Trump urges release of Epstein files to ‘embarrass’ Democrats

The US president has called on the Justice Department to publish the names of those who worked with the convicted sex offender

US President Donald Trump has urged the Justice Department (DOJ) to make documents linked to Jeffrey Epstein public, calling for the disclosure of the names of Democrats he claims were connected to the late financier.

Last week, the department uploaded thousands of documents under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The legislation, signed by Trump in November, mandates the release of materials tied to federal criminal investigations involving the convicted sex offender, who is said to have died by suicide in a New York jail while awaiting trial on trafficking underage girls.

In a post on Truth Social on Friday, Trump said that, with the discovery of “1,000,000 more pages on Epstein,” the DOJ is being forced to dedicate all of its time to what he called “this Democrat inspired Hoax.”

“The Dems are the ones who worked with Epstein, not the Republicans. Release all of their names, embarrass them, and get back to helping our Country!” he wrote, without naming specific individuals.

Read more

Previously released court records include documents and testimony referencing several prominent figures, including Trump and former US President Bill Clinton.

Those materials describe flights involving Clinton in 2002, including a trip from Novosibirsk to Khabarovsk and a separate journey with stops in Moscow and St. Petersburg. The former president has maintained that he was unaware of Epstein’s criminal activities and severed ties years before the financier’s arrest.

Trump, who has acknowledged a past social relationship with Epstein but distanced himself after his crimes became public, is also cited in records detailing flights he took on Epstein’s private jet.

READ MORE: Epstein and Bill Clinton visited Russian Far East – US files

The Justice Department has said allegations involving Trump contained in the Epstein files were “untrue and sensationalist” claims submitted to the FBI ahead of the 2020 election, adding that they would have been “weaponized against President Trump already” if they had any credibility.