What the Epstein files reveal and Trump’s response
President Trump has pushed for more disclosure around Epstein’s case after many have demanded the release of a so-called “client list.”
WASHINGTON – After being on the defensive over his administration’s handling of disclosures about Jeffrey Epstein’s case, President Donald Trump is on the attack.
In a lawsuit filed July 18, Trump is seeking $10 billion in damages over the Wall Street Journal’s publication of an article saying the future president wrote a lewd letter to Epstein for his 50th birthday.
“We have just filed a POWERHOUSE Lawsuit against everyone involved in publishing the false, malicious, defamatory, FAKE NEWS ‘article’ in the useless ‘rag’ that is, The Wall Street Journal,” Trump wrote on social media.
He filed the lawsuit the day after directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce more Epstein documents amid public clamor for the records – a fascination Trump said he doesn’t understand about what he called a “pretty boring” case.
And on July 19, Trump doubted the upcoming records release will satisfy his critics.
“It will always be more, more, more,” Trump said on social media.
Here’s what to know about the latest developments in Trump’s dealings with the continued interest in the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender who died in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
What does Trump want?
Trump wants $10 billion in damages from the Wall Street Journal, its parent company, owner and two reporters claiming libel and slander.
A $10 billion award would far exceed the largest defamation judgments and settlements in recent history, according to Reuters.
To win, Trump has to prove the Wall Street Journal acted with “actual malice,” a standard set by the Supreme Court in 1964.
The court in March declined an appeal from top Republican donor and former casino magnate Steve Wynn asking the court to overturn that ruling.
What did the Wall Street Journal report?
At issue is a story published July 17 describing a letter from Trump that the Journal wrote was part of a leather-bound birthday book with dozens of other letters that was presented to Epstein in 2003. Trump’s letter ends with “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret,” according to the report.
Trump’s signature on the letter, which was written in the form of text inside a hand-drawn outline of a nude woman, is “a squiggly ‘Donald’ below her waist, mimicking pubic hair,” according to the Journal.
How has the Wall Street Journal responded to Trump’s lawsuit?
A Dow Jones spokesperson said July 18 that the Wall Street Journal stands by its story. “We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit,” the spokesperson said.
What new Epstein files does Trump want released?
After Trump on July 17 directed Bondi to produce more Epstein documents, federal prosecutors followed up with a motion filed July 18 in federal court in Manhattan seeking to unseal grand jury transcripts in the criminal cases against Epstein and his former associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
“Based on the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein, I have asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval,” Trump wrote on social media.
Epstein’s federal sex-trafficking case was still pending when he was found dead in a jail cell in 2019.
It was a partial about-face for Trump, after his Justice Department released a memo July 7 saying no further Epstein disclosure was warranted. But it’s not clear what portion of the government’s Epstein files are taken up by that testimony.
When will the new information become public?
It could take time for the courts to release any records, and the grand jury documents are just a portion of the unreleased files.
“What about videos, photographs and other recordings?” Democratic Rep. Daniel Goldman, a former prosecutor, wrote on social media in response to Bondi saying she’d seek the release of grand jury testimony. “What about FBI… (witness interviews)? What about texts and emails?”
Meanwhile, Congress also is considering another, non-binding, resolution calling for the release of Epstein records. The House Rules Committee advanced the resolution July 17 on a party-line vote. Democrats opposed the measure because it is non-binding.
What Epstein information was previously released?
Trump previously accused the Biden administration of hiding a list of Epstein clients.
he Department of Justice teased that more files would be coming out, but then on July 7, Bondi said there was no client list and no further disclosure was needed.
That led to a wave of backlash from Trump’s MAGA base.
What was Trump’s reletionship with Epstein?
Trump’s association with Epstein, whom he knew socially, has dogged him since his first term in office. In 2019, Trump said he’d had a “falling out” with Epstein, whom he described as a “Palm Beach fixture,” in the mid-2000s.
Trump hasn’t explained why, but a 2019 Washington Post story describes a power struggle the two men had that year over an oceanfront Palm Beach mansion.
In 2022, Trump called Epstein a “terrific guy.”
“He’s a lot of fun to be with,” Trump told New York magazine. “It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”
Is Trump in the Epstein files?
Trump has already appeared in legal documents concerning Epstein’s crimes, but never in a way that implicates him.
In the 1990s, Trump rode on aircraft owned by Epstein, according to flight logs released in two lawsuits. But that was 30-plus years ago.
In Palm Beach County state attorney documents, an image of a message pad communication seized in a Palm Beach police search appeared, but there is nothing more than Trump’s name and a phone number.
Contributing: Aysha Bagchi, Joey Garrison, Zac Anderson, Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, Kinsey Crowly, Holly Baltz.
