...
By Sonam Sheth
Evening Politics Editor
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
The White House responded on Wednesday to a new Wall Street Journal report that Attorney General Pam Bondi told President Donald Trump that his name was mentioned in documents related to the investigation into the disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The Journal's report cited senior administration officials who said Trump's name appeared "multiple" times in the Epstein files.
"This is another fake news story, just like the previous story by The Wall Street Journal," White House communications director Steven Cheung told the newspaper in a statement.
Read More
Elena Kagan Warns Supreme Court Just ‘All But Overturned’ 90-Year Precedent3 min read
Video Shows Moment GOP Senator Josh Hawley Leaves Stage Over Heckling3 min read
How Supreme Court May Play a Role in Jeffrey Epstein Saga4 min read
Why It Matters
Cheung was referring to an explosive Journal story that revealed Trump sent Epstein a 50th birthday letter in 2003 featuring several lines of typewritten text surrounded by the outline of a naked woman, sketched in marker, and included Trump's signature.
"Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret," the letter said, according to the Journal's previous report.
The story about Trump's letter to Epstein added a wrinkle to the administration's efforts to grapple with the fallout from a Department of Justice memo, released July 7, confirming that Epstein died by suicide in 2019 and that the government is not in possession of an "incriminating" list of his clients.
Trump called the story "fake" and has distanced himself from Epstein, referring to him as a "creep" after the DOJ's memo was released.
...
What To Know
On Wednesday, the Journal reported that Bondi and another top DOJ official informed the president in May that his name appeared in the Epstein files, along with the names of other high-profile figures, as part of what the sources characterized as "unverified hearsay."
Senior DOJ officials also reportedly told Trump that they did not plan to release more information about the investigation to the public in order to protect victims' identities and because the documents contained child sex abuse materials. Trump responded by saying he would defer to the DOJ's judgment on the matter, according to the Journal.
Wednesday's reporting appears to contradict Trump's characterization earlier this month of his conversations with the attorney general about the Epstein documents.
"Specifically, did [Bondi] tell you at all that your name appeared in the files?" an ABC News reporter asked the president on July 15, a week after the DOJ released its memo.
"No, no, she's—she's given us just a very quick briefing," he said, adding that Bondi had "really done a very good job" on reviewing the documents related to Epstein.
On Tuesday, meanwhile, CNN reported on newly surfaced photos showing Epstein attending Trump's 1993 wedding to Marla Maples, as well as images of the two men standing next to each other at the Harley-Davidson Cafe opening that same year.
Another video uncovered by CNN showed Trump and Epstein "laughing and chatting" together at the 1999 Victoria's Secret fashion show.
Asked to respond to the report, Trump told CNN in a phone call: "You've got to be kidding me." The president also repeatedly called the outlet "fake news" before eventually hanging up, CNN said.
The president also recently filed a $10 billion defamation suit against the Journal, it's owner Rupert Murdoch and several other defendants accusing them of publishing false information intended to "malign" Trump.
What People Are Saying
Democratic Senator Adam Schiff of California wrote on X: "Trump told the press he was not informed that his name was in the Epstein files. Now we learn that this was a lie. He was told by Bondi, his former criminal defense lawyer and now the AG. Time to end the Trump/Epstein cover-up. Release the files."
Democratic Representative Jason Crow of Colorado wrote on X: "Donald Trump is the biggest swamp monster of them all right now. Release the Epstein files."
Democratic Representative Don Beyer of Virginia wrote on X: "It was the simplest explanation all along."
Cheung told CNN in response to its story about the newly-surfaced photos of Trump and Epstein: "These are nothing more than out-of-context frame grabs of innocuous videos and pictures of widely attended events to disgustingly infer something nefarious. The fact is that the President kicked him out of his club for being a creep. This is nothing more than a continuation of the fake news stories concocted by the Democrats and the liberal media."
Trump wrote on Truth Social regarding the Epstein investigation: "If there was a 'smoking gun' on Epstein, why didn't the Dems, who controlled the 'files' for four years, and had [then Attorney General Merrick] Garland and [former FBI Director James] Comey in charge, use it? BECAUSE THEY HAD NOTHING!!!"
What Happens Next
Trump asked Bondi last week to produce "any and all" grand jury documents relevant to the Epstein probe, pending court approval. A federal judge rejected the administration's request on Wednesday, with the judge saying that court's "hands are tied" because the transcripts related to Epstein were not requested in pursuit of a judicial hearing.
Judge Robin Rosenberg asked the DOJ to create a new case "in the public interest" to facilitate access to materials related to the Epstein probe.
Update 7/23/25, 4:19 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines