The White House has strongly denied reports suggesting President Donald Trump is among the names listed in documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, the late convicted sex offender. This comes as a U.S. judge denied the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) bid to unseal court records from Epstein’s 2006 Florida case.
Media reports, including from The Wall Street Journal, claim Trump’s name appears multiple times in DOJ files, alongside other high-profile figures. However, there is no evidence linking Trump to criminal activity in connection to Epstein. The White House dismissed the claims as “nothing more than a continuation of the fake news stories concocted by the Democrats and the liberal media.”
Despite the strong rebuttal, a senior official told Reuters they were not denying that Trump’s name was in the files. Previous DOJ disclosures, shared earlier this year, did include contact details linked to Trump and his family. Trump had previously directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to pursue the release of grand jury materials related to Epstein, a move that stirred controversy.
Judge Robin Rosenberg ruled against unsealing the Florida files, citing grand jury secrecy laws. She also declined to move the issue to New York, where two judges are still considering unsealing materials from Epstein’s 2019 sex-trafficking case.
Amid renewed scrutiny, convicted Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, currently serving a 20-year sentence, may soon meet with DOJ officials to share information. The House Oversight Committee has also subpoenaed Maxwell to testify remotely on August 11, though her attorney says she has yet to decide whether she will speak.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson expressed skepticism, warning against trusting Maxwell’s testimony. Meanwhile, Bondi stated there was no incriminating “client list” found and reaffirmed Epstein died by suicide.
The internal Republican divide over the issue deepened after three GOP lawmakers joined Democrats to vote for a subpoena to compel the DOJ to release the files. However, Committee Chair James Comer must sign off for it to proceed highlighting the ongoing political tension surrounding Epstein’s legacy and Trump’s potential ties.
