President Trump was told by Attorney General Pam Bondi that he’s mentioned “multiple times” in files related to the probe of notorious sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, according to multiple reports.
Bondi told Trump in May that his name appears alongside many other prominent people in Justice Department documents about the Epstein case, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times reported Wednesday.
The crucial meeting at which Bondi briefed Trump came shortly before she released a controversial memo declaring the Trump administration wouldn’t release any more information about the bombshell investigation, the outlets said, citing several officials with knowledge of the exchange.
Since being told he’s in the files, Trump, who admits to once being a close friend of the notorious pedophile, has repeatedly sought to quiet the firestorm over the Epstein case and even called it a hoax hatched by his political opponents.
In a statement in response to questions about the May meeting, Bondi confirmed the president had been made “aware of the findings,” but said “nothing in the files warranted further investigation or prosecution.”
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung would not address questions about the briefing, but said on Wednesday that any suggestion Trump engaged in illicit activity related to Epstein is “nothing more than a continuation of the fake news stories concocted by the Democrats and the liberal media.”
Outside the White House on July 15, Trump denied a specific question about whether Bondi told him he was included in the Epstein files.
“Specifically, did she tell you at all that your name appeared in the files?” a reporter asked Trump.
“No, no. She’s given us just a very quick briefing, and in terms of the credibility of the different things that they’ve seen,” Trump responded.
Before his second inauguration in January, Trump and his MAGA allies spent years demanding the release of far more information about the Epstein case.
As public furor over the Epstein files has exploded in recent weeks, Trump has sought to deflect criticism. He ordered Bondi to seek the release of grand jury testimony in the case, which experts say is likely to be much more tame than the materials in the DOJ’s files.
The latest bombshell reports dropped amid fast-moving developments in the Epstein case, which has divided Trump from his right-wing MAGA base.
A judge on Wednesday rejected a Trump administration request to unseal transcripts from grand jury investigations into Epstein years ago in Florida.
Davidoff Studios/Getty Images
From left, American real estate developer Donald Trump and his girlfriend (and future wife), former model Melania Knauss, financier (and future convicted sex offender) Jeffrey Epstein, and British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell pose together at the Mar-a-Lago club, Palm Beach, Florida, February 12, 2000. (Photo by Davidoff Studios/Getty Images)
A similar records request is pending before a Manhattan federal judge who presided over the trial of convicted Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.
His former socialite pal, who’s appealing her 20-year prison sentence, opposes the request.
A congressional committee has issued Maxwell a subpoena for a deposition but it’s unclear if she will agree to appear.
epstein
AP This March 28, 2017 image provided by the New York State Sex Offender Registry shows Jeffrey Epstein.
Another Republican-controlled panel is considering demanding the release of all the Epstein files, with several GOP lawmakers saying they’ll join Democrats to back the move.
House Speaker Mike Johnson scrapped most congressional legislative business on Tuesday and sent lawmakers home early for their August recess in hopes the political firestorm dies down.
Originally Published: July 23, 2025 at 4:05 PM EDT
