Donald Trump has broken his silence on the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, complaining that people who 'innocently met' the convicted paedophile could have their reputations destroyed. In his first comments since the justice department began releasing the materials on Friday, the US president expressed sympathy for prominent Democrats, including Bill Clinton, who have come under renewed scrutiny.
'I like Bill Clinton,' Trump said. 'I've always gotten along with Bill Clinton ... I hate to see photos come out of him but this is what the Democrats – mostly Democrats and a couple of bad Republicans – are asking for, so they're giving their photos of me too.' Speaking at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump claimed that 'everybody was friendly with this guy' and that pictures of 'highly respected bankers and lawyers' who innocently met Epstein were being exposed.
Trump cited the example of Larry Summers, a Harvard professor and former treasury secretary who stepped back from public life after email exchanges with Epstein came to light. The president also tried to cast the Epstein files as a distraction from Republican achievements, saying, 'What this whole thing is with Epstein is a way of trying to deflect from the tremendous success that the Republican party has.'
The Epstein Files Transparency Act, passed nearly unanimously by Congress and signed into law by Trump, mandated the complete release of the files by last Friday. However, only one batch of documents has been released so far, prompting outcry from survivors and lawmakers. On Monday, Bill Clinton's spokesperson Angel Urena urged the justice department to release any remaining materials referring to Clinton, stating, 'Someone or something is being protected.'
