Don’t miss the full story from our staff writers, whose reportage is the basis of this article.
The long-standing political controversy over the Epstein files has shifted from conspiracy theories about the Clintons to unsubstantiated accusations that President Trump participated in Epstein’s sex trafficking and is concealing evidence. The House plans to vote Tuesday on legislation to force the release of the files, with Trump’s support.
Trump has been combating Democratic claims that he’s purposely hiding the Epstein files to cover up wrongdoing. Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, claimed Trump is “panicked and desperate” over their investigation into his relationship with Epstein. Trump dismissed these accusations as a “Democratic hoax perpetrated by radical left lunatics” and urged House Republicans to vote for releasing all files, promising to sign the measure into law.
Republicans have already published 65,000 pages obtained through subpoenas from the Justice Department and Epstein’s estate, posting them online in batches. They accuse Democrats of selectively leaking redacted documents to falsely link Trump to Epstein’s crimes. Republican committee staff said Democrats are using “out-of-context documents, salacious innuendo, and outright lies” to distract from their own failures.
Trump, who says he ended his friendship with Epstein around 2007, has also weaponized the scandal politically. During his first campaign, he suggested Bill Clinton’s Epstein connection “could be a problem” for Hillary Clinton. He later reposted conspiracy theories about the Clintons’ involvement in Epstein’s 2019 jailhouse death, which was ruled a suicide.
Flight logs show both Trump and Clinton flew on Epstein’s plane. Clinton took at least 26 trips, largely for Clinton Foundation travel, while Trump flew seven times between 1993 and 1997, often with family, mostly between Palm Beach and New Jersey. Some Epstein victims saw Clinton on Little St. James Island but reported no wrongdoing; Clinton denied visiting. No unsealed court records implicate either man in Epstein-related crimes.
Disinformation has proliferated, including a Democratic Party social media post falsely claiming Trump spent Thanksgiving 2017 with Epstein, based on a misread email. The post was deleted.
Trump ordered Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate prominent Democrats frequently mentioned in 22,000 pages released last week, including Lawrence Summers and Reid Hoffman, who maintained contact with Epstein after his 2008 conviction. Acting U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton will lead the investigation. Hoffman accused Trump of “slanderous lies” and called for releasing all files to expose those with “deep and ongoing relationships with Epstein.”
This article is written with the assistance of generative artificial intelligence based solely on Washington Times original reporting and wire services. For more information, please read our AI policy or contact Ann Wog, Managing Editor for Digital, at awog@washingtontimes.com
The Washington Times AI Ethics Newsroom Committee can be reached at aispotlight@washingtontimes.com.
