The White House pushed back Wednesday against a Wall Street Journal report claiming that Attorney General Pam Bondi informed President Donald Trump his name appeared multiple times in documents tied to the investigation of Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier and convicted s***** offender.
Citing senior administration officials, the Journal reported that Bondi and another high-ranking Justice Department official personally briefed Trump in May about the presence of his name in the Epstein files—described as “unverified hearsay” alongside other high-profile names.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung dismissed the article, telling the Journal in a statement, “This is another fake news story, just like the previous story by The Wall Street Journal.”
Background: Epstein Letter and DOJ Memo
The administration’s denials come amid growing scrutiny following a previous Journal report that Trump sent Epstein a 50th birthday note in 2003. The letter included a short, typewritten message surrounded by the sketch of a nude woman and was signed by Trump. The message read: “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
The resurfacing of the letter coincided with the July 7 release of a Department of Justice memo confirming Epstein died by suicide in 2019 and that the government does not possess an “incriminating” list of his clients.
President Trump responded by distancing himself from Epstein, calling him a “creep” and branding the reporting “fake.”
Internal Briefing and Contradictions
According to the Journal, DOJ officials told Trump that no further public disclosures from the Epstein investigation were planned, citing the presence of child s**** abuse material and a desire to protect victims’ identities. Trump reportedly said he would defer to the department’s judgment.
This version of events appears to conflict with Trump’s July 15 comments to ABC News, when he denied being told by Bondi that his name was in the files. “No, no,” he said, adding that Bondi had given only “a very quick briefing” and had “really done a very good job.”
Meanwhile, CNN released photos this week showing Epstein at Trump’s 1993 wedding to Marla Maples, and additional images from events they both attended that same year. Another video clip, also unearthed by CNN, shows the two laughing and talking at the 1999 Victoria’s Secret fashion show.
In a phone call with the network, Trump dismissed the footage, saying, “You’ve got to be kidding me,” before ending the conversation. He again referred to CNN as “fake news.”
Legal Action and Political Fallout
The president has since filed a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal, its parent company News Corp, and several individuals, alleging a coordinated effort to smear him with false reporting.
Cheung also responded to the photo reports, telling CNN: “These are nothing more than out-of-context frame grabs of innocuous videos and pictures from widely attended events, used to disgustingly infer something nefarious. The fact is, the President kicked [Epstein] out of his club for being a creep. This is just another fake news hit job from Democrats and the liberal media.”
On Truth Social, Trump posted: “If there was a ‘smoking gun’ on Epstein, why didn’t the Dems, who controlled the ‘files’ for four years, and had Garland and Comey in charge, use it? BECAUSE THEY HAD NOTHING!!!”
What People Are Saying
- Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) wrote: “Trump told the press he was not informed that his name was in the Epstein files. Now we learn this was a lie… Time to end the Trump/Epstein cover-up. Release the files.”
- Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) posted: “Donald Trump is the biggest swamp monster of them all right now. Release the Epstein files.”
- Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) added: “It was the simplest explanation all along.”
What’s Next
Last week, President Trump asked Bondi to secure “any and all” grand jury documents tied to the Epstein case, contingent on court approval. However, on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenberg rejected the request, citing legal limitations because the documents were not being sought in connection with an active judicial proceeding.
Rosenberg suggested the Department of Justice could pursue a separate case in the public interest to facilitate release of materials related to the Epstein investigation—a move that would likely reignite an already contentious legal and political battle.
