Trump won't recommend special counsel in Epstein case
Trump is facing pressure from some of his supporters and renewed public scrutiny on the convicted sex offender's connections to powerful figures.
"The president would not recommend a special prosecutor in the Epstein case. That's how he feels," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday.
Leavitt said Trump had already directed the Justice Department and Attorney General Pam Bondi to conduct an "exhaustive review of all files", dismissing the renewed interest in Epstein as politically motivated and accusing Democrats of ignoring the issue during their time in power.
Epstein, a wealthy financier, was facing federal charges of sex-trafficking minors when he died by suicide in jail in 2019. He had pleaded not guilty, and the case was dismissed after his death.
The topic returned to the news last week after the Trump administration reversed course on its pledge to release documents it had previously suggested would offer major revelations about Epstein and his alleged clientele.
Officials said Epstein did not maintain a much-hyped "client list" and said the evidence was clear he had died by suicide despite conspiracy theories to the contrary.
That reversal has enraged some of Trump's most loyal followers.
News organisation Just the News published excerpts on Wednesday from a Trump interview in which the president said he would be open to having a special counsel look into "anything credible" related to Epstein, as well as other long-standing grievances he and his supporters have long raised.
But Leavitt appeared to close the door on a special counsel for the Epstein investigation, saying "the idea was floated from someone in the media to the president".
Justice Department regulations allow for the attorney general to appoint and supervise an outside special counsel to investigate allegations of criminal wrongdoing in instances when prosecutors might face a potential or perceived conflict of interest.
The department in recent years has appointed a succession of special counsels — sometimes, though not always, plucked from outside the agency — to lead investigations into politically sensitive matters, including into conduct by former president Joe Biden and by Trump.
On Wednesday, Trump attacked supporters who have been critical of his administration's handling of the Epstein case.
"Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats work, don't even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don't want their support anymore!" Trump said on his platform Truth Social.
Later in the day, he said Bondi should release whatever she thinks is credible.
"Whatever's credible, she can release," he told reporters. "If a document's there that's credible, she can release. I think it's good."
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