President Trump continues to back Attorney General Pam Bondi over her management of the Epstein files as outrage grows over the administration’s refusal to release them.
“The attorney general has handled that very well. She’s really done a very good job,” Mr. Trump told reporters Tuesday. “I think when you look at it, you’ll understand that.”
When asked if Ms. Bondi told him if his name appeared in the files, Mr. Trump said no and shared that the attorney general has given him only a “a very quick briefing in terms of the credibility of the different things that they’ve seen.”
He went on to say that the files were “made up” by former President Barack Obama, ex-FBI Director James Comey and the Biden administration.
“I would say that, you know, these files were made up by Comey. They were made up by Obama. They were made up by the Bidens,” he said. “And we went through years of that with the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax.”
He said it’ll be up to Ms. Bondi to release whatever files she thinks are credible.
A memo from the Justice Department and FBI last week said the review of the files showed no “client list” of people who allegedly participated in sex with underage girls. The administration has faced backlash from Democrats and its own supporters over the files, with many demanding their release.
Ms. Bondi had said in an interview that Epstein’s client list was on her desk and ready to be reviewed.
Last week, the Justice Department said it wouldn’t be releasing any more files on Epstein, a convicted sex offender. He died in 2019 while in jail in New York after being convicted of sex trafficking and conspiracy charges. The medical examiner ruled his death a suicide, but many believe it wasn’t.
Mr. Trump has railed against the attention that the Epstein situation has been receiving. Earlier this month, the president erupted at a reporter who asked Ms. Bondi about the client list.
“Are people still talking about this guy? This creep? That is unbelievable,” Mr. Trump said, adding it was “a desecration” for the reporter to ask about Epstein and that the question a “waste of time.”
In a Truth Social post, the president told his supporters not to “waste time and energy on Epstein.”
“For years, it’s Epstein over and over again,” he posted. “Why are we giving publicity to files written by Obama, Crooked Hillary, Comey, Brennan and the losers and criminals of the Biden administration?”
• Jeff Mordock contributed to this story.
