President Donald Trump is facing public pressure to release more files relating to Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier and child sex trafficker with ties to many wealthy and powerful figures, including Trump himself.
For several years, conspiracy theorists, particularly those on the far right, have alleged that there is an Epstein “client list” naming people who were involved in his crimes. Trump benefited politically from that conspiracy theory — while he didn’t directly affirm that such a list existed, he implied that it did, stating during the 2024 presidential race that he’d be “inclined” to release it and that he had “no problem” making more files in the case public.
Earlier in July, however, after several months of promising to release more information, Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI released a two-page report stating that there wasn’t a client list and that Epstein died by suicide in his jail cell in 2019. Trump’s MAGA base has expressed frustration with Bondi’s conclusions, and Trump has been dealing with the fallout for several days now, becoming visibly upset with reporters inquiring about the files and attacking his supporters on social media for not moving on.
“We have a PERFECT Administration, THE TALK OF THE WORLD, and ‘selfish people’ are trying to hurt it, all over a guy who never dies, Jeffrey Epstein,” Trump complained on Truth Social.
The president also pushed a new conspiracy theory, alleging without evidence that several figures opposed to him (including Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and others) authored the Epstein files in order to damage his reputation.
Americans are apparently not buying it. A CNN/SSRS poll published this week found that only 3 percent of voters are satisfied with the amount of information released in the Epstein case, with 1 in 2 voters (50 percent) expressing dissatisfaction. Even GOP-leaning voters, usually in lockstep with Trump, are expressing misgivings, with only 4 percent saying they’re satisfied with the information that’s been made public, the poll found.
Democrats have condemned the administration for its lack of transparency on the Epstein case.
“Trump administration officials are either lying about the file and keeping it covered up to protect themselves, or they lied about its existence in a shameless political ploy to get elected,” said Democratic National Committee senior adviser for messaging Tim Hogan. “Either way, it is disgusting, and they have to be held accountable.”
“Either [Trump] and his acolytes fueled the rumors of the significance of these Epstein files to help his campaign, or something is there! Put up or Shut up,” Rep. Marc Veasey (D-Texas) said.
The pressure appears to be working, as some Republican lawmakers are now saying they want a vote on whether the DOJ should release the files. Even Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) has said the files should be made public, though he hasn’t indicated whether he’d formally support a House resolution on the matter.
“It’s a very delicate subject, but we should put everything out there and let the people decide it. … I agree with the sentiment that we need to put it out there,” Johnson said in a podcast interview Tuesday.
Perhaps in recognition that the issue will not die out so easily, Trump told reporters on Tuesday that he’s willing to see them come out — but only if Bondi wants them to.
“I would like to see that also,” Trump said at the White House, responding to a reporter’s question on more transparency in the case. “But I think the attorney general, the credibility is very important. And, you want credible evidence or something like that.”
Trump’s reluctance to release all files relating to Epstein likely stems from the fact that the two had a long-lasting friendship themselves. Video of Trump and Epstein partying with younger women is accessible on social media sites, and Trump has spoken highly of the disgraced financier in the past.
Trump’s name also appears in several investigative files regarding Epstein that have been published prior to this month, including at least seven flight logs showing that they traveled together.
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