move "swiftly and decisively". "War leaves no room for delay," she wrote on X. Reuters
The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Two die in church as Israeli strikes kill 22 in Gaza
Israeli forces have killed at least 22 people in attacks in the Gaza Strip, including two people who died in a strike on a church that late Pope Francis used to speak to regularly. Eight men tasked with protecting aid trucks were reported among the dead in air strikes that were carried out while mediators continued ceasefire talks in Doha. A US official said this week the talks were going well but two officials from the Palestinian militant group Hamas told Reuters there had been no breakthrough as the Israeli military continued to pummel Gaza. A man and a woman died, and several people were wounded on Thursday in "an apparent strike by the Israeli army" on Gaza's Holy Family Church, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said in a statement. "We pray that their souls rest (in peace) and for an end to this barbaric war. Nothing can justify the targeting of innocent civilians," said the Patriarchate, which oversees the only Catholic church in the enclave. Photos released by the church showed its roof had been hit close to the main cross, scorching the stone facade, and that windows had been broken. Father Gabriele Romanelli, an Argentine who used to regularly update the late Pope Francis about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, was lightly injured in the attack. TV footage showed him sitting receiving treatment at Al-Ahly Hospital in Gaza, with a bandage around his lower right leg. "The attacks against the civilian population that Israel has been carrying out for months are unacceptable. No military action can justify such an attitude," Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a statement. Pope Leo was "deeply saddened" by the loss of life and renewed his appeal for an immediate ceasefire, the Vatican said. The Israel Defence Forces said it was aware of reports of casualties and was reviewing the incident, adding it made "every feasible effort to mitigate harm to civilians and civilian structures, including religious sites, and regrets any damage caused to them". Israel has been trying to eradicate Hamas in Gaza in a military campaign that began after the group's deadly attack on Israel in October 2023 and has caused widespread hunger and privation in the tiny enclave. Palestinian medics said one air strike on Thursday had killed a man, his wife and their five children in Jabalia in northern Gaza, and another in the north had killed eight men who had been handed responsibility for protecting aid trucks. Three people were killed in an air strike in central Gaza and four in Zeitoun in eastern Gaza, medics said. Arab mediators Qatar and Egypt, backed by the United States, have hosted more than 10 days of talks on a proposed US 60-day truce. As part of the potential deal, 10 hostages held in Gaza would be returned along with the bodies of 18 others, spread out over 60 days. In exchange, Israel would release detained Palestinians. The exact number is not clear. On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said that negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza were going well. A Palestinian official close to the talks said such optimistic comments were "empty of substance". Israel's campaign in Gaza has killed more than 58,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities. Almost 1650 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed as a result of the conflict, including 1200 killed in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, according to Israeli tallies. Israeli forces have killed at least 22 people in attacks in the Gaza Strip, including two people who died in a strike on a church that late Pope Francis used to speak to regularly. Eight men tasked with protecting aid trucks were reported among the dead in air strikes that were carried out while mediators continued ceasefire talks in Doha. A US official said this week the talks were going well but two officials from the Palestinian militant group Hamas told Reuters there had been no breakthrough as the Israeli military continued to pummel Gaza. A man and a woman died, and several people were wounded on Thursday in "an apparent strike by the Israeli army" on Gaza's Holy Family Church, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said in a statement. "We pray that their souls rest (in peace) and for an end to this barbaric war. Nothing can justify the targeting of innocent civilians," said the Patriarchate, which oversees the only Catholic church in the enclave. Photos released by the church showed its roof had been hit close to the main cross, scorching the stone facade, and that windows had been broken. Father Gabriele Romanelli, an Argentine who used to regularly update the late Pope Francis about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, was lightly injured in the attack. TV footage showed him sitting receiving treatment at Al-Ahly Hospital in Gaza, with a bandage around his lower right leg. "The attacks against the civilian population that Israel has been carrying out for months are unacceptable. No military action can justify such an attitude," Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a statement. Pope Leo was "deeply saddened" by the loss of life and renewed his appeal for an immediate ceasefire, the Vatican said. The Israel Defence Forces said it was aware of reports of casualties and was reviewing the incident, adding it made "every feasible effort to mitigate harm to civilians and civilian structures, including religious sites, and regrets any damage caused to them". Israel has been trying to eradicate Hamas in Gaza in a military campaign that began after the group's deadly attack on Israel in October 2023 and has caused widespread hunger and privation in the tiny enclave. Palestinian medics said one air strike on Thursday had killed a man, his wife and their five children in Jabalia in northern Gaza, and another in the north had killed eight men who had been handed responsibility for protecting aid trucks. Three people were killed in an air strike in central Gaza and four in Zeitoun in eastern Gaza, medics said. Arab mediators Qatar and Egypt, backed by the United States, have hosted more than 10 days of talks on a proposed US 60-day truce. As part of the potential deal, 10 hostages held in Gaza would be returned along with the bodies of 18 others, spread out over 60 days. In exchange, Israel would release detained Palestinians. The exact number is not clear. On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said that negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza were going well. A Palestinian official close to the talks said such optimistic comments were "empty of substance". Israel's campaign in Gaza has killed more than 58,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities. Almost 1650 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed as a result of the conflict, including 1200 killed in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, according to Israeli tallies. Israeli forces have killed at least 22 people in attacks in the Gaza Strip, including two people who died in a strike on a church that late Pope Francis used to speak to regularly. Eight men tasked with protecting aid trucks were reported among the dead in air strikes that were carried out while mediators continued ceasefire talks in Doha. A US official said this week the talks were going well but two officials from the Palestinian militant group Hamas told Reuters there had been no breakthrough as the Israeli military continued to pummel Gaza. A man and a woman died, and several people were wounded on Thursday in "an apparent strike by the Israeli army" on Gaza's Holy Family Church, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said in a statement. "We pray that their souls rest (in peace) and for an end to this barbaric war. Nothing can justify the targeting of innocent civilians," said the Patriarchate, which oversees the only Catholic church in the enclave. Photos released by the church showed its roof had been hit close to the main cross, scorching the stone facade, and that windows had been broken. Father Gabriele Romanelli, an Argentine who used to regularly update the late Pope Francis about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, was lightly injured in the attack. TV footage showed him sitting receiving treatment at Al-Ahly Hospital in Gaza, with a bandage around his lower right leg. "The attacks against the civilian population that Israel has been carrying out for months are unacceptable. No military action can justify such an attitude," Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a statement. Pope Leo was "deeply saddened" by the loss of life and renewed his appeal for an immediate ceasefire, the Vatican said. The Israel Defence Forces said it was aware of reports of casualties and was reviewing the incident, adding it made "every feasible effort to mitigate harm to civilians and civilian structures, including religious sites, and regrets any damage caused to them". Israel has been trying to eradicate Hamas in Gaza in a military campaign that began after the group's deadly attack on Israel in October 2023 and has caused widespread hunger and privation in the tiny enclave. Palestinian medics said one air strike on Thursday had killed a man, his wife and their five children in Jabalia in northern Gaza, and another in the north had killed eight men who had been handed responsibility for protecting aid trucks. Three people were killed in an air strike in central Gaza and four in Zeitoun in eastern Gaza, medics said. Arab mediators Qatar and Egypt, backed by the United States, have hosted more than 10 days of talks on a proposed US 60-day truce. As part of the potential deal, 10 hostages held in Gaza would be returned along with the bodies of 18 others, spread out over 60 days. In exchange, Israel would release detained Palestinians. The exact number is not clear. On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said that negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza were going well. A Palestinian official close to the talks said such optimistic comments were "empty of substance". Israel's campaign in Gaza has killed more than 58,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities. Almost 1650 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed as a result of the conflict, including 1200 killed in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, according to Israeli tallies. Israeli forces have killed at least 22 people in attacks in the Gaza Strip, including two people who died in a strike on a church that late Pope Francis used to speak to regularly. Eight men tasked with protecting aid trucks were reported among the dead in air strikes that were carried out while mediators continued ceasefire talks in Doha. A US official said this week the talks were going well but two officials from the Palestinian militant group Hamas told Reuters there had been no breakthrough as the Israeli military continued to pummel Gaza. A man and a woman died, and several people were wounded on Thursday in "an apparent strike by the Israeli army" on Gaza's Holy Family Church, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said in a statement. "We pray that their souls rest (in peace) and for an end to this barbaric war. Nothing can justify the targeting of innocent civilians," said the Patriarchate, which oversees the only Catholic church in the enclave. Photos released by the church showed its roof had been hit close to the main cross, scorching the stone facade, and that windows had been broken. Father Gabriele Romanelli, an Argentine who used to regularly update the late Pope Francis about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, was lightly injured in the attack. TV footage showed him sitting receiving treatment at Al-Ahly Hospital in Gaza, with a bandage around his lower right leg. "The attacks against the civilian population that Israel has been carrying out for months are unacceptable. No military action can justify such an attitude," Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a statement. Pope Leo was "deeply saddened" by the loss of life and renewed his appeal for an immediate ceasefire, the Vatican said. The Israel Defence Forces said it was aware of reports of casualties and was reviewing the incident, adding it made "every feasible effort to mitigate harm to civilians and civilian structures, including religious sites, and regrets any damage caused to them". Israel has been trying to eradicate Hamas in Gaza in a military campaign that began after the group's deadly attack on Israel in October 2023 and has caused widespread hunger and privation in the tiny enclave. Palestinian medics said one air strike on Thursday had killed a man, his wife and their five children in Jabalia in northern Gaza, and another in the north had killed eight men who had been handed responsibility for protecting aid trucks. Three people were killed in an air strike in central Gaza and four in Zeitoun in eastern Gaza, medics said. Arab mediators Qatar and Egypt, backed by the United States, have hosted more than 10 days of talks on a proposed US 60-day truce. As part of the potential deal, 10 hostages held in Gaza would be returned along with the bodies of 18 others, spread out over 60 days. In exchange, Israel would release detained Palestinians. The exact number is not clear. On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said that negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza were going well. A Palestinian official close to the talks said such optimistic comments were "empty of substance". Israel's campaign in Gaza has killed more than 58,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities. Almost 1650 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed as a result of the conflict, including 1200 killed in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, according to Israeli tallies.
