US President Donald Trump’s name appears “multiple times” in Justice Department files related to Jeffrey Epstein, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, as Congress issued a subpoena compelling testimony from Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
Attorney General Pam Bondi briefed Trump in May about his inclusion in what she termed a “truckload” of documents from the Epstein investigation, according to senior administration officials cited by the Journal. The Justice Department concluded no further investigation or prosecution was warranted based on the file contents.
White House response
White House spokesperson Steven Cheung denied the Journal’s account, stating: “The President kicked him out of his club for being a creep. This is nothing more than a continuation of the fake news stories concocted by the Democrats and the liberal media.”
Trump filed a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the Journal and owner Rupert Murdoch last week over reporting about an allegedly sexually suggestive letter bearing Trump’s name in a 2003 album compiled for Epstein’s birthday. The president has denied writing the letter.
The White House subsequently banned a Journal reporter from Air Force One for an upcoming Scotland trip.
Congressional subpoena issued
The House Oversight Committee subpoenaed Maxwell for deposition testimony at Federal Correctional Institution in Tallahassee, Florida, on 11 August. Committee Chair James Comer cited the need for congressional oversight of federal sex trafficking law enforcement.
“The Committee seeks your testimony to inform the consideration of potential legislative solutions to improve federal efforts to combat sex trafficking and reform the use of non-prosecution agreements,” Comer wrote to Maxwell.
Democrats and approximately twelve Republicans support the congressional inquiry into the Justice Department’s handling of Epstein-related investigations.
Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche stated they filed court motions to unseal underlying grand jury transcripts following their document review. “As part of our routine briefing, we made the President aware of the findings,” their joint statement confirmed.
A federal judge in south Florida denied the Justice Department’s initial request to unseal grand jury transcripts related to Epstein, ruling the request did not meet exceptions to grand jury secrecy requirements. Additional unsealing requests remain pending in Manhattan federal court.
Historical context
The Justice Department concluded its Epstein investigation earlier this month, triggering criticism from Trump supporters who have alleged government cover-up of Epstein’s high-profile connections. Billionaire Elon Musk previously tweeted that Trump appears “in the Epstein files.”
Trump maintained a fifteen-year friendship with Epstein before their relationship ended. Epstein received a controversial 2008 plea agreement in Florida allowing him to avoid federal charges, instead pleading guilty to state prostitution-related charges.
Epstein was arrested on federal sex-trafficking charges in 2019 and found dead in his federal jail cell approximately one month later. Investigators concluded he committed suicide. Maxwell was convicted and sentenced to twenty years in prison for assisting Epstein’s abuse of teenage girls.
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