Trump’s call came after House Democrats released emails from Epstein, a convicted sex offender, claiming the president “knew about the girls.”
White House responds to Trump’s name appearing in Epstein emails
The White House called newly released emails from Jeffrey Epstein that included President Donald Trump’s name a “campaign of distraction.”
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump says he is asking the Justice Department and the FBI to investigate Democratic members of Congress connected to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including former President Bill Clinton, who claims he “spent the majority of his life” with him.
“I will be asking Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Department of Justice, along with our great patriots at the FBI, to investigate Jeffrey Epstein’s involvement and relationships with Bill Clinton, Larry Summers, Reid Hoffman, JPMorgan Chase, and many other people and institutions, and to uncover what was going on with them and with him,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Trump’s call came after Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released emails obtained from Epstein’s estate in which the late financier, who was friends with Trump for more than a decade, claimed the president “knew the girls.” “I’m the one who can bring him down,” Epstein wrote in another email.
Trump also called Republicans who are working with Democrats to force the full release of Epstein’s federal case file “soft and stupid” in a social media post and urged them to stop digging into the disgraced financier’s relationship with Epstein.
“Some weak Republicans have fallen into their hands because they are soft and stupid. Epstein is a Democrat and he is a Democratic problem, not a Republican problem!” Trump wrote. “Ask Bill Clinton, Reid Hoffman, and Larry Somers about Epstein. They know everything about him. We don’t need to waste our time on Trump. I have a country to run!”
Epstein socialized with wealthy people, celebrities and academics, many of whom were criticized for maintaining their relationships with Epstein even after his 2019 sex trafficking indictment and his 2008 plea to state child prostitution charges in Florida.
Clinton hosted Epstein in the White House in the 1990s, traveling on his jet. Mr. Summers, the Clinton administration’s Treasury secretary, maintained a casual email relationship with Mr. Epstein until 2017, according to emails released this week.
Epstein was a longtime client of JPMorgan Chase & Co., which was accused of aiding and abetting Epstein’s human trafficking ring. The bank reached a nine-figure settlement with Epstein’s accusers after they filed a lawsuit over the bank’s role in his finances.
Mr. Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn, helped facilitate Mr. Epstein’s donation to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Trump’s threats emerge as House calls for Justice Department to release all Epstein files
As of this week, Democrats had enough support to bypass House Republican leadership and introduce a bill on the floor that would force the Justice Department to release remaining files on Mr. Epstein, who committed suicide while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Four Republicans signed the bill, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, a Trump ally.
The other Republicans were Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who has been leading the bill along with Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, and Democrat Ro Khanna of California.
With Arizona Rep. Adelita Grijalva’s swearing-in this week, the expulsion petition reached the 218-vote threshold. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he would vote on the bill next week. It would also need to pass the Senate.
In a statement to USA TODAY on Nov. 14, Massey accused Johnson, Trump, Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel of trying to kill the petition.
“Next week could be a critical week for survivors of Epstein’s sex trafficking scheme, as we force a record vote in the House of Representatives on the release of Epstein’s files,” Massey said. “President Trump and Speaker Johnson can still be on the right side by encouraging YEA voting.”
Trump’s name appears in emails obtained by Democrats from Epstein’s estate and released on November 12, sparking a new wave of scrutiny over his friendship with the convicted sex offender. The president said he had a falling out with Epstein after he “stole” a young female worker, and the White House announced that their friendship ended because Epstein was a disgusting person.
One of Epstein’s emails claims that President Trump “knew about the girls.” Another official said Trump “spent hours at his home” with one of the victims. Republicans later identified the person as Epstein’s prominent accuser, Virginia Giuffre, a former employee of Trump and a spa worker at a Palm Beach resort, but did not bring charges against Trump. President Trump has forcefully denied any wrongdoing in what he calls the “Epstein hoax.”
“These emails prove nothing except the fact that President Trump did nothing wrong,” White House press secretary Caroline Levitt said this week.
Giuffre died by suicide in April. She said in an unsealed deposition in her defamation lawsuit against Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell that she was forced to have sex with powerful men as a teenager.
Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Contributor: Erin Mansfield
