Democrats Demand Bondi Testimony on Trump-Epstein Link \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ Attorney General Pam Bondi reportedly told President Trump his name appeared in the Jeffrey Epstein files. Democrats, including Sen. Adam Schiff, are demanding Bondi and FBI Director Patel testify before Congress. The DOJ insists the files contained nothing warranting further investigation or prosecution.
Quick Looks
- Pam Bondi reportedly informed President Trump that his name was in the Epstein files.
- The Wall Street Journal broke the story, fueling calls for congressional testimony.
- Sen. Adam Schiff urged Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
- The DOJ has said it will not release the files, despite public pressure.
- Bondi and Deputy AG Todd Blanche issued a statement calling it a “routine briefing.”
- The DOJ claims the files did not justify further action against anyone listed.
- Trump’s association with Jeffrey Epstein is long documented, but not linked to specific allegations.
- A 2016 deposition mentioned Epstein and Trump in Atlantic City, though no wrongdoing was alleged.
- Trump previously called Epstein a “terrific guy”, though later distanced himself.
- White House spokesman Steven Cheung called the story “fake news” orchestrated by Democrats and the media.
- Over the years, thousands of pages tied to Epstein have been released publicly.
- The DOJ released a two-page memo saying no further disclosures are warranted.
Deep Look
Attorney General Pam Bondi is under pressure to testify before Congress following reports that she personally told President Donald Trump his name appeared in Jeffrey Epstein’s investigative files. The disclosure, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, has reignited demands from congressional Democrats for full transparency about Trump’s ties to Epstein and the broader decision by the Justice Department to withhold additional files from public release.
Bondi’s conversation with Trump reportedly took place as part of a routine White House briefing in which she and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche informed the president that his name was among many included in the Epstein case files. The DOJ, however, maintains there was no indication of criminal behavior linked to Trump or others whose names surfaced in the documents.
In a joint statement issued Wednesday, Bondi and Blanche said:
“As part of our routine briefing, we made the president aware of the findings. Investigators reviewed the records thoroughly and found nothing in the files warranting further investigation or prosecution.”
But the revelation has sparked immediate political blowback. Sen. Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California, released a video on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), calling for Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
“We need to bring Bondi and Patel into the Judiciary Committee to testify about this now,” Schiff declared in the video, citing a need for transparency and public accountability.
The Justice Department declined to offer additional comment beyond the joint statement but emphasized that federal grand jury secrecy rules and privacy laws played a role in its decision to keep additional Epstein-related documents sealed.
Trump’s Epstein Connection: Long Known, Still Controversial
The news has once again cast a spotlight on Trump’s historical association with Epstein, the late financier and convicted sex offender who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. Trump’s name has been known to appear in flight logs, contact lists, and previously unsealed civil court documents connected to Epstein.
One of the most referenced documents is a 2016 deposition in which a woman alleged she spent time with Epstein at Trump’s Atlantic City casino. However, she did not claim to have met Trump directly and did not accuse him of any misconduct.
Trump has publicly acknowledged his past friendship with Epstein, famously stating:
“I knew him like everybody in Palm Beach knew him. He was a fixture in Palm Beach. I had a falling out with him a long time ago — I wasn’t a fan of his, that I can tell you.”
Yet, the mere confirmation that Trump’s name surfaced in the still-classified Epstein records — coupled with Bondi’s reported disclosure — has fanned flames among both critics and supporters. Far-right influencers and online conspiracy theorists, long convinced that the government is hiding the true scope of Epstein’s activities, have amplified the calls for transparency.
DOJ Memo, Political Pushback, and Public Distrust
In early July, the Justice Department released a two-page memo bearing DOJ and FBI logos, stating that no “further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted.” However, critics noted that the memo was unsigned and lacking in detailed reasoning, fueling speculation about a cover-up.
Adding to the controversy, it was revealed that far-right influencers were invited to the White House in February, where they were shown binders labeled “The Epstein Files: Phase 1” and “Declassified.” Most of the content, however, was already publicly available, leading many to view the presentation as a public relations stunt rather than a meaningful step toward transparency.
The White House, for its part, dismissed the renewed interest in the Epstein records. Press secretary Steven Cheung called the Wall Street Journal story “a continuation of the fake news stories concocted by the Democrats and the liberal media.”
Despite the administration’s attempts to downplay the issue, the case appears far from closed in the public mind. The unanswered questions surrounding Epstein’s powerful network — and whether justice has truly been served — continue to haunt both the political and legal arenas.
Democrats Demand Bondi
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