In a major development, US President Donald Trump was informed in May that his name has appeared in files related to the Justice Department's review of the Jeffrey Epstein case, CNN reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Attorney General Pam Bondi, during a briefing with Trump and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche at the White House, said the presence of Trump's name in the documents.
As per the updates from two White House officials, the meeting was a "routine briefing" covering the Justice Department's findings, and the mention of Trump's name was not the primary focus.
Bondi told Trump about high-profile figures named in documents
Bondi also told Trump that other high-profile figures were named in the documents, but investigators did not find evidence of a so-called client list or anything contradicting the conclusion that Epstein died by suicide, CNN reported.
Sources familiar with the department's review told CNN that the files contained several unsubstantiated claims, including those related to Trump, which the Justice Department ultimately deemed not credible.
Still unclear in what context Trump's name appeared in the document
It remains unclear in what context Trump's name appeared in the documents. As CNN noted, Trump was among several prominent individuals associated with Epstein during the 1990s, when Epstein actively courted celebrities and influential figures to boost his public profile. The new revelations do little to expand on the public's existing understanding of Trump's ties to Epstein.
White House issues statement on Epstein document issue
"The White House is not surprised by this - Trump's name was present in the binders that Bondi produced and handed out," a White House official told CNN.
The official added that many of the materials already released by the Justice Department had included mention of Trump's name.
"The White House does not view this as groundbreaking or new or surprising at all," the official said, emphasizing that there is no evidence implicating Trump in any wrongdoing.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung also responded to the developments in a statement to CNN, saying, "The fact is that the President kicked him out of his club for being a creep. This is nothing more than a continuation of the fake news stories concocted by the Democrats and the liberal media, just like the Obama Russiagate scandal, which President Trump was right about."
With inputs from ANI
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