United States President Donald Trump was quietly briefed by senior officials earlier this year that his name appears in documents related to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The briefing was reportedly conducted by Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche at the White House in February. According to The Wall Street Journal, which first broke the story, the documents contained “unverified hearsay” about multiple high-profile individuals, including Trump.

The reports, also carried by CNN and The New York Times, have not detailed the context of Trump’s mention, nor has any allegation of criminal wrongdoing been levelled against him. Nonetheless, the inclusion of Trump’s name in the so-called “Epstein files” has triggered a storm of political controversy and reignited public demand for transparency.

White House pushes back

In response, the White House launched a robust counteroffensive. Communications Director Steven Cheung labelled the reports “fake news,” insisting that the president had long severed ties with Epstein, who he said was removed from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida “for being a creep.”

Cheung accused the media and Democrats of reviving the Epstein story to damage Trump’s campaign. “This is nothing more than a continuation of the fake news stories concocted by the Democrats and the liberal media,” he said.

Privately, however, White House officials have not denied the core claim — that Trump’s name appears in the documents. Speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, a senior official pointed out that previously disclosed files from the Justice Department, shared with right-wing influencers in February, had already included Trump’s name and even contact information for some of his family members.

The revelation has placed the White House in a delicate position. President Trump had previously promised to unseal all Epstein-related records during his campaign — a pledge that remains unfulfilled. The administration has since been accused of backtracking, as a federal judge on Wednesday rejected the Justice Department’s request to unseal grand jury records tied to Epstein’s 2006 Florida case.

“The court’s hands are tied”

In a 12-page order, Judge Robin Rosenberg ruled that Florida law prohibits the release of grand jury material, effectively blocking any immediate effort to make the records public. She also declined to transfer the matter to New York, where two judges are separately reviewing requests to unseal transcripts related to Epstein’s 2019 sex-trafficking case.

“The court’s hands are tied,” the judge wrote, adding that she had no legal authority to override state-level grand jury secrecy protections.

The ruling has deepened concerns in Congress over the lack of transparency in the Epstein case. Senator Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, has called for Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

“We need to bring Bondi and Patel into the Judiciary Committee to testify about this now,” Schiff said in a video posted on social media platform X.

Republican infighting intensifies

The Epstein revelations have also triggered fresh divisions within the Republican Party. Some of Trump’s most ardent supporters expressed outrage at Bondi for her assessment that there was “nothing in the files warranting further investigation.” Calls for her resignation soon followed.

In a dramatic move on Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson abruptly ended congressional voting ahead of the summer recess — a decision widely seen as an effort to stall a growing bipartisan push to force the release of Epstein-related documents.

Nevertheless, on Wednesday, a rare alliance of Republicans and Democrats on the House Oversight Subcommittee voted to subpoena the Justice Department for the files. Republicans Nancy Mace, Scott Perry and Brian Jack joined five Democrats in supporting the measure. Two Republicans voted against. However, the subpoena still requires approval from Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer to be enforced.

Maxwell may testify before Congress

Amid the renewed focus on Epstein’s network, attention has also shifted to Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former associate currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking. Maxwell is expected to meet with Justice Department officials, and may testify remotely before Congress on August 11.

Her lawyer, David Oscar Markus, confirmed to the BBC that discussions with federal prosecutors are ongoing and that Maxwell “would testify truthfully, as she always has said she would,” if she chooses to waive her constitutional right to remain silent.

House Speaker Johnson, however, warned against placing faith in Maxwell’s testimony. “This is a person who’s been sentenced for terrible, unspeakable, conspiratorial acts,” he said.

Lingering conspiracy theories

Attorney General Bondi also sought to dispel persistent conspiracy theories surrounding Epstein’s death, reiterating that he died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial in a New York jail. She also claimed there was no “incriminating client list” found in the Justice Department’s review.

Despite this, the lingering secrecy and the involvement of prominent figures — including Trump — have only fueled suspicion and political division. Analysts say the White House’s strategy of denial while refusing to fully disclose the records may carry political risks, particularly among MAGA supporters who had expected full transparency.