Donald Trump has for the first time commented on the release of Jeffrey Epstein's files, complaining that the reputations of people who "innocently met" with Epstein could be damaged. The Guardian reports this, writes UNN.
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In his first comments since the Justice Department began releasing the materials on Friday, the US president on Monday expressed sympathy for prominent Democrats who have again come under scrutiny for their ties to Epstein.
I like Bill Clinton. I always got along well with Bill Clinton; I was good to him, he was good to me… I don't like seeing his photos appear, but that's what the Democrats demand — mostly Democrats and a few bad Republicans, so they publish my photos too.
Trump, who has long been associated with Epstein and has opposed the release of the files this year, spoke to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida. "Everyone was friendly with him," he claimed. "But I don't like that they're showing pictures of Bill Clinton. I don't like that they're showing pictures of other people — I think it's terrible."
"I think Bill Clinton is a grown man, he'll handle it, but they're probably publishing pictures of other people who innocently met Jeffrey Epstein many years ago, and these are very respectable bankers, lawyers, and others."
Trump added that "many people are very angry that they are publishing photos of other individuals who actually had nothing to do with Epstein. But they are in the photo with him because he was at a party, and in this way, a person's reputation is destroyed."
He cited the example of Larry Summers, a Harvard professor and former Democratic Treasury Secretary, who announced in November that he was stepping away from public life after his emails with Epstein became known.
Trump, who tried to call the Epstein files a "hoax," also tried to present them as a distraction from his party's achievements. "This whole Epstein story is a way to distract from the Republican Party's huge successes.
For example, today we are building the largest ships in the world, the most powerful ships in the world, and they are asking me questions about Jeffrey Epstein. I thought that was over."
In fact, there is no end in sight. The Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA), passed by Congress almost unanimously and signed by Trump, mandated the full disclosure of the files by last Friday. However, the Department of Justice has so far only released one batch of documents, causing outrage among victims and members of Congress.
On Monday, Clinton's representative, Angel Ureña, released a statement calling on the Department of Justice to release all materials related to Clinton in any way, including photographs. "Someone or something is being protected," Ureña said. "We don't know who, what, or why. But we do know one thing for sure: we don't need such protection."
According to Ureña, there is "widespread suspicion" that the agency is "using selective publications to hint at wrongdoing by individuals whom the same Department of Justice has repeatedly and fully exonerated."
Epstein, a wealthy and well-connected financier, died in a New York prison cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. His death was officially ruled a suicide.