WASHINGTON (BN24) — The U.S. Justice Department informed President Donald Trump in May that his name appears multiple times in government files related to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to a report published Wednesday by The Wall Street Journal.
Attorney General Pam Bondi reportedly told Trump during a White House meeting that his name was among those mentioned in the Epstein files, along with several other prominent figures. The information in the documents reportedly includes what officials described as “unverified hearsay” about individuals who socialized with Epstein in the past, including Trump himself.
The Justice Department has opted not to release further Epstein-related records due to the presence of child pornography and the need to protect victims’ identities, Bondi told the president during the meeting, the Journal said.
The disclosure comes as the Trump administration works to contain mounting pressure from within the Republican base over what many perceive as a lack of transparency in the handling of the Epstein case. Earlier this month, the Justice Department and FBI issued a joint memo confirming the conclusion that Epstein died by suicide in federal custody and announced they would not release additional case files, sparking backlash from Trump’s supporters who had hoped his administration would expose a broader network of individuals connected to Epstein.
Trump has a well-documented past with Epstein. In a now-infamous 2002 quote, Trump told New York Magazine, “I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy. He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”
Last week, The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had once sent Epstein a provocative birthday message in the early 2000s, noting that the two shared “certain things in common.” Trump denied the report and filed a lawsuit against the publication shortly thereafter.
The Journal’s latest report was amplified by tech billionaire Elon Musk, a former adviser in Trump’s first administration and now a frequent critic, who posted on X (formerly Twitter), “Trump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!”
When asked by ABC News last week whether Bondi had informed him about his name appearing in the Epstein files, Trump replied, “No, no,” and praised Bondi’s handling of the situation, saying she managed the Epstein matter “very well.”
The latest revelations add further complexity to a case that continues to stir controversy, conspiracy theories, and calls for accountability, even years after Epstein’s death in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019.
Rollingstone.com
