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Politico
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Politico
What the Timeline Reveals About Trump and the Epstein Files
White House communications director Steven Cheung pushed back on this column, saying that it's 'nothing more than out-of-context frame grabs of innocuous videos and pictures of widely attended events to disgustingly infer something nefarious.' '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,' he said. The DOJ did not immediately respond to a request for comment but a Justice Department spokesperson previously called the Journal's story 'a collection of falsehoods and innuendo.' Moreover, since Trump's inauguration, Trump and his senior officials have provided increasingly terse comments, shifting goalposts, changes in public expectation-setting and at times non sequiturs. There has been a conspicuous move-along, nothing-to-see-here approach to the subject that now appears more deliberate. Bondi, for instance, said in early May that there are 'tens of thousands of videos of Epstein with children or child porn,' but no credible media outlet or political figure has ever suggested that any such material should be released. The question for people focused on this issue has been — has always been — what is in the government's other investigative material, including witness statements, written correspondence, financial records and flight logs, among other things. Over the last week, the Trump administration's public-facing efforts to gather and provide more information have also been curious on their face. The administration has moved to unseal grand jury testimony and is seeking information from Epstein's co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of child sex trafficking and other crimes and is now serving a federal 20-year prison sentence. These efforts have one conspicuous thing in common: The results are out of the government's control. A Florida judge this week denied the Justice Department's request to unseal the grand jury testimony, and Maxwell is unlikely to generate credible information that the government can act upon given her serious credibility problems, as well as her motive to lie or otherwise shade information to curry favor with the Trump administration in the hopes of a pardon or commutation of her sentence. In fact, there is no need for the government to do either of these things to satisfy those clamoring for more information. The vast majority of information in the government's possession is not grand jury testimony, and it is not with Maxwell. On their face, these appear to be efforts to satisfy the public — to look like they are doing something — without generating a meaningful volume of new or credible information, and without providing some portion of the large volume of material in the government's possession that, as a legal matter, they do not need anyone's permission to release. Jan. 30 Kash Patel vows to expose Epstein connections During his Senate confirmation hearing to be FBI director, Kash Patel responded to Sen. Marsha Blackburn's question on investigating 'who worked with Jeffrey Epstein in building these sex trafficking rings' by saying, 'I will do everything, if confirmed as FBI director, to make sure the American public knows the full weight of what happened in the past and how we are going to countermand missing children and exploited children going forward.' Patel's commitment followed a lengthy history of his own stoking interest in conspiracy theories surrounding the Epstein investigation and Epstein's death. Feb. 21 Pam Bondi says client list is 'sitting on my desk' Asked on Fox News if the DOJ would publish Epstein's client list, Pam Bondi replied: 'It's sitting on my desk right now to review. That's been a directive by President Trump.' Bondi and the White House have since said that the attorney general was referring to the entire tranche of documents related to the Epstein prosecution, rather than a 'client list.'
The Hill
4 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Epstein birthday book included note from Bill Clinton: WSJ
Former President Clinton was among the famous and wealthy individuals who penned notes to Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. The Journal previously reported that President Trump wrote a 'bawdy' note for the leather-bound birthday album given to Epstein three years before the disgraced financier was first charged with sexually abusing girls in Florida in 2006 and more than a decade before Epstein's higher-profile sex trafficking arrest in 2019. Trump denied writing the letter and sued The Wall Street Journal over its report. The New York Times separately reported on Thursday that it had reviewed a 'contributor list' for the book that included Trump's name. According to the Journal's latest report on the birthday book's entries, Clinton, who left office in 2001, penned a handwritten note that read: 'It's reassuring isn't it, to have lasted as long, across all the years of learning and knowing, adventures and [illegible word], and also to have your childlike curiosity, the drive to make a difference and the solace of friends.' A Clinton spokesperson declined to comment to the Journal but referred the outlet to a previous statement saying the former president did not know about Epstein's crimes and that they severed ties years before Epstein's death. The Hill reached out to a Clinton representative for comment on Friday but did not immediately hear back. Epstein died in a New York City prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, but his case has continued to draw intense interest about his associates. Trump's Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI announced earlier this month that an investigation concluded that Epstein kept no 'client list' and died by suicide, but the DOJ this week has conducted private interviews with Epstein's associate and the source of the birthday book, Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving 20 years behind bars after she was convicted in Epstein's sex trafficking scheme. Meanwhile, the Epstein controversy has engulfed Washington, D.C., and effectively ground the House to a halt this week ahead of its August recess. A House Oversight panel on Wednesday approved several subpoenas related to the case, including one directing the DOJ to hand over materials related to the Epstein files and separately for Clinton and other prominent Democrats to testify before the House.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pam Bondi reportedly told Donald Trump in May that he's named in Epstein files
WASHINGTON − Attorney General Pam Bondi told President Donald Trump in May that he was named multiple times in the government's files on Jeffrey Epstein, according to reports from the Wall Street Journal and CNN. A White House official did not dispute Trump's name is mentioned in the Epstein files, telling USA TODAY that briefing binders Bondi prepared for MAGA influencers in February included the president's name. But the official rejected any suggestion that Trump engaged in wrongdoing in connection with Epstein. Bondi told the president that he and many other figures were named in the documents, according to the reports from the Journal and CNN. The Journal cited "senior administration officials," while CNN cited "sources familiar with the discussion." Being named in such documents doesn't mean the person broke the law. 'The fact is that the President kicked him out of his club for being a creep," said White House Communications Director Steven Cheung, referring to Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. "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," Cheung said. The reports offer potential additional context for the Justice Department's decision not to make the Epstein files public. In a memo released July 7, the department said a review of the documents failed to turn up any incriminating list of clients who may have been involved with Epstein in a sex-trafficking ring. The same review found no evidence that Epstein blackmailed prominent people, or that he was murdered while in custody, according to the memo. New York's chief medical examiner ruled in 2019 that Epstein died by suicide, but Trump himself has previously expressed suspicion about that conclusion. "Certainly about the way he (Epstein) died, it would be interesting to find out what happened there because that was a weird situation and the cameras didn't happen to be working, etcetera, etcetera," Trump said on Fox & Friends Weekend on June 3, 2024. Trump faces backlash over Epstein files decision The revelations come as the Trump administration has faced an intense backlash over the Justice Department's decision not to disclose the Epstein files. Earlier this year, Bondi made public statements that built up intrigue about the Epstein files. "It's a new day, it's a new administration, and everything's going to come out to the public," Bondi told Fox News host Sean Hannity in a March interview. Amid the scrutiny, Trump has tried to shift attention to other red-meat topics that resonate with his MAGA base, including unsubstantiated allegations that former President Barack Obama committed 'treason' during the 2016 election when intelligence agencies found Russia was attempting to influence the election in Trump's favor. 'It's time to go after people,' Trump said on July 22. Trump on July 15 alleged that his political enemies 'made up' the Epstein files when a reporter asked whether Bondi told the president that his name is in the files. "No no," Trump said. "She's given us just a very quick briefing. And in terms of the credibility of the different things that they've seen, I would say that these files were made up by Comey, Obama, they were made up by the Biden ‒ and we went through years of that with the 'Russia, Russia, Russia' hoax." Trump has said Bondi should release all 'credible' information from the Epstein files. Last week, Trump said he directed Bondi to ask a federal court to produce 'all pertinent Grand Jury testimony' from federal cases brought against Epstein and his associate, convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell. A federal judge in Florida rejected one of the administration's requests July 23. Two other requests are still pending in a Manhattan federal court. The Epstein files contain large volumes of images of Epstein and victims who were minors or appeared to be minors, the Justice Department and FBI said, as well as more than 10,000 videos and images of illegal child sex abuse material and other pornography. The agencies' July 7 memo said federal authorities found "no basis to revisit the disclosure of those materials and will not permit the release of child pornography." The Justice Department didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. This story has been updated with additional information. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump told by Bondi that he's named in Epstein files: reports
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill Clinton reportedly sent Jeffrey Epstein note for birthday album
Donald Trump apparently isn't the only president that sent a birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein. 'The biggest name in the album' was Bill Clinton, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. The ex-president's letter appeared alongside nearly 50 others, including other prominent celebrities and executives. Last week, the Journal reported that Trump had authored a 'bawdy' letter to Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 after he was arrested on federal sex-trafficking charges. The letter was included in an album Epstein's former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell compiled on the occasion of his 50th birthday in 2003. Trump has sued Rupert Murdoch, two Wall Street Journal newspaper reporters and the newspaper's publisher Dow Jones for libel and slander over the reporting. In Thursday's article, the Wall Street Journal provided additional details on the album, including names of some of the nearly 50 people who wrote to Epstein. They reportedly include billionaire investor Leon Black, fashion designer Vera Wang, billionaire media owner Mortimer Zuckerman, billionaire former Victoria's Secret owner Les Wexner, attorney Alan Dershowitz, model scout Jean-Luc Brunel and billionaire former Microsoft executive Nathan Myhrvold. It also includes the British ambassador to the United States and Labour party politician Peter Mandelson in a section titled 'friends'. Epstein's former co-workers, Alan 'Ace' Greenberg and James 'Jimmy' Cayne, who he worked with at the investment firm Bear Stearns in the 1970s, also sent letters. The New York Times confirmed the Wall Street Journal's reporting on Thursday evening. 'The professionally bound birthday book had multiple volumes and included a table of contents,' the Journal reported. According to the newspaper, Clinton's note to Epstein read: 'It's reassuring isn't it, to have lasted as long, across all the years of learning and knowing, adventures and [illegible word], and also to have your childlike curiosity, the drive to make a difference and the solace of friends.' A Clinton spokesperson declined to comment to the Journal, instead referring the paper to a previous statement from the ex-president, saying he had cut ties with Epstein more than a decade before his arrest and was not aware of Epstein's crimes. Trump's letter to Epstein was far from the only note that was sexual in nature, according to documents the Journal reviewed. It describes a poem signed by Black that read 'Blonde, Red or Brunette, spread out geographically / With this net of fish, Jeff's now 'The Old Man and The Sea'', and a note from Wexner that included 'a line drawing of what appeared to be a woman's breasts'. Spokespersons for Black and Wexner declined the Journal's request for comment. A letter from Wang suggested Epstein star on The Bachelor. Wang did not respond to the Journal's requests for comment. And a note from Myhrvold promised photographs from a recent trip to Africa: 'They seemed more appropriate than anything I could put in words.' The images included 'a monkey screaming, lions and zebras mating, and a zebra with its penis visible', the Journal reported. A spokesperson for Myhrvold told the Journal the former Microsoft executive did not recall the submission, only knew Epstein as a donor to scientific research, and that he 'regularly shares photos of and writes about animal behavior'. The letter from Mandelson 'included photos of whiskey and a tropical island', the Journal reported. Mandelson referred to Epstein as 'my best pal' in the note. A spokesperson for Mandelson declined to comment to the Journal. As for the relationship between Trump and Epstein, the Times found that at least once before, Trump had written Epstein an admiring note. 'To Jeff — You are the greatest!' reads an inscription in a copy of Trump's book Trump: the Art of the Comeback, which belonged to Epstein. The message, reviewed by the Times, is signed 'Donald' and dated 'Oct 97' – the month the book came out. The Times also reviewed a previously undisclosed photo of Trump and Epstein with the singer James Brown. It is not clear where the photo was taken. Brown frequently performed in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where Trump owned the Taj Mahal casino. Solve the daily Crossword
Daily Mirror
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Donald Trump's 'birthday card to Epstein circulated by Maxwell' West Wing fears
Senior West Wing officials are said to believe that claims about the alleged card were orchestrated as a 'warning shot' by the convicted teen sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell to warn the president of what she knows Donald Trump's White House is said to fear that allies of Ghislaine Maxwell were behind the leak of claims he'd sent a handwritten birthday message to Jeffrey Epstein. Senior West Wing officials are said to believe that claims about the card were orchestrated as a 'warning shot' by the convicted teen sex trafficker to warn the president of what she knows. It has led his team to fear she could divulge far more information about his ties to Epstein if she does not receive a deal. Trump denied knowledge of any card or message and is suing the Wall Street Journal which published a story on it. Days after the Journal published is claims, Trump's Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche was dispatched to Tallahassee to speak to Maxwell. Sources close to the White House believe the British socialite, who is serving a 20-year prison term for grooming girls for the late paedophile, wants to be set free. The president, who was close friends with Epstein for more than two decades, has the power to commute her sentence or pardon her. Addressing the card claims, a senior White House source told the Mirror: 'There's no doubt in some of the minds of the West Wing that the leak came from someone in Maxwell's orbit and it wasn't accidental. They believe it was a calculated move, a message to the President that she hasn't forgotten what she knows, and that she's willing to start talking if she's backed into a corner. Trump knows what kind of access Maxwell had to both him and Epstein. They added: 'That's why we moved so quickly to get someone in front of her, before Congress drags her into a hearing and it all spirals out of our control.' It is claimed the alleged message was scrawled by Trump in a black Sharpie inside a luxury leather-bound birthday album for Epstein's 50th birthday, and read: 'May every day be another wonderful secret. Happy birthday, my friend, Donald.' The alleged note was reportedly found among personal effects seized from Epstein's Manhattan townhouse, and is said to form part of a larger trove of materials compiled by Maxwell, 63, before her arrest. The source added: 'There is real concern that Ghislaine, or someone very close to her, wanted to remind the President just how much she knows. 'This is not just about Epstein anymore, it's about self-preservation. And Trump knows she holds cards that could hurt him.' Blanche, who previously served as the President's personal attorney, was hastily dispatched to Florida to speak to Maxwell. The high-level visit took place at the federal courthouse in Tallahassee. Blanche's mission, sources say, was twofold. Firstly, he was there to assess what Maxwell is prepared to reveal, and secondly, to understand what she might want in return. An insider familiar with the trip said, 'The White House didn't want Congress to get there first. 'There's panic that her testimony could be taken out of Trump's hands. The visit was about getting ahead of it, figuring out her demands, gauging the damage, and trying to keep her onside.' Maxwell, who has kept silent since her conviction, reportedly cooperated fully with Blanche and his team. Speaking outside the courthouse, her attorney David Markus said: 'Ms Maxwell answered every single question. She never stopped, she never invoked a privilege, she never declined to answer. She answered all the questions truthfully, honestly, and to the best of her ability.' The meeting, said to have lasted more than four hours, focused largely on Epstein's circle of powerful friends. It is not yet known what specific revelations, if any, she made, but sources say Blanche returned to Washington with a 'detailed report.' The meeting with Maxwell came just weeks after the Department of Justice announced it would not release any Epstein files - a move that has sparked outrage among survivors. It has also, more critically for Trump, sparked a civil war among his MAGA supporters, seeing thousands turn on after he campaigned for the White House on a promise to release all information on the sex offender. The president, now scrambling to contain the political fallout, is said to be privately furious at the backlash from his own base. Congressional committees have already issued a subpoena to compel Maxwell's testimony in upcoming hearings into the Epstein sex trafficking network. Several Democratic lawmakers have accused the Trump administration of trying to interfere with the process. 'This stinks of a back-channel negotiation to keep Maxwell quiet,' one senior House aide said. Trump's team has denied any effort to interfere with congressional oversight, insisting that the President merely wants 'full transparency' and for 'all credible evidence related to Epstein's crimes to be released to the public.' The President has repeatedly downplayed his ties to Epstein, claiming the two fell out 'many years ago.' But evidence shows they once had a deep personal bond that extended well into the years. Epstein died in a jail cell suicide in August 2019 as he awaited trial.
