US President Donald Trump has announced he will order a full investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged ties to major banks and several high-profile Democrats, including former President Bill Clinton.
Trump wrote on social media that he would direct Attorney General Pam Bondi and the FBI to examine Epstein’s “involvement and relationship” with Clinton and others “to determine what was going on with them, and him.”
Interest in Epstein’s network surged again this week after US lawmakers released more than 20,000 pages of documents from his estate — some of which mentioned Trump.
Clinton has repeatedly denied knowing anything about Epstein’s crimes.
Trump Expands List of Targets
Along with Clinton, Trump said he asked the Department of Justice (DoJ) to investigate:
- JPMorgan Chase
- Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers
- LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, a major Democratic donor
“Epstein was a Democrat, and he is the Democrat’s problem, not the Republican’s problem!” Trump wrote.
“They all know about him. Don’t waste your time with Trump. I have a Country to run!”
A spokesperson for JPMorgan Chase said the bank regrets “any association” with Epstein but insisted it “did not help him commit his heinous acts.”
A Political Firestorm as House Prepares Epstein File Vote
Trump’s demand comes as the House prepares to vote next week on whether the Justice Department should release all of its files related to Epstein.
The move was triggered after Democrat Adelita Grijalva was sworn into the chamber on Wednesday and immediately signed a discharge petition calling for the release. Her signature reached the needed total of 218, forcing a floor vote.
Trump Doubles Down as Scrutiny Over His Own Ties Rises
Earlier Friday, Trump again urged Bondi and the FBI to investigate prominent Democrats, calling it “another Russia, Russia, Russia scam” and claiming that “records show that these men… spent large portions of their life with Epstein, and on his ‘Island.’”
This comes as the White House struggles to contain fallout from newly released emails in which Epstein claimed Trump “knew about the girls” — though he provided no evidence. Trump and his allies have strongly denied the claim.
Officials argue Democrats are releasing the documents to distract from Republicans ending the long government shutdown. None of the emails implicate Trump or any of the individuals he wants investigated.
Trump and Epstein were once friends, but Trump has long insisted they had a falling-out decades ago.
“Some Weak Republicans have fallen into their clutches because they are soft and foolish,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “Epstein was a Democrat, and he is the Democrat’s problem!”
JPMorgan, Summers, Hoffman Respond — or Stay Silent
JPMorgan Chase spokesperson Trish Wexler said the government failed to share information with the bank about Epstein’s crimes.
“We regret any association we had with the man, but did not help him commit his heinous acts,” she said.
The bank ended its relationship with Epstein in 2013 and later filed a suspicious activity report about his transactions.
The Department of Justice did not immediately comment. Representatives for Clinton, Summers, and Hoffman also didn’t respond.
Not everyone in the GOP supported Trump’s demand.
Retiring Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) said Trump’s call “isn’t appropriate” and risks undermining the DOJ’s independence.
“We should leave the DOJ… independent,” he told CNN.
JPMorgan’s Past With Epstein Under Fresh Scrutiny
JPMorgan Chase, the largest US bank, had worked with Epstein for years — lending him money and moving his assets overseas. The bank cut ties in 2013 and later faced lawsuits from the U.S. Virgin Islands and Epstein’s victims. It settled both cases in 2023.
This week, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon joined other Wall Street leaders for a dinner with the president. Dimon has said he would comply with an Epstein subpoena.
