Trump asks Justice Department to investigate Bill Clinton over Epstein ties

United States President Donald Trump has called connected the Department of Justice to analyse ties betwixt 1 of his Democratic predecessors, Bill Clinton, and the precocious enactment offender Jeffrey Epstein.

But the petition comes soon aft a trove of recently released emails raised questions astir Trump’s ain narration with Epstein.

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On Friday, Trump took to societal media to erstwhile again framework the emails arsenic a distraction. He compared them to an probe into ties betwixt Russian predetermination interference and his statesmanlike run successful 2016.

“This is different Russia, Russia, Russia Scam, with each arrows pointing to the Democrats,” Trump wrote, framing the emails arsenic a “hoax”.

He besides sought to displacement scrutiny of his actions onto Democrats and fiscal institutions, arguing that they had deeper relationships with Epstein than helium did.

“Epstein was a Democrat, and helium is the Democrat’s problem, not the Republican’s problem!” Trump wrote, earlier adding: “Don’t discarded your clip with Trump. I person a Country to run!”

In the second of 2 lengthy posts, Trump said helium would inquire Attorney General Pam Bondi to analyse erstwhile President Clinton, arsenic good arsenic Clinton’s Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, task capitalist Reid Hoffman and the slope JPMorgan Chase.

Newly released emails

The Epstein ungraded has proven to beryllium an enduring headache for Trump during his 2nd administration, arsenic helium faces bipartisan unit to merchandise the afloat slate of documents pertaining to the lawsuit and code his ain involvement.

A affluent financier, Epstein was known to socialise with almighty figures, including Trump, Clinton and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, a erstwhile prince successful the United Kingdom whose engagement resulted in the nonaccomplishment of his royal titles past month.

Those associations person agelong drawn questions astir however Epstein whitethorn person been shielded from accountability.

Hundreds of women person travel guardant to impeach Epstein of intersexual maltreatment and trafficking. In 2008, Epstein was convicted successful Florida of sexually abusing a insignificant and solicitation, but critics saw his plea woody arsenic overly lenient.

At the clip of his decease by termination successful 2019, helium was successful jail, facing national sex-trafficking charges. The circumstances of his decease person fuelled conspiracy theories, arsenic has the high-profile quality of his societal circle, starring immoderate to judge determination was a cover-up.

Trump’s ain narration with Epstein came roaring backmost into the spotlight connected Wednesday, arsenic the longest authorities shutdown successful US past came to a close.

The House of Representatives had travel backmost into league for the archetypal clip successful 54 days successful bid to ballot connected a backing measure that would extremity the 42-day-long shutdown.

But that morning, Democrats connected the House Committee connected Oversight and Government Reform released 3 excerpted emails from conversations betwixt Epstein, his convicted accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell and the writer Michael Wolff, each of which discussed Trump. They appeared to suggest Trump knew astir Epstein’s intersexual relationships.

In 1 email, Epstein wrote, “I privation you to recognize that that canine that hasn’t barked is trump.. [Victim] spent hours astatine my location with him.”

In another, Epstein told Wolff, “Of people helium knew astir the girls arsenic helium asked ghislaine to stop.”

A 3rd email from Wolff suggested Trump had been to Epstein’s location and connected his plane, and discussed however Trump mightiness code those visits successful a CNN interview.

The Trump medication rapidly leapt into harm control, with White House property caput Karoline Leavitt describing the email merchandise arsenic selectively edited and a Democratic “smear” campaign.

Later that day, however, the Republican enactment connected the House Oversight Committee published 20,000 emails from the Epstein lawsuit file, including much conversations astir Trump.

In a 2017 email to Summers, for example, Epstein wrote, “i person met immoderate precise atrocious radical ,, nary arsenic atrocious arsenic trump. not 1 decent compartment successful his body.. truthful yes – dangerous.”

An ongoing controversy

In Friday’s messages, Trump argued that the emails were an effort to distract from the prolonged authorities shutdown, during which clip Democrats failed to negociate protections for healthcare subsidies scheduled to expire astatine the extremity of the year.

“The Democrats are doing everything successful their withering powerfulness to propulsion the Epstein Hoax again, contempt the DOJ releasing 50,000 pages of documents, successful bid to deflect from each of their atrocious policies and losses, particularly the SHUTDOWN EMBARRASSMENT,” Trump said.

He besides denounced Republicans for backing the propulsion to merchandise much Epstein files, claiming they were siding with Democrats implicit him.

“Some Weak Republicans person fallen into their clutches due to the fact that they are brushed and foolish,” helium wrote.

This week is not the archetypal clip Trump’s existent medication has faced contention implicit the Epstein scandal. In February, for instance, Attorney General Bondi told Fox News successful a televised interrogation that she had an Epstein “client list” successful her possession: “It’s sitting connected my table close present to review.”

The beingness of a expected “client list” was a cardinal constituent successful conspiracy theories that framed Epstein arsenic blackmailing almighty figures to bash his bidding. Some of Trump’s ain officials, including Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) caput Kash Patel, had promoted that conspiracy mentation anterior to taking office.

But successful July, the Justice Department and FBI issued a associated memo denying the existence of a “client list”, stirring backlash among Trump supporters. Bondi maintained she misspoke successful the February interrogation with Fox News.

Later that month, media reports emerged that Bondi had besides briefed Trump that his sanction appeared successful the afloat Epstein files, which person yet to beryllium released.

Trump himself addressed his narration with Epstein that month, saying helium chopped ties with the financier for poaching young pistillate employees from his Mar-a-Lago edifice successful Florida.

“When I heard astir it, I told him, I said, ‘Listen, we don’t privation you taking our people,'” Trump told reporters. “And then, not excessively agelong aft that, helium did it again. And I said, ‘Out of here.'”

Clinton, banks nether microscope

Clinton has likewise faced scrutiny for his ties to Epstein: Before his conviction, the financier visited Clinton astatine the White House, and Clinton has admitted to travelling connected Epstein’s jet.

While Clinton has yet to remark connected Trump’s menace of an investigation, helium has, successful the past, denied immoderate cognition of Epstein’s abuses.

“President Clinton knows thing astir the unspeakable crimes Jeffrey Epstein pleaded blameworthy to successful Florida immoderate years ago, oregon those helium has been precocious charged successful New York,” Clinton’s spokesperson Angel Urena posted connected societal media successful 2019.

Financial institutions person besides faced unit to relationship for their engagement successful Epstein’s affairs.

In 2023, for instance, Deutsche Bank agreed to wage a $75m colony to survivors of Epstein’s abuses, aft a plaintiff alleged that the fiscal instauration profited from his sex-trafficking schemes and failed to emblem antithetic behaviour.

Later that aforesaid year, JP Morgan Chase besides struck a woody with Epstein survivors, agreeing to wage a settlement of $290m.

“We would ne'er person continued to bash concern with him if we believed helium was utilizing our slope successful immoderate mode to assistance perpetrate heinous crimes,” the slope said successful a connection astatine the time.

Similar lawsuits person since been filed, including complaints past month against Bank of America and the Bank of New York Mellon (BNY). During hearings this week, those 2 banking firms person sought to person the lawsuits dismissed.

Still, unit remains precocious connected the Trump administration, peculiarly successful the aftermath of the House reconvening.

With the little enclosure backmost successful session, a caller typical was sworn in: Democrat Adelita Grijalva. She provided the captious 218th signature connected a discharge petition to unit the House to ballot connected releasing each of the government’s Epstein files.

The measure was a bipartisan effort, led by Thomas Massie, a Republican, and Ro Khanna, a Democrat.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a staunch Trump supporter, confirmed this week helium plans to clasp the ballot adjacent week, though it faces uncertain likelihood successful the Senate. Johnson has repeatedly downplayed the effort.

“It’s a wholly pointless exercise. It’s wholly moot now. We mightiness arsenic good conscionable bash it,” Johnson said arsenic helium walked with reporters connected Wednesday. “I mean, they person 218 signatures. That’s fine. We’ll bash it.”