U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi told President Donald Trump in May that his name appeared in Justice Department files related to Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died by suicide in 2019, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing senior administration officials.
The report threatens to deepen an already growing political crisis for Trump, whose past friendship with Epstein has resurfaced amid the Justice Department’s recent decision to close the case without further prosecutions — a reversal from Trump’s earlier pledge to release the full files.
The White House dismissed the claim as “fake news.”
In a joint statement, Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche did not directly deny the report but said: “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.”
The WSJ report claimed Bondi and her deputy informed Trump at a White House meeting that his name — along with those of “many other high-profile figures” — appeared in the Justice Department files related to Epstein.
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Trump sues WSJ over Epstein note
Last week, the Journal also reported that Trump had sent Epstein a bawdy birthday note in 2003, ending with: “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.” Trump has denied writing the note and is now suing the WSJ and its parent company, News Corp, owned by Rupert Murdoch, for defamation.
Trump has not been accused of any wrongdoing in the Epstein case and maintains that their friendship ended well before Epstein’s initial prosecution. But the Justice Department’s recent memo stating there was no basis for further investigation has triggered outrage among some of Trump’s most loyal supporters — many of whom spent years promoting conspiracy theories around Epstein’s death and connections.
Under mounting political pressure, Trump recently directed the Justice Department to seek the release of sealed grand jury records. But on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenberg denied the request, ruling it did not meet any of the legal exceptions that allow grand jury material to be unsealed.
Meanwhile, in Congress, frustration is mounting. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson on Tuesday abruptly adjourned the House for summer recess a day early — a move seen as a way to sidestep a likely bipartisan vote forcing the Justice Department to release all Epstein-related documents.
