White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has confirmed that President Donald Trump's name appears in the Epstein files, describing the late sex offender and Trump as 'young, single playboys together'. In interviews with Vanity Fair, Wiles also launched a sharp critique of Attorney General Pam Bondi's handling of the Department of Justice investigation into Epstein.
Wiles, who managed Trump's 2024 campaign, told the magazine she had read 'the Epstein file' and acknowledged the president is in it, but insisted he is 'not in the file doing anything awful'. She confirmed Trump flew on Epstein's plane, the Lolita Express, and that his name appears on flight logs. Trump and Epstein were photographed together multiple times in the 1990s and 2000s, and Epstein once described Trump as his 'closest friend'. Trump has claimed they fell out decades ago.
The comments come as the Epstein controversy faces renewed scrutiny. Last week, House Oversight Democrats released new photos from Epstein's estate showing Trump and others. By Friday, the Department of Justice is required to release its Epstein files under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed by Trump last month. Trump has maintained his innocence and called the matter a 'hoax'.
Wiles criticised Bondi for handing out binders labelled 'The Epstein Files: Phase 1' to conservative influencers in February, which contained no new information. 'I think she completely whiffed on appreciating that that was the very targeted group that cared about this,' Wiles said. 'First she gave them binders full of nothingness. And then she said that the witness list, or the client list, was on her desk. There is no client list, and it sure as hell wasn't on her desk.'
After the Vanity Fair story was published, Wiles described it on social media as 'a disingenuously framed hit piece'. She said 'significant context was disregarded' and that the article aimed to paint 'an overwhelmingly chaotic and negative narrative about the President and our team'. A White House spokesperson directed inquiries to Wiles's statement.
