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Trump Blames Political Foes for Fabricating Files
President Donald Trump has alleged that the Justice Department files concerning convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were “made up” by former President Barack Obama, former FBI Director James Comey, and the Biden administration.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Trump claimed the Epstein-related documents were “made up by Comey, by Obama, by Biden.” He added, “We’ve been through Russia, Russia, Russia, and every other thing for years,” suggesting this was another politically motivated fabrication.
The comments came after Trump responded “no, no” when asked by a reporter if Attorney General Pam Bondi had informed him that his name was mentioned in the Epstein documents. Trump stated he had received a “very brief explanation” from Bondi regarding the “credibility of the different things that they’ve looked at.”
Disagreement with DOJ Over “Client List”
This statement follows last week’s announcement from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that they found no evidence of a “client list” that could incriminate powerful individuals in connection with Epstein’s sexual abuse of hundreds of victims. The announcement has drawn backlash from many of Trump’s supporters.
Trump defended Attorney General Bondi’s decision not to release the Epstein-related files. “The attorney general is handling this matter very well. She has done a really good job,” he said. “I would like to see [transparency] too. But for the attorney general, credibility is very important. You have to have credible evidence for something like this.”
Summary of DOJ and FBI Investigation Findings
According to a two-page memo released by the DOJ and FBI on July 7, authorities uncovered “a substantial amount of material,” including “over 300 gigabytes of data and physical evidence.”
However, their exhaustive investigation concluded that they “found no credible evidence that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his conduct. No evidence was discovered that would allow for the opening of an investigation into any uncharged third party.”
The memo also reaffirmed the previous conclusion that Epstein’s cause of death was suicide in a New York detention center on August 10, 2019. “Perpetuating baseless theories about Epstein serves neither the goal of combating child exploitation nor of achieving justice for his victims,” the memo concluded.
Trump’s Past Remarks and Relationship with Epstein
In a June 2024 interview with Fox News, Trump was asked if he would declassify the government’s Epstein-related files if re-elected, to which he responded, “Uh, yeah, I would.” However, in a portion edited out of the broadcast, he also indicated reluctance, saying, “I would be not thrilled with it because there’s a lot of fake information in that world, and I wouldn’t want to affect people’s lives if it was fake information.”
According to The New York Times, Trump and Epstein were “longtime friends who socialized frequently at parties in Florida and New York.” In a 2002 magazine interview, Trump described Epstein as a “terrific guy.” However, public interactions between the two have been scarcely documented since they had a falling out over a Florida real estate deal in 2004.
Trump’s latest remarks stand in stark contrast to the official findings of the DOJ and FBI, ensuring that the debate surrounding the Epstein case will continue.