Early this year, Justice Department officials reviewed a large volume of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, described by Attorney General Pam Bondi as a “truckload.”
According to senior administration officials, Donald Trump’s name appeared multiple times in these files, alongside many other high-profile figures. The officials emphasized that being named in the documents does not indicate wrongdoing, according to The Wall Street Journal.
In May, Bondi and her deputy briefed President Trump at the White House, informing him of his name’s presence in the Epstein files as part of a routine update covering various topics.
The documents, described as containing unverified hearsay, included hundreds of names of individuals who had socialized with Epstein, a convicted sex offender. Trump’s mention was not the focus of the briefing.
Trump agreed to defer to the Justice Department’s decision to withhold additional releases. Bondi had previously noted in February 2025 that she was reviewing Epstein’s client list, but Trump claimed last week, when questioned by a journalist, that Bondi had not informed him of his name in the files.
On July 7, 2025, the Justice Department announced via an unsigned memo on its website that the review found no client list, no evidence warranting investigation of uncharged third parties, and no additional documents suitable for public disclosure. The memo cited the need to protect victims and prevent the spread of child pornography, noting that such materials would typically be sealed in a trial. The FBI generally does not release materials unrelated to charged offenses.
White House communications director Steven Cheung dismissed the story as “fake news,” comparing it to a prior Wall Street Journal report.