By Andrew Goudsward and Joseph Ax
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi told President Donald Trump in May that his name appeared in Justice Department files related to financier Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died in prison, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing senior administration officials.
Reuters was not able to immediately verify the Journal’s report, which the White House characterized as “fake news.”
The newspaper’s report threatened to expand what has become a major political crisis for Trump, whose past friendship with Epstein has drawn renewed scrutiny after his administration said it would not release the files, reversing a campaign promise.
The Justice Department released a memo earlier this month that there was no basis to continue probing the Epstein case, triggering a backlash among Trump’s political base who demanded more information about wealthy and powerful people who had interacted with Epstein.
Trump has not been accused of wrongdoing related to Epstein and has said their friendship ended before Epstein was first prosecuted.
Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. He had pleaded not guilty and the case was dismissed after his death.
Under political pressure last week, Trump directed the Justice Department to seek the release of sealed grand jury transcripts from the case. A federal judge denied that request earlier on Wednesday.
While the White House immediately dismissed the report as fictitious, Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche issued a statement that did not directly address the newspaper’s reporting.
“Nothing in the files warranted further investigation or prosecution, and we have filed a motion in court to unseal the underlying grand jury transcripts,” the officials said. “As part of our routine briefing, we made the President aware of the findings.”
The Journal reported that Bondi and her deputy told Trump at a White House meeting that his name, as well as those of “many other high-profile figures,” appeared in the files.
TRUMP SUED WSJ
Last week, the newspaper reported that Trump had sent Epstein a bawdy birthday note in 2003 that ended, “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
Reuters has not confirmed the authenticity of the alleged letter. Trump has sued the Journal and its owners, including billionaire Rupert Murdoch, asserting that the birthday note was fake.
Since the Justice Department’s memo, Trump has faced growing frustration among his base of supporters, after far-right figures spent years promoting conspiracy theories – at times echoed by Trump – about Epstein and alleged ties to prominent Democratic politicians.
Epstein hung himself in prison in 2019, according to the New York City chief medical examiner. But his connections with wealthy and powerful individuals prompted speculation that his death was not a suicide. The Justice Department said in its memo this month that it had concluded Epstein died by his own hand.
In a sign of how the issue has bedeviled Trump and his fellow Republicans, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday abruptly said he would send lawmakers home for the summer a day early to avoid a floor fight over a vote on the Epstein files.
His decision temporarily stymied a push by Democrats and some Republicans for a vote on a bipartisan resolution that would require the Justice Department to release all Epstein-related documents.
More than two-thirds of Americans believe the Trump administration is hiding information about Epstein’s clients, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted last week.
Wednesday’s court motion stemmed from federal investigations into Epstein in 2005 and 2007, according to court documents. U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenberg found that the Justice Department’s request in Florida did not fall into any of the exceptions to rules requiring grand jury material be kept secret.
The Justice Department also has pending requests to unseal transcripts in Manhattan federal court related to later indictments brought against Epstein and his former associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence after her conviction for child sex trafficking and other crimes.
(Reporting by Andrew Goudsward in Washington and Joseph Ax in Princeton, New Jersey, additional reporting by Jeff Mason; editing by Scott Malone and Diane Craft)
Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.