President Trump announced Friday that he intends to order Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Department of Justice to open a sweeping investigation into prominent Democratic politicians and business leaders who once associated with Jeffrey Epstein, escalating a political clash that has consumed Washington this week.
The president framed the move as a counterstrike to what he described as a coordinated attempt by Democrats to weaponize newly released Epstein-related documents for political gain.
In a Truth Social post, Trump argued that his opponents were exploiting the scandal to distract from the government shutdown and what he called broader policy failures.
“Now that the Democrats are using the Epstein Hoax, involving Democrats, not Republicans, to try and deflect from their disastrous SHUTDOWN, and all of their other failures, I will be asking A.G. Pam Bondi, and the Department of Justice, together with our great patriots at the FBI, to investigate Jeffrey Epstein’s involvement and relationship with Bill Clinton, Larry Summers, Reid Hoffman, J.P. Morgan, Chase, and many other people and institutions, to determine what was going on with them, and him,” Trump wrote.
The president continued by labeling the controversy “another Russia, Russia, Russia Scam,” asserting that “Records show that these men, and many others, spent large portions of their life with Epstein, and on his ‘Island.’ Stay tuned!!!”
The intensifying political fallout follows a wave of documents released this week from the Epstein estate and from House Democrats. Emails revealed Wednesday show Epstein claiming in the 2010s that “of course” Trump knew about his involvement with underage girls and that Trump “spent hours” at Epstein’s home. One 2011 email also stated that Clinton “never” visited Epstein’s private island.
As scrutiny widens, House lawmakers are preparing for a vote on a bipartisan push to forcibly release all remaining federal records tied to Epstein.
The measure gained the necessary signatures after Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) was sworn in, although its final passage is uncertain due to expected resistance in the Senate. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has pledged to fast-track the vote to next week.
The White House has pushed back on Democrats’ selective release of Epstein emails, reinforcing support for Trump as the political battle continues to build.
The broader scandal has sparked global attention, drawing renewed focus to high-profile figures such as Clinton, Trump, former Prince Andrew, Elon Musk, and others whose names have appeared in association with Epstein over the years.
The stakes are particularly acute within Trump’s own political coalition, where the issue has caused rifts among MAGA-aligned lawmakers. Influential House conservatives including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) have sided with Democrats on the discharge petition and are urging the release of all remaining records.
With new disclosures emerging and political divisions deepening, the coming weeks are set to determine how far Congress and the DOJ will go in responding to the public uproar.
