President Donald Trump on Friday called for the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI to investigate alleged connections between the late financier Jeffrey Epstein and former President Bill Clinton, along with a number of other prominent figures and institutions.
Trump’s remarks come amid renewed scrutiny of his own long-standing interactions with Epstein after the release of a new batch of emails. In a statement on Truth Social, he accused Democrats of exploiting what he termed the “Epstein Hoax” to divert attention from the party’s recent agreement to end the record-setting federal government shutdown. He argued that any serious examination of the scandal should focus on Democrats, not Republicans.
Trump said he would formally request that Attorney General Pam Bondi and federal law enforcement look into Epstein’s relationships with Clinton, former Harvard president Larry Summers, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, and JPMorgan Chase, among others. “Records show that these men, and many others, spent large portions of their life with Epstein, and on his ‘Island,’” he wrote.
Clinton has long faced questions about his association with Epstein, including having flown on Epstein’s private jet. He has not been accused of criminal conduct. Newly released emails viewed by AFP include Epstein’s repeated assertions in 2011 that Clinton had “never ever” visited his private Caribbean island.
None of the individuals Trump named responded immediately to requests for comment. JPMorgan Chase, once Epstein’s primary bank, previously paid $290 million to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by Epstein’s victims.
Trump’s statement ended a two-day silence following the release of the emails, which have intensified questions over his own proximity to Epstein. Epstein died in federal custody in 2019, in what authorities ruled a suicide, before he could stand trial on sex trafficking charges.
Despite not being accused of wrongdoing, Trump has struggled to contain the political fallout since returning to the White House in January. Promises by Trump and allies such as FBI Director Kash Patel to release all evidence related to Epstein have fueled expectations among his base, although those expectations were undercut by a Justice Department memo this past July reaffirming that no “client list” existed.
The controversy surged again this week after Congress obtained additional emails from Epstein’s estate. Correspondence suggested Trump was aware of Epstein’s exploitation of underage girls and had spent time with Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s most prominent accusers, who died by suicide in April. The White House noted that Giuffre had previously described Trump as “friendly.”
The House of Representatives is expected to vote as early as next week on whether to compel the Justice Department to disclose its full set of Epstein-related materials, after several MAGA-aligned lawmakers joined Democrats to advance the effort. These documents could shed further light on Epstein’s connections to political and social elites, including Trump and Britain’s former Prince Andrew.
Trump signaled Friday that he opposes the congressional push. “Don’t waste your time with Trump. I have a country to run!” he wrote.
