At a press briefing in Scotland, U.S. President Donald Trump categorically denied ever being informed that his name appeared in files linked to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. "No, I was never\u0010\u0010never briefed, no," he told reporters, pushing back against a Wall Street Journal report that Attorney General Pam Bondi had alerted him in May.
A Wall Street Journal investigation revealed that his name appeared multiple times alongside other high-profile figures in private files linked to Epstein. The documents also list presidents and celebrities, though the Justice Department has said no further records will be released.
The White House response was mixed. An initial statement called the report "fake news," but later officials acknowledged that the name appears in some materials\u0010\u0010specifically a batch of documents shared with conservative influencers earlier this year.
Flight logs from a private plane linked to Epstein list a "Donald J. Trump" as a passenger multiple times, while an address book links members of the Trump family with dozens of other contacts. Much of this data surfaced during the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, a former associate of Epstein.
The controversy has stoked political tensions. Conservative supporters, who once amplified conspiracy theories around his network and the circumstances of his 2019 death in prison, are now pressing for the release of more files. Yet the Justice Department insists no further probes are warranted and has filed to unseal grand jury transcripts.
Trump, who maintains he cut ties with Epstein long before legal troubles arose, has never faced allegations of wrongdoing connected to the case. With political stakes high, the debate over transparency in the Epstein investigation shows no sign of slowing down.
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Trump says he was 'never' informed his name appeared in Epstein files
cgtn.com
