Trump Briefed On Epstein Files; White House Says No Evidence Of Wrongdoing

India.com

7 days ago

New Delhi: US President Donald Trump was informed in May that his name appeared in files related to the Justice Department's review of the Jeffrey Epstein case, CNN reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Attorney General Pam Bondi, during a briefing with Trump and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche at the White House, disclosed the presence of Trump's name in the documents. According to two White House officials, the meeting was a "routine briefing" that covered the Justice Department's findings, with the mention of Trump's name not being the primary focus.
Bondi also told Trump that other high-profile figures were named in the documents, but investigators did not find evidence of a so-called client list or anything contradicting the conclusion that Epstein died by suicide, CNN reported.
Sources familiar with the department's review told CNN that the files contained several unsubstantiated claims, including those related to Trump, which the Justice Department ultimately deemed not credible.
It remains unclear in what context Trump's name appeared in the documents. As CNN noted, Trump was among several prominent individuals associated with Epstein during the 1990s, when Epstein actively courted celebrities and influential figures to boost his public profile. The new revelations do little to expand on the public's existing understanding of Trump's ties to Epstein.
"The White House is not surprised by this - Trump's name was present in the binders that Bondi produced and handed out," a White House official told CNN. The official added that many of the materials already released by the Justice Department had included mention of Trump's name. "The White House does not view this as groundbreaking or new or surprising at all," the official said, emphasizing that there is no evidence implicating Trump in any wrongdoing.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung also responded to the developments in a statement to CNN, saying, "The fact is that 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, just like the Obama Russiagate scandal, which President Trump was right about."
CNN reported that the Wall Street Journal first broke the story about Bondi informing Trump in May that his name appeared in the Epstein-related documents. The revelations appear to contradict
Trump's more recent denial that he was aware of being named in the files. When pressed last week about whether Bondi had informed him, Trump responded, "No, no. She's given us just a very quick briefing."
The issue has added to growing political pressure on the administration following its decision not to release additional Epstein-related documents, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from Trump's supporters, according to CNN. White House officials were reportedly frustrated that Bondi did not redact Trump's name from the binders distributed to conservative influencers in February, calling it a longstanding point of contention between the DOJ and the White House.
In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, Bondi and Blanche said, "The DOJ and FBI reviewed the Epstein Files and reached the conclusion set out in the July 6 memo. Nothing in the files warranted further investigation or prosecution, and we have filed a motion in court to unseal the underlying grand jury transcripts. As part of our routine briefing, we made the President aware of the findings."
While the White House has dismissed the continued scrutiny of the Epstein files as politically motivated and distracting, bipartisan calls for full transparency have intensified. A House Oversight subcommittee voted Wednesday to subpoena the Department of Justice to release all documents related to Epstein, forcing GOP leaders to cut short the legislative session to avoid further votes on the matter.
Adding to the controversy, the Wall Street Journal reported last week that a letter bearing Trump's name and an outline of a naked woman was part of a photo album gifted to Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003. Trump has denied writing the letter and has filed a lawsuit against the publication over the article, CNN reported.