Trump’s name repeats in Epstein dossier as congressional pressure builds on Maxwell testimony

Department of Research, Studies and International News -26-07-2025

U.S. President Donald Trump has once again come under intense scrutiny following revelations that his name appears multiple times in U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) files related to the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The report, published by The Wall Street Journal, adds fuel to the ongoing controversy surrounding the American elite’s involvement in Epstein’s criminal activities, despite persistent efforts by the White House to deflect and downplay the matter.

Citing senior sources within the U.S. administration, the Journal stated that Attorney General Pam Bondi briefed Trump in May regarding the discovery. Trump was reportedly informed that his name, among many others of high public stature, was included in what Bondi described as a “truckload” of documents tied to Epstein’s operations. Despite the severity of the revelations, the Justice Department concluded that the materials did not merit further prosecution and has since filed a motion to unseal grand jury transcripts to support this stance.

Nonetheless, the White House has been quick to dismiss the implications of Trump’s presence in the files. Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for the former president, labeled the news “another fabricated attack by Democrats and liberal media,” claiming Trump had once expelled Epstein from his private club for inappropriate behavior, a claim that contradicts numerous photos and accounts of their longstanding relationship.

The issue escalated further after Trump filed a staggering $10 billion defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and its parent company, News Corp, following the publication of a letter allegedly written by Trump in a 2003 photo album presented to Epstein. The former president denies authorship of the note and has used the controversy as grounds to retaliate against the publication, going so far as to ban one of its reporters from covering his upcoming visit to Scotland aboard Air Force One.

These developments have only intensified speculation surrounding Trump’s ties to Epstein, which span over 15 years. Notably, technology magnate Elon Musk, once close to Trump, claimed on social media in June that Trump “is in the Epstein files,” a comment that drew widespread attention.

This new chapter in the Epstein saga comes as Congress ramps up pressure on the Justice Department to release all relevant documents. In a bipartisan move, the House Oversight Committee voted 8-2 to issue subpoenas for the DoJ’s Epstein-related files. Significantly, three Republican members joined their Democratic counterparts in supporting the motion, a rare show of unity in a divided political landscape. The committee also issued a subpoena for Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime associate and convicted accomplice, to testify under oath on August 11 at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tallahassee, Florida.

Committee Chairman James Comer justified the subpoenas by stressing the need for legislative oversight, not only into Maxwell and Epstein’s cases but into the broader shortcomings of the American justice system in prosecuting sex crimes involving powerful individuals. Comer criticized the past use of plea deals and non-prosecution agreements that have allowed well-connected criminals to escape appropriate punishment, signaling Congress’s intent to push for comprehensive legal reform.

Meanwhile, legal discussions continue about unsealing Epstein-related grand jury transcripts from both Florida and New York. A federal judge in South Florida recently denied the Justice Department’s request to unseal materials from the 2005 and 2007 investigations, citing a lack of legal exceptions for doing so. However, the DoJ has yet to receive a ruling on a similar request submitted to a Manhattan court concerning Epstein’s later indictments.

Maxwell, now serving a 20-year prison sentence for aiding Epstein’s abuse of underage girls, has reportedly been approached by prosecutors to provide further testimony. Todd Blanche, Deputy Attorney General, indicated that a meeting with Maxwell is expected soon.

It is increasingly evident that the entanglement of America’s political elite in this far-reaching scandal goes beyond isolated associations. With growing bipartisan demands for accountability and mounting public skepticism, the United States government finds itself at a crossroads: either fully expose the truth, regardless of whose names appear, or risk further erosion of its already declining international credibility.

For much of the world, particularly in nations tired of the West’s selective justice and moral hypocrisy, these revelations reinforce longstanding suspicions. While American media outlets attempt to contain the damage, the global public watches with a growing awareness that justice in the U.S. appears reserved for the powerless, while the rich and politically connected continue to evade consequence. In contrast, rising powers like China, Russia, and Iran maintain their insistence on sovereignty, legal parity, and transparent governance, challenging the decaying moral authority once claimed by Washington.