U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Friday ordered a top federal prosecutor to investigate Jeffrey Epstein’s relationships with several of President Donald Trump’s political opponents — a move made after Trump publicly demanded action.
According to The Associated Press, in a post on X, Bondi announced that Manhattan U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton would lead the probe.
Her decision capped a tumultuous week marked by dueling document releases from both Republicans and Democrats involving Epstein’s estate.
Trump, who had long known Epstein socially, did not specify what crimes he believed should be investigated. None of the individuals Trump named — including former President Bill Clinton, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, and LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman — have been accused of sexual misconduct by Epstein’s victims.
Earlier Friday, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he wanted Bondi, the Justice Department, and the FBI to examine Epstein’s “involvement and relationship” with Clinton, Summers, Hoffman, JPMorgan Chase, and others. He labeled the matter “the Epstein Hoax, involving Democrats, not Republicans,” comparing it to what he called the “Russia, Russia, Russia Scam.”
The documents released this week included thousands of pages of Epstein’s emails, news articles, legal filings, and other material. While Epstein referenced Trump and Clinton in various messages over the years, none showed evidence of wrongdoing by either man.
Clinton has acknowledged traveling on Epstein’s private jet but has said he had no knowledge of Epstein’s criminal behavior. Neither Clinton nor Trump has been accused of misconduct by Epstein’s accusers.
Epstein kept in touch at various points with Summers and Hoffman, according to the records. Summers has called his association with Epstein “a major error of judgement.” Hoffman has said his limited interactions with Epstein were tied to fundraising efforts for MIT’s Media Lab and apologized after Epstein’s 2019 arrest, saying he helped “repair his reputation and perpetuate injustice.” None of Epstein’s victims have accused Hoffman of wrongdoing.
Bondi called Clayton “one of the most capable and trusted prosecutors in the country” and pledged that the Justice Department “will pursue this with urgency and integrity.”
Clayton, a former SEC chairman under Trump, now leads the same federal office that previously prosecuted Epstein and secured a sex-trafficking conviction against Ghislaine Maxwell in 2021.
Trump has questioned the circumstances of Epstein’s 2019 jailhouse death and suggested last year he might seek to reopen government files. More recently, however, he has shifted to portraying the matter as politically driven amid renewed attention to his own past ties to Epstein.
On Wednesday, House Democrats released three Epstein email exchanges that referenced Trump, including one in which Epstein wrote in 2019 that Trump “knew about the girls” and another from 2011 stating Trump had “spent hours” at his house with a sex-trafficking victim. The emails offered no details. The White House accused Democrats of “selectively leaked emails” aimed at smearing Trump.
Shortly afterward, Republicans released what they said was an additional 20,000 pages from Epstein’s estate, including emails in which Epstein often criticized Trump’s political rise and maintained contact with major academic and business figures well after his 2008 conviction.
Some emails detailed Epstein’s close discussions with Summers on both political and personal matters. Others showed brief exchanges with Hoffman, including a 2015 message from Epstein commenting on Hoffman’s diet program. Hoffman replied, “slow progress. planning to see you in August. Hope your well.”
