Trump Asks DOJ to Probe Epstein’s Ties to Clinton, Banks & High-Profile Dem/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ President Donald Trump has called on the Justice Department to investigate Jeffrey Epstein’s ties to prominent Democrats and major financial institutions. The move follows the release of Epstein emails implicating high-profile names and amid GOP backlash over renewed scrutiny on Trump’s own connections. Trump says the focus should be on Clinton and others—not him.
Epstein Probe + Quick Looks
- Who: President Donald Trump
- What: Calls on DOJ, AG Pam Bondi, and FBI to investigate Epstein’s ties to Democrats and banks
- Why now: Comes after Democrats released emails referencing Trump in Epstein’s correspondence
- Targets named: Bill Clinton, Larry Summers, Reid Hoffman, JPMorgan Chase
- Trump’s message: “This is another Russia, Russia, Russia scam… All arrows point to Democrats.”
- Political stakes: Trump opposes House vote to release full Epstein files; urges Republicans to block it
- What’s next: DOJ has not formally announced a probe; House vote on file release expected next week
Deep Look: Trump Pushes DOJ to Investigate Epstein’s Ties to Democrats and Elite Institutions
President Donald Trump has officially requested that the U.S. Department of Justice launch an investigation into the late financier Jeffrey Epstein’s connections to a slate of prominent Democrats, political elites, and major financial institutions, including JPMorgan Chase. The announcement was made Friday morning via Trump’s Truth Social account and has already ignited fierce debate on Capitol Hill.
Trump named several specific individuals and entities, including former President Bill Clinton, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, and JPMorgan Chase, among others. He framed the move as a counterattack against what he described as a Democratic “hoax” aimed at deflecting attention from the government shutdown and broader political failures.
“Now that the Democrats are using the Epstein Hoax, involving Democrats, not Republicans, to try and deflect from their disastrous SHUTDOWN… I will be asking AG Pam Bondi, and the Department of Justice, together with our great patriots at the FBI, to investigate,” Trump wrote.
Backdrop: Emails and Political Fallout
Trump’s directive comes just days after House Democrats released thousands of pages of internal communications, including emails suggesting Trump had a deeper awareness of Epstein’s activities than he has publicly acknowledged. The renewed scrutiny over Epstein’s connections—years after the financier’s 2019 death in federal custody—has reignited demands for transparency across party lines.
Despite Trump’s claim that “Epstein was a Democrat,” his own name has surfaced frequently in documents and photos from the early 2000s, leading to increased political pressure.
House Speaker Mike Johnson is expected to allow a vote next week on a discharge petition to force the release of the Justice Department’s full Epstein file. Trump has reportedly lobbied lawmakers to vote against the petition.
Targeting Political and Financial Heavyweights
In addition to Clinton and Summers, Trump took aim at JPMorgan Chase, which in 2023 reached a $75 million settlement with the U.S. Virgin Islands related to its relationship with Epstein. The bank denied wrongdoing but acknowledged it should have ended its relationship with Epstein sooner.
Patricia Wexler, spokesperson for JPMorgan, responded to Trump’s remarks by noting, “The government had damning information about [Epstein’s] crimes and failed to share it with us or other banks.” She emphasized that the bank “regrets any association” with Epstein and had severed ties years before his 2019 arrest.
Clinton, Summers, and Hoffman did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Axios and Fox News Digital.
Political Risks and Strategy
Trump’s decision to elevate the Epstein investigation could have ripple effects for the 2026 midterms. Critics within his own party, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, have warned that focusing too much on Epstein could distract from pressing domestic issues like healthcare affordability and inflation.
“Releasing the Epstein files is the easiest thing in the world… but trying to stop it doesn’t make sense,” Greene said earlier this week, after signing the petition to force the files’ release.
Trump has dismissed these concerns, warning Republicans not to work with Democrats on the matter.
“Only a very bad, or stupid, Republican would fall into that trap,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “There should be no deflections to Epstein or anything else.”
The Bigger Picture
The Epstein controversy remains politically radioactive. While Trump insists the latest scrutiny is just another “Russia-style scam,” Democrats argue that the public deserves full transparency about all connections—regardless of party affiliation.
Whether DOJ leadership under AG Pam Bondi follows through on Trump’s directive remains to be seen. So far, neither the DOJ nor the FBI has confirmed any new probe.
For now, the political messaging war continues, with Republicans split between Trump’s combative approach and more moderate voices calling for legislative focus on economic pain points.
With the House vote on Epstein file disclosure looming, the stakes couldn’t be higher.
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