President Donald Trump was pressed Friday morning on the investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein before departing for Scotland.
When asked by reporters about Epstein and his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, President Trump redirected the focus.
"You should focus on some of the hedge fund guys. I will give you a list," he said. "These guys lived with Jeffrey Epstein. I sure as hell didn't."
The Trump administration has faced growing scrutiny over transparency related to the so-called Epstein files after the Department of Justice and FBI released a memo stating a review of the case found no “incriminating client list.” The memo disappointed some of President Trump’s most loyal supporters, many of whom had expected accountability under his administration.
Amid the backlash, several news outlets have published stories revisiting President Trump’s documented relationship with Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Before their reported falling out in the early 2000s, The Wall Street Journal reported that President Trump sent Epstein a lewd birthday letter. Trump denied sending the letter and filed a defamation lawsuit against the Journal.
Seeking to further distance himself from Epstein on Friday, President Trump stated, "I never went to the island," referring to the private island where Epstein was accused of sexually abusing underage girls.
Meanwhile, the Department of Justice met with Maxwell for the second consecutive day in an apparent effort to gather more information about Epstein and his network. Maxwell’s attorney described the first day of meetings as “productive,” saying his client answered all of the DOJ’s questions truthfully.
It remains unclear what may come from the interviews. When asked whether he would consider pardoning or commuting Maxwell’s sentence — she is currently serving more than 20 years in prison on sex trafficking charges — President Trump said he had not considered it.
"I'm allowed to do it, but it's something I haven't thought about," he said.
Speaking to reporters after arriving in Scotland on Friday afternoon, the president suggested he was not focused on the possibility.
"This is no time to be talking about pardons," he said.
