Adedokun Waliyu 
US President Donald Trump on Friday urged the Justice Department (DOJ) to release the names of any Democrats linked to Jeffrey Epstein, saying they should be exposed and embarrassed.
The DOJ began releasing records last week from its investigation into Epstein, a wealthy financier who died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial for trafficking underage girls for sex. The latest disclosures contain numerous references to Trump, including documents detailing flights he took on Epstein’s private jet.
Trump was once a friend of Epstein but later distanced himself after the financier’s crimes became public. Despite growing calls for transparency, Trump accused Democrats of driving what he described as a politically motivated probe.
“Now, 1,000,000 more pages on Epstein are found. DOJ is being forced to spend all of its time on this Democrat inspired Hoax,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform. He added that Democrats, not Republicans, worked with Epstein and called for the release of their names.
Trump did not specify which Democrats may be named in the files.
The DOJ missed a December 19 deadline to release the documents in full, despite a law requiring their disclosure. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche previously said the delay was due to the need to carefully redact the identities of Epstein’s victims.
The DOJ has defended Trump, stating that the files contain “untrue and sensationalist claims” against him that were submitted to the FBI before the 2020 election. The department has not clarified which allegations it considers false.
“If they had a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponized against President Trump already,” the department added at the time.
