US Justice Department heeds to Trump’s demand to probe Epstein ties with Bill Clinton, JPMorgan
The move comes two days after a congressional committee released thousands of documents that raise new questions about Trump’s relationship with the late financier and marks the latest in a series of requests by Trump for federal law enforcement to pursue people he perceives as political enemies.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor, Jay Clayton, will lead the investigation.
The Epstein scandal has been a political thorn in Trump’s side for months, in part because he promoted conspiracy theories about Epstein to his own supporters. Many Trump voters believe Bondi and other Trump officials covered up Epstein’s ties to powerful figures and concealed details about his death by suicide in a Manhattan jail in 2019.
Trump used the Justice Department to target other perceived political enemies, most notably former FBI Director James Comey and New York State Attorney General Letitia James; Both were indicted after Trump replaced the prosecutor handling the cases.
‘IT DOESN’T NEED TO WORK IN ANY WAY’
Legal experts say Trump’s requests could weaken criminal cases arising from these investigations because judges could dismiss cases found to be motivated by “vindictive prosecution” — something both Comey and James have suggested, but judges have yet to rule on requests to dismiss the cases. Patrick J. Cotter, a former federal prosecutor, said it was “grossly inappropriate” for Trump to order the department to investigate individual citizens, adding: “This is not how it’s supposed to work.” In addition to Clinton, who socialized with Epstein in the early 2000s, Trump said he wanted the Justice Department to investigate former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, who is also a prominent Democratic donor. All three men are named in 20,000 documents related to Epstein released by the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday.
“Epstein was a Democrat, and he is a Democrat problem, not a Republican problem!” Trump wrote on social media. “They all know it, don’t waste your time with Trump. I have a Country to rule!”
JPMorgan said in a statement that it regretted its past relationship with Epstein, who was a client of the US bank between 1998 and 2013 and did not help him commit “heinous acts”.
Angel Urena, Clinton’s deputy chief of staff, said on
In a post on X, Hoffman called on Trump to release all the Epstein files and said his only involvement with Epstein was to raise funds for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
“I want this full release because it will show that the unfounded calls for an investigation against me are nothing but political persecution and slander,” he said.
Summers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Justice Department’s decision to grant Trump’s request came despite a July memo from the department and the FBI saying there was “no evidence warranting an investigation against innocent third parties” in the Epstein case.
“This systematic review did not reveal an incriminating ‘client list,'” the memo said. “There was also no credible evidence that Epstein blackmailed prominent figures as part of his actions.”
TRUMP FACES CONSTANT PRESSURE ON EPSTEIN
Trump and Epstein were friends in the 1990s and 2000s, but Trump said they broke off their relationship before Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to a charge of soliciting a minor for prostitution.
Trump has consistently denied the late financier knew about the abuse and sex trafficking of underage girls. Still, some of Trump’s most ardent supporters accuse the Trump administration of covering up the incident. Trump, who speaks frequently with reporters, has refused to take questions over the past few days as new revelations about Epstein became public.
The Republican-controlled House of Representatives is expected to vote next week on legislation that would force the Justice Department to release all documents it holds about Epstein, who was facing federal charges of sex trafficking of minors at the time of his suicide. The measure is expected to pass despite House Speaker Mike Johnson repeatedly maneuvering to block the vote. It would also require the Senate to pass similar legislation and Trump’s approval to force the Justice Department to act.
In an October Reuters/Ipsos poll, only four in 10 Republicans said they approved of Trump’s handling of the Epstein files; That’s well below the nine in 10 Republicans who approve of Trump’s overall performance in the White House.
EPSTEIN SOCIALIZED WITH RECOGNIZED FIGURES
JPMorgan paid $290 million to some Epstein victims in 2023 to resolve accusations that Epstein turned a blind eye to sex trafficking. The deal follows embarrassing revelations that JPMorgan ignored internal warnings and missed red flags about a valued customer. The bank did not admit any irregularities in the agreement.
No credible evidence has emerged that Clinton, Summers, or Hoffman were involved in Epstein’s sex trafficking. They had all previously denied any wrongdoing and stated that they regretted their dealings with him.
Clinton flew on Epstein’s private jet several times before the financier’s 2008 conviction, while Summers accepted philanthropic gifts from Epstein while serving as president of Harvard University. Hoffman acknowledged meeting with Epstein multiple times in professional situations.
Before his conviction in 2008, Epstein worked and socialized with a long list of public figures, including the United Kingdom’s former Prince Andrew, who was stripped of his royal title in part because of his relationship with Epstein.
Clayton, the prosecutor who will lead the investigation into Clinton, JPMorgan and others, is a political independent who chaired the Securities and Exchange Commission during Trump’s first term in the White House.
