Musk Trolls Trump On Epstein Files—Here's What He's Said
Musk alleged Trump was in the files in a since-deleted tweet from June. (Photo by Kevin ...) Getty Images
Musk took interest Wednesday in the Trump administration's attempt to unseal grand jury testimony from Jeffrey Epstein's indictment—a move blasted by critics who have said the documents will not bring revelatory information, assuming they clear the several legal hurdles needed for release.
Musk reacted Tuesday to the news of House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., shutting down a House voting session before Democrats could again force a vote on the release of the Epstein files, saying there is 'only one reason' to avoid the vote, likely insinuating Trump's alleged appearance in the files.
The tech billionaire tweeted several times in mid-July about the files, asking X's AI chatbot, Grok, various questions about Epstein and potential co-conspirators of the late sex offender.
Musk on July 16 called the Trump administration's actions around the files a 'cover up (obviously),' saying in a separate post 'many powerful people want that list suppressed.'
Musk also targeted the administration this month through a meme, pointing out its conflicting information about the existence of an 'Epstein list' after the Justice Department claimed Epstein did not have a client list— despite Attorney General Pam Bondi telling Fox News months earlier she had a list 'on her desk.'
Musk's continued criticism of Trump comes amid multiple bombshell reports linking the president to Epstein, including one from The Wall Street Journal alleging the DOJ told Trump in May he was named in the Epstein files.
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Likely to jab at the president as a public fallout between the two over Trump's spending bill boiled over. Musk had called the bill a 'disgusting abomination' of legislation, and in response, Trump threatened to pull government subsidies and contracts provided to Musk's many companies. Less than an hour later, Musk accused the government of not releasing the full Epstein files because Trump was allegedly implicated in them. Musk deleted the tweet days later, taking a reconciliatory tone with Trump for a few weeks, though disputes between them sparked once again at the start of July (see a timeline of their feud here).
Musk has also implicated former Trump strategist and convicted felon Steve Bannon in the files. Bannon said in July he is "totally and completely focused on' Musk's destruction, prompting Musk to accuse him of being in the Epstein files and that he should go back to prison after serving a four-month sentence last year. Bannon has suggested Musk should be deported. Tangent
The Wall Street Journal report alleging Trump was informed of his name being in the Epstein files noted the president was also told the files contained what senior officials believed to be unverified hearsay about people including Trump. The briefing with the president did not focus on the appearance of his name in the files, which does not explicitly mean he committed any wrongdoing. Officials described the briefing to the Journal as routine. Key Background
Trump, who was friends with Epstein before the late financier's first arrest, said last year he would declassify the Epstein files in an interview with Fox News. By this month, Trump was telling his supporters to "not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about.' Trump was shielding Bondi from a wave of backlash over her claim she had the Epstein client list on her desk, while she faced immense blowback over a DOJ memo announcing no further information in the Epstein investigation would be released. Bondi has also received scrutiny from providing right-wing commentators with 'phase 1' of the Epstein files, even though the binders given to the commentators had largely redacted pages already made available to the public. Democrats have attempted to force a vote in the House on the release of the Epstein files. Johnson, who has called for 'transparency' around the files, blocked Democrats from forcing the vote Tuesday and has said he will shut down further votes next week. However, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., have pushed a bipartisan discharge petition that could force a floor vote when the House returns from recess. Further Reading
The Musk Vs. Trump Feud Latest: Richest Man Trolls President Over 'Epstein List'—Again (Forbes)
Trump And Bondi Promised Epstein Grand Jury Docs—But It Doesn't Mean Anything Will Be Released Today Or Ever (Forbes)
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