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Trump rejects any links to Jeffrey Epstein, says 'I’ve been totally exonerated'
White House
Donald Trump has claimed he has been exonerated from any notion of wrongdoing following the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files – unsurprisingly, not everyone agrees.
On 30 January, six weeks later than a mandated legal deadline under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the Department of Justice (DOJ) made what it said would be its last drop of the Epstein files.
The files, held by the FBI, relate to convicted pedophile Epstein and include emails, communications, images, videos, and more, going back many years. Many of the files highlight Epstein’s relationships with high-profile individuals in politics, business, and other industries. Trump is one such connection.
When the Department of Justice published a huge tranche of files on Epstein back in December, it warned that the release included “untrue and sensationalist claims” about Trump. Shortly after doing so, the DOJ posted on its official account on X (Twitter) to say that some of the claims within the latest batch alluding to the president were false – but did not specify to which it was referring.
“The Department of Justice has officially released nearly 30,000 more pages of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein,” it wrote.
“Some of these documents contain untrue and sensationalist claims made against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election. To be clear: the claims are unfounded and false, and if they had a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponized against President Trump already.
“Nevertheless, out of our commitment to the law and transparency, the DOJ is releasing these documents with the legally required protections for Epstein’s victims.”
The DOJ has faced accusations by Congressional members from both sides of the aisle of failing to adequately investigate and bring charges against Epstein's co-conspirators, failing to redact victims’ names and identities in the released files, and surveilling which unredacted files members of Congress are reviewing.
Despite being mentioned numerous times in the files, it seems Trump believes himself to be in the clear.
“I have nothing to hide. I have been exonerated. I have nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein … I’ve been totally exonerated,” Trump claimed.
How many documents have been released?
According to reports, 3.5 million files have been released by the DOJ. However, some claims suggest this is a fraction of what the department holds.
How many times is Trump’s name mentioned in the released files?
Within the files that have been released, Congressman Jamie Raskin, who has been able to review unredacted files, alleges that Trump is named over one million times – far more than the number of times Jesus is mentioned in the Bible.
What are people saying about Trump and the Epstein files?
There was plenty of response to Trump’s claim that he has been “exonerated” by the release of the Epstein files.
“You were NOT exonerated. Your name is in the #EpsteinFiles more than Harry Potter's name is in all seven books,” one person wrote.
Another pointed out: “He won’t appoint a special prosecutor.”
Someone else argued: “Trump clearly doesn't know what ‘exonerated’ means. It doesn't mean ‘appears in the Epstein files’...”
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