WSJ Reports Trump Knows His Name Is Listed in Epstein Files—Because Bondi Told Him
This is your TPM evening briefing.
During what sources who spoke to the Wall Street Journal describe as a “routine briefing that covered a number of topics” in May, President Trump was informed that his name appeared multiple times in the documents that the Justice Department reviewed on the Jeffrey Epstein case.
In a new piece published this afternoon that cites anonymous senior administration officials, the WSJ reports that Attorney General Pam Bondi told Trump during the White House meeting about his name appearing in the files, and said that several other high-profile figures also appeared. The Journal’s piece includes this caveat: “Being mentioned in the records isn’t a sign of wrongdoing.”
Trump’s name being listed in the files “multiple times” was not the central focus of the meeting, these officials told WSJ. But it was during this meeting that it was decided that the DOJ would not release any more materials related to the Epstein investigation because the documents “contained child pornography and victims’ personal information,” in the Journal’s words. Trump reportedly told them that he would defer to them on the matter.
Per WSJ’s description of the meeting:
They told the president at the meeting that the files contained what officials felt was unverified hearsay about many people, including Trump, who had socialized with Epstein in the past, some of the officials said. One of the officials familiar with the documents said they contain hundreds of other names.
The New York Times published a piece a few hours later confirming many of the main details of the WSJ’s report.
FBI Director Kash Patel has also reportedly told other Trump administration officials that the president’s name appeared in the documents, per WSJ.
This all, of course, flies in the face of Trump’s own public remarks on the matter. Earlier this month Trump was asked by an ABC News reporter if Bondi had told him whether his name appeared in the files.
“No, no, she’s — she’s given us just a very quick briefing,” Trump said in response to the question, adding that Bondi had “really done a very good job” with reviewing the massive investigative file.
Just Under the Wire
Before leaving town because Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) shut down the legislative session early to avoid more Epstein votes, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer subpoenaed Ghislaine Maxwell, the jailed former associate of Epstein. She will reportedly appear for a deposition at a Florida federal correctional facility in August, according to ABC News.
“The facts and circumstances surrounding both your and Mr. Epstein’s cases have received immense public interest and scrutiny,” Comer said in a statement.
The fixation on Maxwell from Republicans and the White House is just one of several ways Trump and his allies have attempted to deflect and distract from the story that Trump’s political movement is up in arms about his DOJ not releasing the files. In a post on Truth Social, Trump directed DOJ officials to meet with Maxwell’s lawyers earlier this week. His personal lawyer and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche is, in particular, making a big show of his plans to pursue a meeting with Maxwell’s lawyers.
The Other Thing They’re Fixated On
To distract from their decision to not release the files, the Trump Justice Department is also making a big deal out of asking courts to unseal grand jury transcripts from various Epstein related cases. One judge in Florida declined the request. Per PBS:
A judge on Wednesday rejected a Trump administration request to unseal transcripts from grand jury investigations of Jeffrey Epstein years ago in Florida, though a similar records request is pending in New York.
U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenberg in West Palm Beach said the request to release grand jury documents from 2005 and 2007 did not meet any of the extraordinary exceptions under federal law that could make them public.
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