The White House has acknowledged that President Donald Trump’s name appears in investigative documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein case, reversing earlier denials and intensifying public scrutiny of the administration.

Initial reports by The Wall Street Journal indicated that U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi informed Trump back in May that his name was mentioned in confidential Epstein-related materials.  Despite this, Trump publicly denied any connection when questioned in July, responding with a curt “No, no.”

During a private briefing, Bondi reportedly told Trump that the documents include numerous names—his among them—and contain sensitive content, including evidence related to child pornography and victims. While these reports have been corroborated by several American news outlets, the BBC’s Russian Service stated it could not independently verify the information.

Importantly, Trump’s mention in the documents does not constitute proof of wrongdoing, and he has not been formally charged in connection with the Epstein case.

Mixed signals from Trump’s team

Initially, Trump’s press secretary Steven Cheung dismissed the reports as “fake news,” saying in an email: “The fact is, the president kicked him out of his club for being a pervert.  This is nothing more than another round of fake news created by Democrats and liberal media.”  FBI Director Kash Patel echoed the sentiment, calling the reports part of a “smear campaign.”

However, the administration later admitted that Trump’s name is indeed cited in the case materials, a fact first flagged in confidential documents Bondi reportedly shared with conservative allies in February, according to Reuters.

During his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump vowed to release all documents linked to Epstein, including the much-discussed “client list.”  But as of July 7, Attorney General Bondi said the U.S. Department of Justice had found no such list.

Epstein, trump, and the elusive ‘client list’

Jeffrey Epstein, a financier with powerful connections, was accused of trafficking minors for sex and facilitating their exploitation by wealthy associates.  He was found dead in a New York jail cell in 2019 following his arrest—a death officially ruled a suicide.

Trump, who maintained a personal friendship with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s, has repeatedly claimed that Epstein possessed a secret “client list” implicating prominent individuals, including members of the Democratic Party. Trump pledged to make the list public if re-elected, but no such list has materialized. On July 7, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice and FBI stated they had no evidence such a document exists.

Adding to the controversy, The Wall Street Journal reported on July 17 that Trump allegedly sent Epstein a birthday card in 2003 featuring an image of a naked woman and Trump’s signature.  Trump responded by filing a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the outlet and its owner, Rupert Murdoch, calling the story “fake” and labeling the paper a “disgrace to journalism.” Shortly afterward, the Trump administration removed WSJ from the White House press pool.

Despite attempts to distance himself, Trump’s name and past ties to Epstein continue to surface. According to Reuters, Trump is mentioned in Epstein’s flight logs from the late 1990s and early 2000s, though Trump insists he never flew on Epstein’s private jet.  His name, along with those of several family members, also appears in Epstein’s address book, which contains hundreds of contacts.

Democrats have seized on the revelations and internal Republican divisions, accusing the Trump administration of attempting to cover up details of the case.  A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found that more than two-thirds of Americans believe Trump’s team is withholding information about Epstein’s associates.