Trump suggests he’ll release Jeffrey Epstein ‘client list’ if elected: ‘I’d have no problem with it’

essentialsaltes · May 2, 2026

Bard College President Leon Botstein retiring after Jeffrey Epstein ties detailed

Bard College President Leon Botstein will retire at the end of June after 51 years leading that prestigious New York liberal arts school.
Bostein’s announcement came a day after the WilmerHale law firm delivered a critical report about his relationship with the notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to the college’s Board of Trustees.

“Nothing that President Botstein did in connection with his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein was illegal,” WilmerHale attorney Jamie Gorelick wrote in a summary to those trustees, which CNBC obtained.

“But President Botstein made decisions in the course of that relationship that reflect on his leadership of Bard,” wrote Gorelick, who served as a deputy attorney general in the Clinton administration.

“In his public statements and his statements to the Bard community, President Botstein minimized and was not fully accurate in describing his relationship with Epstein.”

essentialsaltes · May 5, 2026

Democrats cry foul over DOJ official representing Bondi in Epstein interview

Lawmakers said the Justice Department has indicated Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon — a candidate to replace Pam Bondi as attorney general — will represent her in a transcribed interview later this month, raising ethical concerns.

[She's a private citizen. Why would We The People pay to represent her?]

“Although Assistant Attorney General Dhillon has refused to engage with Committee Democratic staff, her and DOJ’s actions to date suggest that she is acting in an official capacity in her apparent representation of Ms. Bondi,” said Garcia, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee.

The California congressman said that Justice Department staff provided committee Democrats with Dhillon’s official agency cellphone number when referring them to Bondi’s counsel for the upcoming interview.

“In that case, there would be a clear conflict of interest between Ms. Dhillon’s duties to DOJ and to Ms. Bondi individually,” said the lawmaker, who added that agency policy bars employees from practicing law unless “in the nature of community service” or to represent themselves or family members. “By no reasonable interpretation does Assistant Attorney General Dhillon’s representation of Ms. Bondi fall within these limitations,” Garcia argued.

And the committee’s top Democrat further contended that Dhillon’s attendance on behalf of the former attorney general would violate House rules governing depositions, which stipulate that counsel representing a witness can only consist of two “nongovernmental attorneys” and that other people “including government agency personnel” can’t attend.

Oversight Committee Republicans, however, have maintained that the deal reached with Bondi calls for a “transcribed interview” and not a deposition. A source familiar with the process told Courthouse News that there are no regulations governing those interviews and that such a practice is typical when a witness cooperates on setting a date.

essentialsaltes · May 5, 2026

essentialsaltes said:
Comer is working hard to make sure we never get to the bottom of this. After all, Trump's friends might be hurt.

MTG Says She Would 'Probably Get Put in Jail' If She Released Trump Texts Allegedly Saying Her Youngest Son Deserves Death Threats

“I’ll never forget it,” Greene said, recounting an alleged phone call she received from Trump in her congressional office ahead of a procedural maneuver to force the files' release. “He said, ‘Marjorie, you’re going to have to take your name off that discharge petition… This is a hoax. It’s a Democrat hoax and we’ve got to just put this away and stop doing this.’ ”

“And he said, ‘My friends are going to get hurt. He said his friends would get hurt if we released the Epstein files,’” Greene continued, repeating a story she first told in December 2025. “He said ‘Marjorie, these are good people. These are people you know at Mar-a-Lago. People in Palm Beach. They’re going to get hurt by this.’ ”

CRAZY_CAT_WOMAN · May 5, 2026

essentialsaltes said:
MTG Says She Would 'Probably Get Put in Jail' If She Released Trump Texts Allegedly Saying Her Youngest Son Deserves Death Threats
“And he said, ‘My friends are going to get hurt. He said his friends would get hurt if we released the Epstein files,’” Greene continued, repeating a story she first told in December 2025. “He said ‘Marjorie, these are good people. These are people you know at Mar-a-Lago. People in Palm Beach. They’re going to get hurt by this.’ ”

I doubt Trump is worried about his friends in America getting hurt. All Trump has to do, is pardon them. And rehire them. Like he has already done, with other criminals. Also this would mean Trump knows, that some of his friends are pedofiles. And Trump is fine with it.

essentialsaltes · May 6, 2026

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick set to be questioned about relationship with Jeffrey Epstein

He is the first Trump Cabinet official to face the House Oversight Committee.

Lutnick agreed to the voluntary transcribed interview after months of criticism over his relationship with Epstein -- who was once Lutnick's neighbor -- and past statements distancing himself from the notorious sex offender.

['I barely knew the guy! And I dropped him like a hot potato when I heard the news!']

However, documents released by the Department of Justice showed that Lutnick planned a visit to Epstein's private island in 2012 -- years after Epstein pleaded guilty to two prostitution-related charges in 2008.

When asked about the documents in February, Lutnick acknowledged he visited the island and said that he did not see anything inappropriate during his visit.

Lutnick also appeared to enter a business deal with Epstein in 2012, according to documents released by the Department of Justice. Both men signed business documents in 2012 to acquire an advertising company called Adfin.

essentialsaltes · May 10, 2026

Jeffrey Epstein allegedly footed medical bills for this major Trump ally (Steve Bannon)

In the text exchange between Bannon and Epstein dated between June 29 to July 3, 2018, the two discuss a variety of topics relating to Trump, his son-in-law Jared Kushner and Bannon's personal health. Epstein offered the personal cellphone number of Dr. Bernard Kruger, a Manhattan health practitioner who stepped away from two concierge practices after it was revealed he had a relationship with Epstein, according to The New York Times.

"Your medical expenses from a to z have been covered by me — least I could do," Epstein wrote back.

DaisyDay · May 11, 2026

essentialsaltes said:
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick set to be questioned about relationship with Jeffrey Epstein
He is the first Trump Cabinet official to face the House Oversight Committee.

Lutnick agreed to the voluntary transcribed interview after months of criticism over his relationship with Epstein -- who was once Lutnick's neighbor -- and past statements distancing himself from the notorious sex offender.

['I barely knew the guy! And I dropped him like a hot potato when I heard the news!']

However, documents released by the Department of Justice showed that Lutnick planned a visit to Epstein's private island in 2012 -- years after Epstein pleaded guilty to two prostitution-related charges in 2008.

When asked about the documents in February, Lutnick acknowledged he visited the island and said that he did not see anything inappropriate during his visit.

Lutnick also appeared to enter a business deal with Epstein in 2012, according to documents released by the Department of Justice. Both men signed business documents in 2012 to acquire an advertising company called Adfin.

Oh, Lutnick explained that when he said, "I never went to Epstein Island" he was telling the truth, because "I" is not "We" and since he took his wife and children [!!], that was "we".

Good thing he was not under oath or televised.

Bradskii · May 11, 2026

DaisyDay said:
Oh, Lutnick explained that when he said, "I never went to Epstein Island" he was telling the truth, because "I" is not "We" and since he took his wife and children [!!], that was "we".

Good thing he was not under oath or televised.

I didn't rob that bank. Because there was three of us.

essentialsaltes · May 28, 2026

essentialsaltes said:
Democrats cry foul over DOJ official representing Bondi in Epstein interview
Lawmakers said the Justice Department has indicated Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon — a candidate to replace Pam Bondi as attorney general — will represent her in a transcribed interview later this month, raising ethical concerns.

[She's a private citizen. Why would We The People pay to represent her?]

Bondi is set to face questions about the Epstein files. It isn’t clear how much she will say

For one, the former attorney general will not be under oath in a sworn deposition but will provide a transcribed interview, which is voluntary. Bondi’s interview with the committee will happen behind closed doors with members of the committee and staff and will not be filmed. The committee says it plans to release a transcript soon after the hearing.

Former Atty. Gen. William Barr, former President Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton all gave sworn depositions.

Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), the chair of the committee, rejected the Clintons’ offer to provide a transcribed interview, rather than sit for a deposition, out of concern that someone giving a transcribed interview could “refuse to answer whatever questions he wanted for whatever reasons he wanted.”

And Bondi will be represented at her interview by Assistant Atty. Gen. Harmeet Dhillon, which legal experts say raises the prospects that the Department of Justice could direct Bondi to not answer some questions posed by the committee.

Typically, this type of work would be handled by a less senior attorney at the department who had more direct involvement with the subject matter at hand, the former official said. Dhillon oversees the department’s civil rights division, while the investigations into Epstein were criminal matters.

“I don’t see where Harmeet Dhillon has the experience or the normal level of authority that this would be delegated to,” the official said. “Everything about this seems unusual.”

essentialsaltes · May 29, 2026

Former Attorney General Pam Bondi told lawmakers on Friday morning that she “delegated” oversight of the release of the Epstein files to current Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.

“To the best of my knowledge, the Department produced everything required under the Epstein Files Transparency Act,” Bondi told lawmakers in her opening statement.

“As the head of a large Department with broad responsibilities, I did not lead every aspect of this effort or conduct that document review myself. I delegated oversight over this process to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. The team of professionals who reviewed all of the materials that we collected assured me the only materials that were withheld were either non-responsive, privileged, or duplicative,” she said.

'we did our job perfectly, but if we didn't, it's Todd's fault.' Kind of a different tune from 'the client list is on my desk'.

Hans Blaster · May 29, 2026

essentialsaltes said:
Former Attorney General Pam Bondi told lawmakers on Friday morning that she “delegated” oversight of the release of the Epstein files to current Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.

“To the best of my knowledge, the Department produced everything required under the Epstein Files Transparency Act,” Bondi told lawmakers in her opening statement.

“As the head of a large Department with broad responsibilities, I did not lead every aspect of this effort or conduct that document review myself. I delegated oversight over this process to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. The team of professionals who reviewed all of the materials that we collected assured me the only materials that were withheld were either non-responsive, privileged, or duplicative,” she said.

'we did our job perfectly, but if we didn't, it's Todd's fault.' Kind of a different tune from 'the client list is on my desk'.

Looks like she threw Cartman under the bus. (Shrug)

Tinker Grey · May 29, 2026

Hans Blaster said:
Looks like she threw Cartman under the bus. (Shrug)

Sure it wasn't Kenny?

essentialsaltes · May 30, 2026

Democrats call Bondi’s Epstein files interview a ‘sham’

Bondi was joined in her interview by attorneys from the Department of Justice, including Assistant Atty. Gen. Harmeet Dhillon, who intervened to prevent answers to some questions about Trump, Democrats said.

“The DOJ is in there right now stopping questions about President Trump and about what happened in the release of these files,” said Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Long Beach), the ranking Democrat on the committee.

He said Bondi, who was not under oath, declined to answer five questions he posed about the president.

Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M) said that in the interview, Bondi acknowledged she had never met with any of Epstein’s victims.

In Bondi’s opening statement, reviewed by The Times, she acknowledged issues with the rollout of the files, but defended the administration’s handling of the release.

When asked about what Trump might have known about Epstein’s crimes, Bondi said she did not know, according to Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-Va.)

“I’m not certain of the extent of his knowledge,” Bondi said, according to Walkinshaw.

Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) was the only Republican member of Congress to attend the interview and Democrats called out their Republican colleagues for not joining.

Belk · May 30, 2026

essentialsaltes said:
Democrats call Bondi’s Epstein files interview a ‘sham’
Bondi was joined in her interview by attorneys from the Department of Justice, including Assistant Atty. Gen. Harmeet Dhillon, who intervened to prevent answers to some questions about Trump, Democrats said.

“The DOJ is in there right now stopping questions about President Trump and about what happened in the release of these files,” said Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Long Beach), the ranking Democrat on the committee.

He said Bondi, who was not under oath, declined to answer five questions he posed about the president.

Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M) said that in the interview, Bondi acknowledged she had never met with any of Epstein’s victims.

In Bondi’s opening statement, reviewed by The Times, she acknowledged issues with the rollout of the files, but defended the administration’s handling of the release.

When asked about what Trump might have known about Epstein’s crimes, Bondi said she did not know, according to Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-Va.)

“I’m not certain of the extent of his knowledge,” Bondi said, according to Walkinshaw.

Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) was the only Republican member of Congress to attend the interview and Democrats called out their Republican colleagues for not joining.

Why would the Republicans bother to join after they set this up in order to ensure no questions were actually answered? It would just be waste of their time.

essentialsaltes · Jun 2, 2026

essentialsaltes said:
New Mexico House unanimously enacts Epstein ‘truth commission’
The New Mexico House on Monday voted unanimously to establish an investigatory subcommittee to examine the activities of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his former Zorro ranch in Santa Fe County.

New Mexico lawmakers to blast out subpoenas in Epstein investigation

The New Mexico Truth Commission is demanding documents in search of the full story of Jeffrey Epstein’s notorious ranch.

A committee known as the New Mexico Truth Commission expects to send subpoenas this week to 14 targets. They include federal agencies that investigated Epstein in the past — the U.S. Justice Department and the FBI — and state and local law enforcement agencies that looked into Epstein. Demands are also expected to go to Epstein’s former banks — Deutsche Bank and JPMorgan Chase — and the Santa Fe Institute, a nonprofit scientific research institution he supported.

The goal is to “build a complete documented public record,” Republican state Rep. Andrea Reeb said at a meeting at the New Mexico State Capitol. “We will name what happened, we will name who was responsible, and we will do so with the evidentiary regard that survivors deserve and that the law requires.”

essentialsaltes · Thursday at 4:58 PM

Lawmakers ask DOJ to investigate additional alleged abusers named by former Epstein assistant

Sarah Kellen alleged that Philip Levine and Frédéric Fekkai had abused her.

Sarah Kellen, a longtime personal assistant to Epstein, told the Oversight Committee that she was sexually abused by Epstein for over a decade, and disclosed for the first time allegations that she was also abused by Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's convicted accomplice, and by two other men in his orbit, according to a transcript of Kellen's interview made public Thursday.

Kellen alleged that celebrity hairstylist Frédéric Fekkai and Philip Levine, a wealthy businessman who was later elected mayor of Miami Beach, were the other men who had also abused her.

Both men, through their representatives, denied the allegations in statements to ABC News.

One of four women named as potential co-conspirators in Epstein's controversial 2007 non-prosecution agreement, Kellen was previously a subject of criminal investigations in Florida and New York. She has never been charged -- due, in part, to her own allegations of persistent sexual abuse at the hands of the disgraced financier, according to court documents and records released earlier this year by the Justice Department.

[Kellen spoke only of her own abuse on the advice of her lawyer, clamming up about other victims or perps.]

Kellen told the lawmakers she would be "a hundred percent" willing to answer more questions if given immunity by Congress or the Justice Department.

essentialsaltes · Monday at 2:57 PM

Blanche announced the DOJ would not be releasing the 2.5 million remaining Epstein files in its possession, saying the department had "moved on."

"Dear Todd Blanche: You don't get to decide to 'move on' from the Epstein Files or from following the congressional law," [Rep Ted] Lieu wrote. "That decision can only be made by the American people and Congress. You will be disbarred. The files will eventually be released."

Blanche is already facing serious legal jeopardy on a separate front. As Raw Story reported Saturday, 35 retired federal judges filed a motion accusing Blanche of committing fraud upon the court in connection with Trump's $1.8 billion IRS settlement — a finding that, if verified, could cost him his law license in New York, where he is licensed to practice, according to legal experts.

Pommer · Monday at 3:28 PM

essentialsaltes said:
Blanche announced the DOJ would not be releasing the 2.5 million remaining Epstein files in its possession, saying the department had "moved on."

"Dear Todd Blanche: You don't get to decide to 'move on' from the Epstein Files or from following the congressional law," [Rep Ted] Lieu wrote. "That decision can only be made by the American people and Congress. You will be disbarred. The files will eventually be released."

Blanche is already facing serious legal jeopardy on a separate front. As Raw Story reported Saturday, 35 retired federal judges filed a motion accusing Blanche of committing fraud upon the court in connection with Trump's $1.8 billion IRS settlement — a finding that, if verified, could cost him his law license in New York, where he is licensed to practice, according to legal experts.

This summer is going to get very Epstein-y, senators Whitehouse and Schiff sit on the Senate Judiciary Committee and will delight in holding Blanche’s feet to the fire.

essentialsaltes · 2026-06-10T09:05:21-0500

Bill Gates is appearing before Congress over Epstein involvement

Gates, who has denied having any knowledge of Epstein's crimes, will sit for a closed-door transcribed interview.

"I'm glad to be here voluntarily to testify to help with the committee's work," Gates told reporters. "I hope my testimony is helpful to the important work of the committee to find justice for the victims."

The interview will not be recorded, in contrast to the videotaped appearances this year of former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, according to the committee. The Republican-led committee will instead release a transcript in the days afterward, as it did after the appearances of former Attorney General Pam Bondi and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

Gates' name appears numerous times in the Epstein files. He allegedly met with Epstein multiple times after the financier's conviction in 2008 for sex crimes that involved minors. An email indicates that Gates planned to travel on Epstein's private plane in 2013.

Epstein claims, in an email that appears to be sent to himself, that he helped Bill Gates get medication to treat a sexually transmitted infection from "sex with russian girls." Epstein also said that Gates had wanted to try to give that medication to [his then wife] French Gates in secret.

A spokesperson for Bill Gates told NPR this year: "These claims are absolutely absurd and completely false."

essentialsaltes · 2026-06-10T12:59:53-0500

Three of four Republicans who forced the release of the Epstein files are now out of jobs

With GOP Rep. Nancy Mace’s fifth-place finish in the South Carolina gubernatorial primary Tuesday, three of the four House Republicans who forced the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files will soon no longer hold elected office.

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene resigned from Congress earlier this year after repeatedly breaking with Trump on Epstein and other issues. And Trump last month marshaled a furious – and ultimately successful – primary campaign to oust Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, a leader of the discharge petition.

Trump has also targeted the fourth signer of the petition, Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert — especially when she campaigned for Massie — but he did so too late for a primary challenger to file. Boebert is unopposed in her primary and expected to win the general election in a solidly Republican district.

The quick exits of most of the Epstein Four are, in a way, pretty remarkable. When the files issue first began percolating, it was in large part because of right-wing Trump supporters — and often Trump-aligned influencers.

The likes of now-FBI Director Kash Patel and his former No. 2, podcaster Dan Bongino, repeatedly promoted the idea that there was a scandal to uncover. Vice President JD Vance also promoted such theories.

But as 2025 wore on, it became clear Trump — who was once close with Epstein and whose name wound up appearing frequently in the files — was not at all keen on the transparency that his administration had promised. The New York Times on Wednesday published a detailed account from reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan recounting how the administration struggled to reconcile Trump’s reluctance with the base’s conspiratorial fervor. (Trump has long denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein or any allegation of sexual misconduct.)

[Another interesting factoid, of the 17 Republicans who voted to impeach/convict Trump, no more than 3 will hold office after November.]

Trump suggests he’ll release Jeffrey Epstein ‘client list’ if elected: ‘I’d have no problem with it’

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My dad died 1/12/2023. I'm still devastated.

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Senior Member

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