Epstein scandal: Trump does not publish list, pressure grows

Although US President Trump had promised to release the files in the case of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, he has failed to do so. Now, pressure is mounting, and not only from outside: His own party is turning against him.

The uproar surrounding the Trump administration began last week when White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt announced that no new documents on the Epstein case would be released because they simply didn't exist. While some material is being withheld because it's too gruesome to be released, the US government insists that an alleged "client list" from Epstein's child abuse network is not among them. Everything has been thoroughly investigated, and the results have been made public. Attorney General Pam Bondi declined to answer further questions on Tuesday.

The chairman of Trump's House Republicans, Mike Johnson, also reacted to the failure to release scandalous details from the prosecutor's archives. He called for the release of the Epstein documents on Tuesday.

The government “should disclose everything and let the people decide,” he told Conservative commentator Benny Johnson yesterday.

"I'm all for transparency," Johnson said. He also said Attorney General Pam Bondi needs to "explain" her earlier statements that she had a "client list" on Epstein on her desk. Bondi later clarified that she was referring to the Epstein file, not his client list.

Many Trump supporters reacted with shock when his administration made it clear that it would not keep its promises surrounding the Epstein scandal.

Most want to bring clarity to the case of the US billionaire, who was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell in 2019. The investment banker had been accused of abusing numerous girls and young women and supplying them to celebrities.