Musk post piles pressure on Justice Department to release Epstein files

Democrats join calls for Trump appointees to release promised details from the federal investigation into the disgraced financier.

Donald Trump and his girlfriend (and future wife) Melania Knauss with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in 2000. Picture: Getty

Right-wing influencers for months have been pressuring the Justice Department to release documents from a federal investigation into convicted sex-offender and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Now, Democrats have joined them in that push, after Elon Musk said Thursday that President Trump’s name appeared in the files – insinuating that he was in some way linked to the criminal behaviour – and that the government was keeping the records secret to protect him.

“Any attempts to prevent the appropriate release of the Epstein files to shield the President from truth and accountability merits intense scrutiny by Congress and by the Department of Justice,” two Democrats on the House Oversight Committee wrote in a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel. Reps. Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts and Robert Garcia of California said they shared Republicans’ frustration with ongoing delays.

The Democratic National Committee also chimed in. “What is Trump hiding? Release the Epstein files,” it said on X.

“Democrats all of a sudden want to release the Epstein files. Thank you Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Well-played gentlemen,” wrote Rep. Nancy Mace, ( R., SC).

Added Infowars founder Alex Jones in a video on X: “If we see the slow-rolling now of these files, then we’ve got an issue.” A spokesman for Bondi declined to comment, and one for Patel didn’t respond to requests for comment. One person familiar with Trump’s relationship with Epstein said the administration has already released Epstein files that include Trump.

Musk’s X’s post alleging Trump’s name appears in the files was a particularly ugly accusation in a bitter fight with Trump that burst into public view Thursday and marked the breakdown of their once-powerful partnership.

Being mentioned in the records isn’t necessarily a sign of wrongdoing, as Epstein had well-known connections to many in elite New York society, including Trump, who has been photographed standing side-by-side with Epstein on several occasions.

Epstein killed himself in jail in 2019, according to the New York City medical examiner, while awaiting trial on federal charges of sex trafficking that could have kept him imprisoned for the rest of his life. He pleaded guilty in Florida in 2008 to soliciting and procuring a minor for prostitution.

The case and Epstein’s death continue to fuel speculation about powerful people who may have covered up their connections to him, spurring demands for the files’ release. Some on the right have suggested the government hid information about a list of men who abused some of Epstein’s victims, which they believe could include high-profile Democrats. No evidence has surfaced that such a list exists.

Bondi has repeatedly promised to make files from the FBI’s investigation public. She doubled down on that pledge after a first batch of Epstein files she released in February contained few new revelations, drawing ire from members of Trump’s base.

Since then, Bondi and Patel have tapped scores of agents and prosecutors to pore over and prepare the files for release, sometimes being pulled away from other duties to work 12-hour shifts, The Wall Street Journal reported. Bondi last month attributed the delay to the large volume of sensitive material about victims and child pornography within the files and “the FBI is diligently going through that.” Some reviewers and lawyers for many of the victims have cited concerns that the redaction process has been haphazard and could expose sensitive information about victims and witnesses.

Much of the information under FBI review was already examined as part of the federal prosecution of the British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of a decadeslong scheme to help Epstein. Many of the most relevant details were used at her 2021 trial. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Other information has been released through civil litigation brought by women who said they were abused by Epstein.

Dow Jones Newswires