 "People walk next to a mobile Ad Van that displays a photograph of US President Donald Trump and disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, in protest of the visit of US President Donald Trump in Aberdeen, Scotland, UK, July 28, 2025. File Image/Reuters")
US President Donald Trump, who is facing criticism over his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and questions about his past links to the disgraced financier, has shifted focus to highlight connections involving Bill Clinton and his officials.
As the Justice Department released transcripts of interviews with Epstein’s former associate Ghislaine Maxwell, Trump went on the offensive. He claimed former Clinton Treasury Secretary Larry Summers was Epstein’s “best friend” and alleged that Bill Clinton had flown on Epstein’s plane.
Trump also voiced concern about “innocent people” being unfairly implicated. “Innocent people shouldn’t be hurt, but I’m in support of keeping it totally open, I couldn’t care less. You got a lot of people that could be mentioned in those files that don’t deserve to be… because he knew everybody in Palm Beach,” Trump said.
He added that Attorney General Pam Bondi had been instructed to “give them everything you can give them.” His remarks came after the House Oversight Committee subpoenaed the Epstein records earlier this month.
Trump had previously pledged to release Epstein-related documents, but in July his Justice Department announced there would be no further disclosures — a decision that triggered anger among Maga loyalists and other supporters.
As pressure mounted, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who also represented Trump in criminal cases, interviewed Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking. “The Department of Justice will share additional information about what we learned at the appropriate time,” Blanche said after the first session.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThat “appropriate time” arrived at 3 pm ET on Friday, 22 August, when the department published heavily redacted transcripts of Maxwell’s interviews, spanning hundreds of pages.
The material, however, offered little to critics hoping for fresh revelations about Trump’s connection to Epstein. Instead, Maxwell’s testimony echoed Trump’s efforts to downplay their ties, while Blanche’s questioning largely zeroed in on Bill Clinton.
“I think [Trump and Epstein] were friendly like people are in social settings. I don’t think they were close friends or I certainly never witnessed the president in any of – I don’t recall ever seeing him in his house, for instance,” Maxwell said.
“I actually never saw the president in any type of massage setting,” she added, referencing Epstein’s abuse of women and underage girls. Asked if she had ever heard of Trump doing anything inappropriate, Maxwell replied: “Absolutely never, in any context.”
Her remarks bolstered Trump’s attempts to distance himself from Epstein. Maxwell — later moved from a Florida facility to a lower-security prison in Texas — was also asked about a Wall Street Journal report claiming Trump once sent Epstein a “bawdy” birthday letter in 2003 featuring a nude sketch. “I do not remember,” she said. Trump has since sued over the report.
Blanche pressed Maxwell repeatedly about the Clintons. Did Bill Clinton ever receive a massage? “I don’t believe he did,” she said. Did Epstein have a relationship with Clinton beyond philanthropy? “I would say no.” Any business dealings with the Clintons? Again, Maxwell offered nothing.
In the end, the transcripts delivered no damaging revelations about either Trump or the Clintons — granting Trump partial vindication, while leaving critics still demanding the full Epstein files unsatisfied.