Attorney General Pam Bondi told President Donald Trump in May that his name was in the Epstein files, according to a Wednesday report.
DOJ officials also told him other high-profile figures were mentioned, the Wall Street Journal reported, and that the files contained “unverified hearsay” about Trump and other people.
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The officials also reportedly told the president they didn’t want to release any more documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein because they contained child pornography and victims’ personal information.
FBI Director Kash Patel privately told other government officials that Trump’s name appeared in the files, people close to the administration told the outlet.
White House spokesperson Steven Cheung denied the report in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
“The fact is that The President kicked him out of his club for being a creep,” he said. “This is nothing more than a continuation of the fake news stories concocted by the Democrats and the liberal media, just like the Obama Russiagate scandal, which President Trump was right about.”
Patel dismissed the report as “smears and lies” meant to undermine the president.
“The memo released on July 6th is consistent with the thorough review conducted by the FBI and DOJ. The criminal leakers and Fake News media tries tirelessly to undermine President Trump with smears and lies, and this story is no different,” Patel told the Washington Examiner in a statement.
Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche responded to the report in a statement to the Washington Examiner, but did not deny the allegations.
“The DOJ and FBI reviewed the Epstein Files and reached the conclusion set out in the July 6 memo. Nothing in the files warranted further investigation or prosecution, and we have filed a motion in court to unseal the underlying grand jury transcripts. As part of our routine briefing, we made the President aware of the findings,” Bondi and Blanche said.
A TIMELINE OF TRUMP AND EPSTEIN’S RELATIONSHIP, FROM FRIENDSHIP TO FALLOUT AND BEYOND
Trump previously denied his presence in the Epstein files, though it was widely speculated he would be in them given the pair’s friendship and fallout.
The speculation has intensified since the administration has disparaged the files, with Trump calling them a “hoax.”
Mabinty Quarshie and Kaelan Dease contributed to this report.