US President denies WSJ's claim that "Trump was informed in May that his name was in the Epstein files"

T24 Foreign News

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) claimed that US President Donald Trump was informed that his name had been mentioned in the investigation into billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein , who died while on trial for child abuse. Trump denied the newspaper's claim.

According to the WSJ, officials said Attorney General Pam Bond and her deputy informed President Trump at a White House meeting in May that Epstein's name was in the files. Trump was also told that numerous other prominent figures were also named in the files.

The newspaper alleges that officials also told Trump they didn't plan to release any more documents related to the Epstein investigation because they included child pornography and the victims' personal information. Trump said at the meeting that he would respect the Justice Department's decision not to release any more files.

"This is another fake news story like The Wall Street Journal's earlier reporting," White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said.

The US President also denied this news as he got off the plane in Scotland, where he went on a business visit, saying, "I have never received such a briefing."

When asked whether he would pardon Epstein's girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell , the US president said there was no pardon on his agenda. Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of aiding Epstein's sex trafficking and sentenced to 20 years in prison. She has been in custody since being indicted in 2020 and has not testified at trial.