President Donald Trump on Friday urged reporters to focus their attention on former President Bill Clinton and ex-Treasury Secretary Larry Summers when asked about the ongoing controversy surrounding convicted s** offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“You ought to be speaking about Larry Summers. You ought to be speaking about some of his friends that are hedge fund guys,” Trump said while departing the White House for Scotland. “They’re all over the place. You ought to be speaking about Bill Clinton.”
Trump also reiterated a long-standing claim, accusing Clinton of visiting Epstein’s private island—allegedly used as a hub for his s**-trafficking operation. Trump denied ever setting foot on the island himself.
Clinton has repeatedly denied the accusation. In his 2024 memoir Citizen, the former president stated he had “never been to the island” and wished he had never met Epstein. Representatives for Clinton and Summers did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Summers, who served in the Clinton administration and later as President Obama’s National Economic Council director, has also faced scrutiny over his ties to Epstein but has not been accused of any criminal wrongdoing.
The exchange came one day after U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche held a closed-door meeting in Florida with Ghislaine Maxwell—Epstein’s longtime associate—sparking renewed interest in the case and criticism of the Justice Department’s decision to keep certain investigative materials sealed.
Blanche, speaking on X (formerly Twitter), confirmed his Thursday meeting with Maxwell and said he would continue his interview the following day, adding that the Department of Justice will “share additional information at the appropriate time.”
Maxwell, currently serving a 20-year sentence after being convicted of s** trafficking a minor and other charges, was recently subpoenaed by the House Oversight Committee amid a growing push to unseal Epstein-related records.
The DOJ and FBI both announced in July that they had closed their review into Epstein and would not be releasing new documents. Officials said no further individuals were found to be chargeable and that no list of sesual predators had been discovered—fueling frustration among conservatives who believe key figures may be shielded.
Asked earlier this month why the Epstein case continues to draw public attention, President Trump appeared dismissive:
“He’s been dead a long time. He was never a major figure in anything that mattered. I don’t understand the fascination,” Trump said on July 14. “The credible information has already been given.”
Still, with growing scrutiny over who Epstein associated with, and why certain files remain sealed, Trump’s comments Friday are likely to keep the pressure on public officials—and his political rivals.
