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By Gabe Whisnant
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U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Friday she has directed Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, to examine Jeffrey Epstein’s connections to several well-known Democrats, acting soon after President Donald Trump publicly urged the Justice Department to open a new inquiry.
The announcement came the same week congressional Democrats released tens of thousands of pages of emails and other documents from Epstein’s estate, prompting renewed political clashes over the late financier’s past associations.
When reached via email by Newsweek, Clayton's office declined to comment on the assignment.
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New DOJ Epstein Probe: What to Know
Trump, who knew Epstein socially years ago and has long faced questions about their relationship, did not specify what potential crimes he believes might have occurred. None of the individuals he named—among them former President Bill Clinton, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman—has been accused of sexual misconduct by any of Epstein’s victims. Still, Bondi’s swift action marked another moment in which the Justice Department responded directly to pressure from the White House.
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Hours before Bondi’s statement, Trump posted on Truth Social that he wanted federal authorities and the FBI to investigate what he described as Epstein’s “involvement and relationship” with several high-profile figures. He also said the probe should examine banking giant JPMorgan Chase, which had long handled Epstein’s accounts. Trump labeled the matter “the Epstein Hoax,” framing it as a political attack on Republicans and comparing it to the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
A spokesperson for JPMorgan said the bank regretted having Epstein as a client but “did not help him commit his heinous acts,” noting that federal investigators failed to share crucial information about his criminal behavior. The bank has previously agreed to multimillion-dollar settlements with Epstein’s victims, who argued that institutions ignored warning signs about his conduct.
Clinton has acknowledged traveling on Epstein’s jet but maintains he knew nothing about the financier’s exploitation of underage girls. Summers and Hoffman were referenced in some of the recently released emails, but nothing in the documents suggests misconduct. Summers has said his interactions with Epstein were a “major error of judgment,” while Hoffman apologized in 2019 for participating in MIT Media Lab fundraising events where Epstein was present.
Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from a minor and served roughly a year in jail under a widely criticized plea deal that shielded him from federal charges. He resumed his business life afterward until prosecutors in the Southern District of New York arrested him again in 2019 on sex-trafficking charges. Epstein died in jail that year; authorities ruled his death a suicide. His longtime associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, was later convicted of sex trafficking in New York.
In July, the DOJ and the FBI released a joint statement insisting Epstein "died by suicide" and had "no incriminating 'client list.'" The move sparked a furious reaction from a section of President Trump's Make America Great Again (MAGA) base, which has long believed Epstein was murdered to cover up the participation of prominent figures in sexual abuse.
Bondi’s decision to open a new investigation, despite the absence of allegations against the figures Trump spotlighted, underscores the degree to which the Justice Department is being drawn into political disputes surrounding Epstein’s legacy. For years, questions have lingered about how Epstein maintained his social and financial networks even after a 2008 sex-crimes conviction and why so many powerful individuals crossed his path.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton: What to Know
Clayton became the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York in August after a panel of federal judges approved his continued service in the role, even though he had not been confirmed by the Senate. He was initially appointed by President Trump and allowed to remain in office unless the president nominates, and the Senate confirms, a replacement.
Bondi praised Clayton as “one of the most capable and trusted prosecutors in the country” and said the Justice Department would proceed “with urgency and integrity.” Clayton previously served as chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission during Trump’s first term. Before entering public service, he spent decades in corporate law.
Clayton now heads one of the most influential U.S. attorney’s offices in the nation—an office already steeped in Epstein’s history. It was SDNY that brought the 2019 trafficking case and later won a conviction against Maxwell.
His tenure has included major investigations involving other public figures, including the case against Sean “Diddy” Combs.
After the jury verdict in the Combs trial, Clayton issued a pointed statement underscoring the seriousness of the crimes at issue. “Sex crimes deeply scar victims, and the disturbing reality is that sex crimes are all too present in many aspects of our society,” he said, adding that federal authorities “have prioritized a victim-centered approach” in their investigations.
Clayton now faces the challenge of navigating a politically charged assignment driven not by new evidence, but by presidential demand. How he handles the probe—and how far it extends—may reveal how much independence remains within a Justice Department increasingly thrust into the center of partisan battles.
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Jeffrey Epstein Files: The Latest
The latest flare-up over Epstein’s ties gained momentum Wednesday when House Democrats released three email exchanges referencing Trump. In one, Epstein wrote in 2019 that Trump “knew about the girls” and asked Maxwell to intervene. The White House and Republican allies accused Democrats of selectively leaking material to damage the president.
Trump is bracing for a Republican rebellion after it was announced the U.S. House will vote next week on a bill compelling the release of the Justice Department’s complete Jeffrey Epstein case files.
Trump on Wednesday accused Democrats of "trying to bring up the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax" and warned his fellow Republicans, "Only a very bad, or stupid, Republican would fall into that trap."
Updates: 11/14/25, 3:27 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks.
Updates: 11/14/25, 6:38 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks.
This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.
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