US President Donald Trump announced on Friday (Nov. 14) that he has directed the Department of Justice to investigate several Democrats linked to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including former President Bill Clinton. The move is widely seen as an attempt to divert public attention from recently released documents by Democrats that suggest Trump himself had close ties with Epstein.
In a post on his social media platform, Trump stated he had instructed the FBI and the Justice Department to investigate multiple Democrats who were previously associated with Epstein. His list includes, besides Clinton, former Treasury Secretary and ex-Harvard President Lawrence Summers, LinkedIn co-founder and Democratic donor Reid Hoffman, as well as financial institutions like JPMorgan Chase. Trump claimed these individuals had long-standing associations with Epstein and had visited his private island.
Attorney General Bondi promptly shared Trump's post, announcing that Manhattan Federal Attorney Clayton had been assigned to lead the investigation. Trump emphasized his authority to direct the Justice Department, stating, "As the nation's top law enforcement official, I have the right to do this. This isn't about me wanting to exercise power, but I have the authority. The order comes from Attorney General Bondi and the DOJ, not from me directly."
U.S. media reports indicate that shortly after the federal government ended its shutdown on Wednesday, House Oversight Committee Democrats released a trove of documents suggesting Trump's own connections to the Epstein case. One document revealed that Epstein, in an email to author Wolff, alleged Trump "knew about the young girls," though the meaning of "young girls" was not clarified. Another 2011 email from Epstein to his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell described Trump as a "silent dog" and mentioned an assault victim had spent hours with him at my home.
The White House accused Democrats of selectively leaking case-related documents to smear Trump with a false narrative and distract from the end of the government shutdown. Trump labeled Epstein a Democrat and called the document release a politically motivated stunt similar to the "Russia collusion" investigation.
A previous BBC report noted that after leaving office, Clinton had flown on Epstein's private plane four times between 2002 and 2003, accompanied by staff, and had met with Epstein in New York. However, Trump and the DOJ have not specified the alleged crimes under investigation regarding Clinton, and no evidence has yet emerged directly implicating Trump, Clinton, or others in Epstein's crimes.
Clinton has maintained he was unaware of Epstein's criminal activities during their interactions. Clinton's aides asserted that Trump's accusations are intended to shift focus from recent Republican losses in local elections. JPMorgan Chase stated it did not assist Epstein in his crimes and had severed ties with him years before his arrest.
(Source: Wen Wei Po)
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