US President Donald Trump has called on the Justice Department and FBI to investigate alleged ties between the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and prominent figures, including former President Bill Clinton, ex-Harvard president Larry Summers, and US bank JPMorgan Chase.
Trump’s statement, posted on his social media platform Truth Social, comes after a new batch of Epstein emails reignited questions about the financier’s connections with political and business elites. “Records show that these men, and many others, spent large portions of their life with Epstein, and on his ‘Island,’” Trump wrote.
Trump, seeking to shift attention from criticism of his own ties to Epstein, accused Democrats of using the scandal to distract from a recent compromise that ended a US government shutdown. He emphasized that the controversy “involves Democrats, not Republicans.”
The emails in question, dating from 2011, reportedly include Epstein asserting that Clinton had “never ever” visited his private Caribbean island. Clinton has long faced scrutiny for his association with Epstein and was known to have flown on Epstein’s private plane, though he has never been accused of wrongdoing.
No immediate comments were issued by Clinton, Summers, LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, or JPMorgan Chase, which settled a class-action lawsuit in 2023 for $290 million over Epstein-related claims.
Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 by suicide, had been awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. The scandal has remained in the public eye, particularly after the release of subpoenaed emails from Epstein’s estate, which suggest connections between Epstein, Trump, and other high-profile figures.
Trump’s renewed focus on investigating Epstein’s links to Clinton and other Democrats comes amid political maneuvering in Congress. The House of Representatives is expected to vote soon on compelling the Justice Department to release all materials related to Epstein, potentially uncovering more evidence about his network.
While Trump has not been accused of wrongdoing, his name has repeatedly surfaced in the Epstein investigation, adding another layer of controversy as he positions himself as a champion for further scrutiny of Epstein’s associates.
