U.S. Justice Department Told Trump He Was Named In Epstein Records Before Withholding Files – Report
U.S. President Donald Trump was informed in May by Attorney General Pam Bondi that his name appeared multiple times in Department of Justice documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday.
The revelation came during a White House meeting between Trump, Bondi, and her deputy, Todd Blanche.
This meeting occurred weeks before the DOJ — under Bondi’s leadership — announced on July 7 that it would not release the Epstein files, despite earlier assurances from the attorney general and Trump allies that the materials would be made public.
According to The Journal, Trump was also told at the meeting that “many other high-profile figures were also named” in the Epstein records, which reportedly contained “what officials felt was unverified hearsay about many people, including Trump, who had socialised with Epstein in the past.”
The Journal further noted that being mentioned in the documents is not an indication of any wrongdoing.
The Justice Department’s reversal on releasing the files drew sharp criticism from Trump’s MAGA base, which has long been engaged with conspiracy theories surrounding Epstein’s activities and connections.
Amid growing dissatisfaction among supporters, Trump last week instructed Bondi to pursue the unsealing of transcripts from grand jury proceedings related to federal investigations into Epstein and his longtime associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.
Trump and Epstein were once friendly, though their relationship ended long before Epstein’s death in 2019 while in jail on federal child sex trafficking charges. Epstein also maintained relationships with several wealthy and powerful individuals, including Britain’s Prince Andrew.
Responding to the Journal’s reporting, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung told CNBC, “The fact is that The President kicked [Epstein] out of his [Mar-a-Lago] 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,” Cheung added.
In a joint statement to CNBC, 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,” the officials added.
When asked by an ABC News reporter last week if Bondi had informed him that his name appeared in the files, Trump replied, “No, no. She’s given us just a very quick briefing, and in terms of the credibility of the different things that they’ve seen.”
Trump also alleged that “these files were made up by” former FBI Director James Comey and the administrations of former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
The DOJ recently dismissed Manhattan federal prosecutor Maurene Comey — daughter of James Comey — who had worked on federal cases involving both Epstein and Maxwell.
Last week, The Wall Street Journal published a report alleging that Trump had sent Epstein a “bawdy” birthday letter in 2003, reportedly at the request of Maxwell.
The letter, as described by the Journal, included “several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman,” with “a pair of small arcs” representing breasts, and Trump’s signature appearing “below her waist, mimicking pubic hair.”
According to the article, the message concluded with: “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
Trump has strenuously denied authorship of the letter. “This is not me. This is a fake thing. It’s a fake Wall Street Journal story,” he said on Thursday. “I never wrote a picture in my life. I don’t draw pictures of women,” he continued. “It’s not my language. It’s not my words.”
The following day, Trump filed a defamation lawsuit over the story. The suit targets media mogul Rupert Murdoch, News Corp (which owns the Journal), its CEO Robert Thomson, Dow Jones & Co., and the two journalists who authored the article. Trump is seeking at least $10 billion in damages.
In response, a Dow Jones spokesperson told CNBC: “We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit.”
