U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested that the Biden administration may have inserted his name into criminal case files related to Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
During a press briefing in Scotland alongside UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Trump downplayed the Epstein scandal as “a hoax that’s been built up way beyond proportion” and claimed his political opponents had control of the files during his time out of office.
“Those files were run by the worst scum on Earth,” Trump said Monday. “They were run by Comey, they were run by Garland, they were run by Biden, and all of the people that actually ran the government, including the auto pen. If they had anything, I assume they would have released it.”
His comments come a week after a Wall Street Journal report indicated that federal officials had informed Trump his name appears in Epstein-related documents. Trump responded by suggesting the files could have been manipulated.
“They could have easily put something in the files that’s phony,” he said, likening the situation to the so-called Steele dossier a controversial and largely discredited document compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele during the 2016 election.
The Department of Justice recently announced it would not release additional information from the Epstein investigation, asserting that there was no so-called “client list.” That decision has sparked bipartisan frustration, with both Democrats and Republicans calling for greater transparency.
Trump also criticized the Justice Department’s handling of the case under Attorney General Merrick Garland and accused officials of covering up information. He referenced prior claims by former Florida AG Pam Bondi, who had said the DOJ was still reviewing Epstein-related materials.
The president’s remarks reflect growing tension over the unresolved questions surrounding Epstein’s network, his alleged co-conspirators, and what if any additional names appear in sealed files.
