Donald Trump's name appears multiple times in US Justice Department files related to Jeffrey Epstein, according to a Wall Street Journal report. The report, citing senior administration officials, claims Attorney General Pam Bondi informed Trump in May that he was named in the files, along with other high-profile figures. The White House has denied this account.
White House spokesperson Steven Cheung dismissed the report as 'fake news,' stating that Trump 'kicked Epstein out of his club for being a creep.' Trump has filed a $10bn defamation lawsuit against the Journal over a separate article about a letter allegedly written by Trump for Epstein's birthday. The White House has also banned a Journal reporter from Air Force One.
The Justice Department concluded earlier this month that there was no basis to continue the Epstein investigation, sparking backlash from Trump supporters who view it as a cover-up. The department has moved to unseal grand jury transcripts, but a federal judge in Florida denied the request, citing rules requiring secrecy. Pending requests in Manhattan seek to unseal transcripts related to later indictments against Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
Epstein died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. Maxwell was convicted and sentenced to 20 years. The House Oversight Committee has voted to subpoena the Justice Department for Epstein files and to depose Maxwell.
