Donald Trump was told months ago that his name appeared in the so-called 'Epstein files' on more than one occasion, a new WSJ report has claimed.
The Trump administration has been criticised for not releasing all of the files relating to the convicted sex offender, which many believe could implicate high profile individuals. It was a promise he made to Republicans during his second run in for president.
At the start of the month, the US Justice Department and FBI said there was no evidence of a rumoured 'Epstein client list' among the files.
Just last week, however, Trump made a bit of a U-turn and issued a court order to unseal transcripts from Epstein’s 2007–08 Florida case.
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The American financier was found guilty of prostitution and solicitation of prostitution with a minor and was served 13 months in jail. While awaiting another sex trafficking trial in 2019, Epstein died by suicide in a New York prison cell.
Now, on Wednesday (23 July), two judges denied the release of the transcripts, stating that the law prohibits them from doing so.
Trump allegedly told months ago that his name 'appears in the Epstein files'
According to a new report by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), senior administration officials claim that Trump's name appeared 'multiple times' in the files.
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It's important to note that being named in the files isn't a sign of any wrongdoing, and Trump has never been accused of anything related to the Epstein case.
The outlet reports that the finding was made after attorney general Pam Bondi was searching through a 'truckload' of documents.
Bondi said in February that Epstein’s client list was 'sitting on my desk right now to review', before walking back on her statement to say she meant a general file about Epstein, not a 'list'.
Just last week Trump told a journalist that his name wasn't mentioned in the files.
Trump was 'aware of the findings'
Bondi told the WSJ last week that nothing in the files was worth following-up on.
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“As part of our routine briefing, we made the president aware of the findings,” Bondi and the deputy attorney general, Todd Blanche, said.
Trump administration files lawsuit
It comes after the Trump administration filed a lawsuit against the WSJ and media mogul Rupert Murdoch, after he claims the newspaper published a story about a 'fake' 50th birthday message to Epstein.
The president called the story 'false, malicious, and defamatory' and is seeking at least $10 billion (£7.4 billion) in damages.
How has the White House responded to WSJ's latest Epstein claims?
In response to the WSJ's latest claim about Trump being named in the files, White House communications director Steven Cheung said: “This is another fake news story, just like the previous story by The Wall Street Journal.”
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He added that the reports were 'nothing more than a continuation of the fake news stories concocted by the Democrats and the liberal media'.
Trump and Epstein hung about in the same social circles from the late 1980s until an alleged real estate dispute in 2004.
In 2002, Trump called Epstein a 'terrific guy' in New York Magazine.
After Epstein’s 2019 arrest, Trump insisted: “I was not a fan of his.”
Topics: Jeffrey Epstein, Donald Trump, Politics, US News
Anish Vij