Trump won't recommend special counsel in Epstein case
Trump is facing pressure from some of his supporters and renewed public scrutiny on the convicted sex offender's connections to powerful figures.
"The president would not recommend a special prosecutor in the Epstein case. That's how he feels," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday.
Leavitt said Trump had already directed the Justice Department and Attorney General Pam Bondi to conduct an "exhaustive review of all files", dismissing the renewed interest in Epstein as politically motivated and accusing Democrats of ignoring the issue during their time in power.
Epstein, a wealthy financier, was facing federal charges of sex-trafficking minors when he died by suicide in jail in 2019. He had pleaded not guilty, and the case was dismissed after his death.
The topic returned to the news last week after the Trump administration reversed course on its pledge to release documents it had previously suggested would offer major revelations about Epstein and his alleged clientele.
Officials said Epstein did not maintain a much-hyped "client list" and said the evidence was clear he had died by suicide despite conspiracy theories to the contrary.
That reversal has enraged some of Trump's most loyal followers.
News organisation Just the News published excerpts on Wednesday from a Trump interview in which the president said he would be open to having a special counsel look into "anything credible" related to Epstein, as well as other long-standing grievances he and his supporters have long raised.
But Leavitt appeared to close the door on a special counsel for the Epstein investigation, saying "the idea was floated from someone in the media to the president".
Justice Department regulations allow for the attorney general to appoint and supervise an outside special counsel to investigate allegations of criminal wrongdoing in instances when prosecutors might face a potential or perceived conflict of interest.
The department in recent years has appointed a succession of special counsels — sometimes, though not always, plucked from outside the agency — to lead investigations into politically sensitive matters, including into conduct by former president Joe Biden and by Trump.
On Wednesday, Trump attacked supporters who have been critical of his administration's handling of the Epstein case.
"Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats work, don't even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don't want their support anymore!" Trump said on his platform Truth Social.
Later in the day, he said Bondi should release whatever she thinks is credible.
"Whatever's credible, she can release," he told reporters. "If a document's there that's credible, she can release. I think it's good."
With AP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Karen Read Asks Judge to Order Return of Lexus and Phones After Acquittal in Officer's Death
More than a month after her acquittal in the death of John O'Keefe, Read is asking a judge to force prosecutors to return her SUV and cell phones still held in TO KNOW Karen Read is asking a judge to order the return of her seized Lexus and phones Her attorneys say prosecutors ignored earlier requests to give them back The property was taken during the investigation into John O'Keefe's 2022 deathKaren Read is asking a judge to order prosecutors to return her 2021 Lexus SUV and cell phones, more than a month after she was acquitted of murder in the 2022 death of Boston police officer John O'Keefe. In a motion filed in Norfolk County Superior Court this week and obtained by PEOPLE, Read's defense team says they contacted Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally in late June to request the return of the seized property. After receiving no response, they are now asking the court to intervene. "Counsel attempted to negotiate the return of the listed property with ADA Adam Lally in late June, as property is in the possession, custody and control of the Massachusetts State Police and has not heard back," reads the motion. Read's attorney, Steve Boozang, told Boston 25 News the delay in returning the property is 'bewildering,' noting that her team had hoped to avoid further court action but felt they had no choice.'They returned no bill, meaning there was no evidence whatsoever that Karen Read or Aidan Kearney had committed any crimes,' Boozang told the outlet. 'When I didn't hear back after a month, it was time to... file a motion and let a judge order the items to be returned.' The Lexus LX 570 — valued at around $60,000 — was taken as part of the investigation after O'Keefe was found unresponsive in a snowbank outside the Canton, Mass., home of a fellow officer in January 2022. Prosecutors had alleged Read backed into O'Keefe with the SUV while intoxicated and left him to die. In June, a jury acquitted Read of second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving the scene of a fatal crash. She was convicted only of operating under the influence and sentenced to one year of probation. The high-profile case drew national attention and sparked protests from Read's supporters, who accused law enforcement of framing her and mishandling the investigation. A hearing on the motion has not yet been scheduled. The Norfolk County District Attorney's office has not publicly responded to the filing. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Virginia councilman set on fire in personal attack: Police
A Virginia councilman was set on fire in an apparent personal attack at his office on Wednesday, authorities said. The suspect, Shotsie Michael Buck Hayes, allegedly confronted Danville City Councilman Lee Vogler, 38, at his office and doused him with a flammable liquid, the Danville Police Department said. Both went outside where Hayes allegedly set Vogler on fire, police said. Hayes, 29, of Danville, is in custody, police said. Vogler has been taken to a hospital in unknown condition, police said. It appears Vogler and Hayes know each other "and the attack stems from a personal matter not related to the victim's position on Danville City Council or any other political affiliation," police said. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Dad pleads not guilty after being accused of killing daughter, lying about kidnapping
A father accused of killing his 9-year-old daughter in upstate New York and then falsely claiming she was kidnapped pleaded not guilty on Wednesday. Luciano Frattolin, of Montreal, was arraigned in Essex County on an indictment charging him with second-degree murder and the concealment of a human corpse. A judge ordered him held without bail. His next court appearance has been scheduled for Aug. 19, with a jury trial set to begin in January 2026. Frattolin is accused of killing his daughter, Melina Galanis Frattolin, during a vacation to the U.S., concealing her body and fabricating a story that she was abducted. Melina was found dead in a shallow pond in a remote area near Ticonderoga on July 20, a day after he reported that she was abducted when he pulled over to go into the woods to go to the bathroom, police said. Melina died by homicide and from "asphyxia due to drowning," according to preliminary autopsy results, New York State Police said. MORE: Father charged with murdering 9-year-old daughter he falsely claimed was kidnapped: Police Investigators believe she was killed on July 19, just hours after she called her mother to say that she and her father were on their way back to Montreal, police said. The indictment alleges Frattolin drowned his daughter then concealed her body "by placing it in a wooded area in water, near a fallen tree with a rock on top of the corpse." ABC News has reached out to his public defender for comment but has not yet received a response. Melina lived with her mother full time in Montreal and was on a 10-day vacation to New York City and Connecticut with her father at the time, according to Capt. Robert McConnell of the New York State Police. According to McConnell, Frattolin and his daughter's mother have been estranged since 2019. He said the mother knew Frattolin had taken Melina on a vacation and told police she had no prior concerns about them traveling to the U.S. together. Frattolin's kidnapping report led the New York State Police to issue an Amber Alert early on July 20. A massive search was launched before her body was discovered later that day by New York State Police Forest Rangers, authorities said. "He fabricated the initial report of the abduction," McConnell alleged during a July 20 news conference. Police began to focus on the father as a suspect after finding inconsistencies in his account of events and the timeline he provided, McConnell said.
