The White House has pushed back against reports that former President Donald Trump was informed in May that his name appeared in documents related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Attorney General Pam Bondi briefed Trump during a routine meeting, telling him that his name was among hundreds mentioned in Justice Department files. The outlet clarified that being named in the documents did not suggest any wrongdoing.
In response, a White House spokesperson dismissed the claim as a “fake news story.”
The Trump administration has faced growing scrutiny over its handling of Epstein-related material. Trump previously acknowledged knowing Epstein socially before their relationship soured in 2004.
On the campaign trail last year, he promised to release files related to the high-profile case. Since then, supporters have expressed frustration over the administration’s failure to deliver key disclosures, including a widely-rumoured “client list.”
Earlier this month, both the Justice Department and the FBI stated that no such list exists.
Epstein died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. His death, ruled a suicide, followed an earlier conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
The circumstances surrounding his death have long been the subject of public speculation and conspiracy theories.
On Wednesday, a federal judge in Florida rejected a Justice Department request to unseal court documents related to Epstein’s earlier prosecution in the state.
The same day, a subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives voted to subpoena the Justice Department for access to Epstein files. The subpoena requires final approval from the committee chair before taking effect.
In its report, The Wall Street Journal said Bondi told Trump that the files included hearsay references to multiple individuals, including the former president. That account contradicts Trump’s earlier statement this month, in which he denied being told by Bondi that his name appeared in the records.
Bondi also reportedly warned Trump that the documents contained sensitive material, including child pornography and victim information that could not be made public.
Being named in the files, the Journal emphasized, does not constitute evidence of criminal conduct, and Trump has not been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.
The story was later echoed by several U.S. media outlets, though it has not been independently verified by the BBC.
Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung dismissed the report as “nothing more than a continuation of the fake news stories concocted by the Democrats and the liberal media, just like the Obama Russia-gate scandal, which President Trump was right about.”
The attorney general echoed that sentiment, stating: “Nothing in the files warranted further investigation or prosecution.”
FBI Director Kash Patel also condemned the report, saying: “The criminal leakers and Fake News media tries tirelessly to undermine President Trump with smears and lies, and this story is no different.”
Still, a White House official told Reuters that they were not denying Trump’s name appears in the documents. The official cited previously released Justice Department records from February, which included Trump’s contact details and phone numbers for members of his family.
Following that disclosure, Trump reportedly instructed Bondi to push for the release of all related grand jury materials. In response, the Justice Department sought court approval in Florida and New York to unseal the relevant documents.
However, U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenberg ruled Wednesday that releasing materials from the Florida case would violate grand jury confidentiality laws. “The court’s hands are tied,” Rosenberg wrote in her 12-page opinion.
The records stem from a 2006 Florida investigation that led to Epstein’s earlier charges.
Rosenberg also declined to transfer the matter to New York, where two separate judges are reviewing whether to unseal documents related to Epstein’s 2019 sex trafficking probe. That request remains pending.
Meanwhile, attention has refocused on Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former associate, who is currently serving a 20-year sentence for her role in trafficking underage girls.
According to her attorney, a senior Justice Department official is planning to meet with Maxwell to discuss her knowledge of the case. In addition to subpoenaing the department for files, House Republicans have also summoned Maxwell to testify remotely before the Oversight Committee on 11 August.
Her attorney, David Oscar Markus, told the BBC that Maxwell will decide whether to testify or invoke her constitutional right to remain silent. “She would testify truthfully, as she always has said she would,” he said.
Markus added that Maxwell is “taking this one step at a time” and will determine her course of action following the Justice Department meeting.
House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed scepticism about Maxwell’s credibility, stating: “This is a person who’s been sentenced to many, many years in prison for terrible, unspeakable, conspiratorial acts and acts against innocent young people.”
Earlier this month, Bondi reiterated that the Justice Department had not uncovered any “incriminating client list” and maintained that Epstein had taken his own life, despite persistent conspiracy theories.
Bondi had previously suggested she possessed “a lot of names” and “a lot of flight logs,” leading some Trump allies to expect major disclosures. Her recent remarks have sparked backlash from supporters, with some demanding her resignation.
