DOJ told Trump he's named in Epstein files, WSJ reports

Editor’s note: The Wall Street Journal shares common ownership with Fox. Fox has not independently confirmed the truth of The Wall Street Journal’s reporting.

Attorney General Pam Bondi reportedly told President Trump in May that his name was mentioned multiple times in the "truckload" of documents from the Jeffrey Epstein case, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. 

According to The Journal, many other high-profile people were also reportedly named in the files, and being named doesn’t automatically mean there was wrongdoing. 

The report comes days after Trump filed a lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal over its article about an alleged birthday letter Trump sent to Epstein. It also comes the same day a judge denied the Justice Department’s request to unseal grand jury transcripts from Epstein’s criminal cases – and the same day a congressional committee issued a subpoena for convicted Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell to testify in August. 

The Trump administration is trying to quell a storm among Trump supporters who believe there was a conspiracy to protect Epstein’s clients, conceal videos of crimes being committed and other evidence.

What did Pam Bondi tell Trump about the Epstein files? 

What they're saying:

According to The Wall Street Journal, Bondi and her deputy informed Trump of his mentions in the Epstein files during a routine White House meeting in May. They also told Trump that they didn’t plan to release any more information linked to the Epstein investigation because it included child pornography and personal information about the victims. 

Timeline:

The administration didn’t publicly announce their decision about the Epstein files until July 7, when the Justice Department posted an unsigned memo on its website. The Justice Department said there was no list of Epstein’s clients and no evidence that compelled them to reopen the case and go after uncharged third parties. 

When a reporter asked Trump last week about the Epstein files, Trump said Bondi hadn't told him his name was in the 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 Journal.

Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein files subpoenaed by Congress

Also on Wednesday, Rep. James Comer, a Republican congressman who chairs the powerful House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said the committee issued a subpoena for convicted Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell to testify at a federal prison in Florida in August. Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence for helping Epstein abuse teenage girls. 

A subcommittee of the House Committee on Oversight also voted Wednesday to subpoena Trump's Justice Department for files in the sex trafficking investigation into Epstein, goading GOP lawmakers to defy Trump and Republican leadership to support the action.

Three Republicans on the panel voted with Democrats for the subpoena, sending it through on an 8-2 vote tally. Republican subcommittee chairman, Rep. Clay Higgins of Louisiana, said that work to draft the subpoena was beginning. Republican Reps. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania and Brian Jack of Georgia joined Democrats in supporting the subpoena. Higgins and Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona voted against it. 

Jeffrey Epstein’s links to famous people 

The backstory:

The Epstein case has attracted attention because of Epstein and Maxwell’s links to famous people, including royals, presidents and billionaires. It also led to some of the biggest conspiracy theories animating Trump’s base.

In 2008, Epstein, a wealthy financier, cut a deal with federal prosecutors in Florida that allowed him to escape more severe federal charges and instead plead guilty to state charges of procuring a person under 18 for prostitution and solicitation of prostitution.

Epstein was arrested in 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges, while Maxwell was charged with helping him abuse teenage girls.

Epstein was found dead in his cell at a federal jail in New York City about a month after he was arrested. Investigators concluded he killed himself. Maxwell was later convicted at trial and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

The furor over records has been stoked by the Justice Department. In February, far-right influencers were invited to the White House and provided with binders marked "The Epstein Files: Phase 1" and "Declassified." The binders contained documents that had largely already been in the public domain.

The department on July 7 acknowledged that Epstein did not have a list of clients. It also said no more files related to his case would be made public.

Epstein and Trump both said they had a falling out, WSJ reports. Trump has said their friendship ended before Epstein was first indicted in 2006. When Epstein was arrested again in 2019, Trump said he hadn’t talked to Epstein in about 15 years. 

Judge denies bid to unseal Epstein grand jury files

Dig deeper:

Following the uproar from Trump supporters, the Justice Department last week asked the judge to release records related to the Epstein case in an effort to quiet the storm. 

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche had asked judges in Florida and New York to unseal transcripts from grand jury proceedings that resulted in indictments against Epstein and Maxwell, saying "transparency to the American public is of the utmost importance to this Administration."

In Florida, the judge ruled that the request doesn’t meet any of the extraordinary exceptions under federal law that could make them public. A similar records request is still pending in New York.