Trump Targets Clinton Over Epstein Ties Amid Release of New Emails

Darwin, 16 November –

U.S. President Donald Trump has directed the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate former Democratic President Bill Clinton’s ties to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to a report published Saturday by Al Jazeera.

The move comes at a moment when a newly released batch of Epstein-related emails has resurfaced questions about Trump’s own past connections to Epstein.

Trump Calls Email Release a “Hoax”

In a social-media post on Friday, Trump dismissed the release of the new emails as a “hoax” and a distraction similar to the 2016 Russia-interference investigation. He claimed Democrats were resurfacing the matter to mask their weaknesses.

“It’s just another ‘Russia, Russia, Russia’ conspiracy. All arrows now point to the Democrats,” Trump wrote, insisting Epstein was “a Democrat problem, not a Republican one.”

In a second lengthy post, Trump said he would instruct Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate Clinton, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, venture capitalist Reid Hoffman, and JPMorgan Chase for alleged links to Epstein.

Within hours, Bondi announced she had assigned U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton to lead the investigation, saying, “We will uncover the truth with speed and integrity.”

Epstein Scandal Continues to Pressure Trump Administration

The Epstein controversy continues to shadow Trump’s second term. Hundreds of women have accused Epstein of sexual abuse and trafficking. Although convicted in 2008 for abusing a minor, he received what many criticized as an exceptionally lenient plea deal.

Epstein died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal trafficking charges—officially ruled a suicide—though questions remain about the circumstances and his powerful network of associates.

On the same day the 54-day government shutdown ended, Democratic members of the House Oversight Committee released three portions of email exchanges among Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and author Michael Wolff—emails that mention Trump several times.

In one email, Epstein wrote: “I need you to understand that the dog that hasn’t barked yet is Trump… (The victim) spent hours with him at my house.”

Another message claims: “Of course he knew about the girls; he told Ghislaine to stop.”

A third email shows Wolff discussing Trump’s visits to Epstein’s home, trips on his plane, and how such details might be addressed in a CNN interview.

The Trump administration dismissed the documents as “selectively edited” and a Democratic smear effort. But under pressure from Republican leadership, the House Oversight Committee later released the full trove of 20,000 Epstein-related emails. In a 2017 email, Epstein wrote to Summers: “I’ve seen some very bad people… No one is as bad as Trump.”

Political Fallout Continues

Trump accused Democrats of using the new email release to divert attention from the “shutdown embarrassment,” saying, “Some weak Republicans have fallen into the Democrats’ trap.”

The scandal has resurfaced repeatedly. Earlier this year, Attorney General Bondi claimed she had a “client list” tied to Epstein—something she later walked back as a mistake. Media reports later suggested Bondi told Trump that his name appeared in the full version of the Epstein files.

Trump has long maintained that he banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago after the businessman allegedly attempted to recruit a young female staffer.

Clinton and Financial Institutions Also Under Scrutiny

Bill Clinton has also faced ongoing questions about his ties to Epstein. Records show he traveled on Epstein’s private plane and that Epstein visited the White House during Clinton’s presidency. Clinton has consistently denied any knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activities.

Banks connected to Epstein have faced legal consequences as well. In 2023, Deutsche Bank and JPMorgan Chase reached settlements of $75 million and $290 million respectively with Epstein’s victims. More recently, Bank of America and Bank of New York Mellon were also sued, with cases currently moving through court.