Washington DC (US): US President Donald Trump said on Friday (local time) that he intends to direct Attorney General Pam Bondi to open an investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s connections with several prominent public figures. The announcement comes just days after Democrats released a series of emails from Epstein’s estate that reference Trump.
Posting on Truth Social, Trump accused Democrats of using what he called the “Epstein Hoax” to distract the public from the ongoing government shutdown.
Bondi responded on X, thanking Trump and sharing a screenshot of his message. She later confirmed she would move forward with the probe at the President’s request, assigning Jay Clayton — the chief federal prosecutor for the Southern District of New York — to oversee the investigation, CNN reported.
For years, Trump has attempted to distance himself from Epstein, the disgraced financier who, for a time, circulated in the same elite social circles as Trump in Manhattan and Palm Beach. Trump once described Epstein as a “terrific guy” in 2002, but later claimed he “was not a fan,” saying their relationship soured long before Epstein’s most serious criminal allegations came to light.
However, newly released emails from Epstein’s estate — made public this week by the House Oversight Committee — provide additional context to a long-scrutinised association.
Earlier this year, following Bondi’s directive to the FBI to examine Epstein-related documents for possible release, federal investigators reviewed the materials again and concluded there was no evidence to support further prosecution, according to law enforcement officials cited by CNN.
The latest batch of emails does not present new evidence of misconduct involving Trump but revives several contentious claims, including:
* Epstein’s allegation that Trump “spent hours” with a trafficking victim at his residence — a person House Republicans have identified as the late Virginia Giuffre. Giuffre, who died by suicide in April, never accused Trump of wrongdoing in her writings or public statements.
* Epstein’s suggestion that Trump “knew about the girls,” appearing to contradict Trump’s past assertion that he barred Epstein from Mar-a-Lago for attempting to recruit underage staff.
* Epstein’s scathing private remarks about Trump during his presidency. In a 2018 email to Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein wrote: “I told everyone from day one. evil beyond belief, mad… he feels alone. and is nuts!!!”
The emails add new texture to a relationship that has long been the subject of public and political scrutiny, even as investigators maintain that no new charges can be pursued based on the current evidence.
