The White House has dismissed claims that Donald Trump is among hundreds of names mentioned in justice department documents related to late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein as “fake news”.
The Wall Street Journal reported the US president was informed of the fact in May by Attorney General Pam Bondi during a routine briefing, noting that his name appearing in the documents did not indicate any wrongdoing. One official told the news outlet that hundreds of names are in the documents.
In response, a White House spokesperson said: “This is another fake news story, just like the previous story by The Wall Street journal.”
It comes as a US federal judge on Wednesday denied a justice department request to unseal grand jury transcripts related to a criminal investigation of Epstein.
Jeffrey Epstein was accused of sexually abusing dozens of teenage girls in the early 2000s. The case drew widespread attention, in part because of Epstein and former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell's links to royals, presidents and billionaires.
During his campaigning last year, Donald Trump promised to release files relating to the late sex offender, sparking frustration and disappointment when nothing materialised.
According to the Journal, officials told Trump at the May meeting that the justice department does not plan to release any more documents relating to the Epstein investigation, citing reasons relating to material containing child pornography and personal information of victims.
Trump has tried to distance himself from the late financier, with whom he was once friendly, before the president said the pair fell out in 2004.
But attention around the case has grown since the department of justice released a July 6 memo that said it would make no further disclosures. Even MAGA supporters and Republicans have called for greater transparency around the handling of the case.
Earlier this year, Bondi said she had a “truckload” of files to review for the FBI. In February, she said the “client list” of high-profile associates linked to the sex offender’s trafficking scheme was on her desk.
Amid mounting public pressure, the president asked Bondi to make public any “pertinent” grand jury manuscripts. Bondi then asked judges overseeing the cases of Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, the financier’s former girlfriend.
But a federal judge in Florida rejected a request to unseal the grand jury transcripts related to an investigation into Epstein in the state in the mid-2000s. A judge in New York followed with a similar order.
Deputy attorney general Todd Blanche said on the social media platform X this week that the justice department was seeking to arrange a meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell to discuss any possible information she may have about anyone who has committed crimes with Epstein.
Maxwell is currently serving 20 years in prison for her role in Epstein’s abuse of children.
