In an effort to deflect attention from his association with the convicted sex offender, President Donald Trump asked the U.S. Justice Department on Friday to look into Jeffrey Epstein's connections to JPMorgan and former Democratic President Bill Clinton. The department indicated it would comply.
The action is the most recent in a string of requests made by Trump for federal law enforcement to investigate his alleged political adversaries, and it occurs two days after a congressional committee disclosed thousands of documents that raised further concerns about Trump's ties with the late financier.
The inquiry will be headed by Manhattan's top federal prosecutor, Jay Clayton, according to Attorney General Pam Bondi. Trump has been politically troubled by the Epstein story for months, in part because he spread conspiracy theories about Epstein among his own followers.
Many Trump supporters think Bondi and other Trump officials concealed information about Epstein's suicide death in a Manhattan jail in 2019 and concealed his connections to influential people.
Other alleged political rivals, such as former FBI Director James Comey and New York State Attorney General Letitia James, who were both prosecuted after Trump removed the prosecutor overseeing the investigations, have been targeted by Trump using the Justice Department.
Trump's demands, according to legal experts, might jeopardise the criminal proceedings that result from those investigations since judges have the authority to dismiss cases that are determined to be motivated by "vindictive prosecution."
Comey and James have both brought up this issue, but judges have not yet made a decision on their petitions. Former federal prosecutor Patrick J. Cotter stated that Trump's request for the government to look into specific people was "outrageously inappropriate" and that "that's not how it's supposed to work."
Trump claimed to have urged the Justice Department to look into former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and Reid Hoffman, the inventor of LinkedIn and a well known Democratic fundraiser, in addition to Clinton, who had socialized with Epstein in the early 2000s.
The House Oversight Committee disclosed 20,000 documents relating to Epstein on Wednesday, and all three men were mentioned. "Epstein was a Democrat, and he is the Democrat's problem, not the Republican's problem!" Trump posted on social media. "Don't waste your time on Trump; they are all aware of him. I have to rule my country."
In a statement, JPMorgan expressed remorse for its previous relationship with Epstein, a client from 1998 to 2013, and stated that it did not assist him in carrying out "heinous acts." "These emails prove Bill Clinton did nothing and knew nothing," stated Angel Urena, Clinton's deputy chief of staff, on X.
The remainder is noise intended to divert attention from backfiring shutdowns, electoral defeats, and who knows what else.
Hoffman urged Trump to make all of the Epstein papers public in a post on X, claiming that his only interaction with Epstein was to collect money for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
"I want this complete release because it will show that the calls for baseless investigations of me are nothing more than political persecution and slander," he stated. A request for comment was not immediately answered by Summers.
Despite a July report from the FBI and the Justice Department stating that there was no "evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties" in the Epstein case, the department decided to comply with Trump's demand.
"This systematic review revealed no incriminating 'client list,'" according to the document. "There was also no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions."
OVER EPSTEIN, TRUMP FACES CONTINUENT PRESSURE
During the 1990s and 2000s, Trump and Epstein were friends; however, Trump claims that their friendship ended before Epstein entered a guilty plea to charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution in 2008.
Trump has continuously denied being aware of the late financier's mistreatment and trafficking of young girls for prostitution.
However, Trump's administration has been accused of a cover-up by some of his most fervent followers. Over the past few days, as fresh information regarding Epstein has come to light, Trump, who regularly interacts with media, has neglected to answer questions.
Next week, the Republican controlled House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on a bill that would compel the Justice Department to make public all of the information it has about Epstein, who was accused of sex trafficking kids at the time of his suicide.
Despite House Speaker Mike Johnson's persistent attempts to obstruct the vote, the bill is anticipated to succeed. To force the Justice Department to take action, comparable legislation would also need to be passed by the Senate and approved by Trump.
In a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in October, only four out of ten Republicans expressed approval of Trump's handling of the Epstein files, which is significantly lower than the nine out of ten who like his overall performance in the White House.
