Musk impact: Democrats probe Trump in Epstein files with queries to FBI & DoJ

Billionaire Elon Musk's bombshell about US President Donald Trump’s association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein spurred a major storm in the US Congress. Soon after Musk made the post on Thursday, House Democrats are asking the Department of Justice and the FBI about the truth behind the Tesla CEO’s claims.

The post and its outcome reflect how the highly public feud between the president and his “First Buddy” is playing right into the hands of Trump’s political opponents. On Thursday, Musk shared a post in which he mentioned that Trump’s name is in the Epstein files, and this is the reason why the documents are not being released to the public.

“Time to drop the massive bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public,” Musk wrote. “Have a nice day, DJT!” the billionaire ended his post by referring to Trump by his initials. The SpaceX CEO eventually called for Trump to be impeached, a position even Democrats have been reluctant to take.

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Democrats send a letter to the DoJ & FBI bosses after Musk’s revelation.

In a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel, Democratic Representative Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) and Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) called for immediate clarification on the matter. “We ask that you immediately clarify whether this allegation is true and respond to this letter with the requested information and documentation,” the letter reads.

“Elon Musk, one of the President’s closest and most influential advisers, alleges that the president may be described in additional files related to this investigation. This allegation implies that the president may be involved in determining which files should be released and whether files will be withheld from the public if he personally chooses to withhold them,” the letter further stated.

The Democratic lawmakers went on to ask for a timeline of the DOJ's declassification and publication of the Epstein files, an explanation for why they haven’t turned over any new documents since February. They also requested a description of Trump’s role in reviewing the files, a list of personnel involved in their release and an answer for why files previously released to Congress contained “significant redactions.”

It is pertinent to note that Lynch is the acting ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, and Garcia is the top Democrat on the Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets.

How is the Trump administration reacting to it?

Meanwhile, the White House slammed both Lynch and Gracia, calling them “left-wing lunatics”. “Oversight Democrats are engaged in another baseless stunt that bears no weight in fact or reality,” White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said in a statement to Axios.

“These are the same left-wing lunatics who neglected their oversight duties regarding the Biden administration’s lawless actions and concocted hoax after hoax on President Trump during his first term. No one takes them or their petty letters seriously,”  Fields added.

Both the FBI and the DoJ are yet to respond to the letter. Earlier this year, Bondi released more than 100 pages of documents related to the Epstein case as part of the Trump administration’s push for transparency. However, the files were substantially redacted, drawing criticism.

Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), the chair of the declassification task force, accused Bondi of “stonewalling” her demands for more files. “We agree with their conclusion that the release of these documents is long overdue,” Lynch and Garcia wrote in the Thursday letter.