‘Epstein files’ explained: Why Trump is under pressure

WASHINGTON - A perceived lack of transparency over the US investigations into the late notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has

carved a rare chasm

between US President Donald Trump and his typically loyal Republican base.

As Mr Trump struggles to quell his supporters’ obsessions with the case – one long surrounded by conspiracy theories – AFP outlines its history and why it has caused so much outrage.

Origins of the Epstein case

Jeffrey Epstein, a wealthy American financier, was first charged with sex offences in 2006 after the parents of a 14-year-old girl told police that he had molested their daughter at his Florida home.

He avoided federal charges – which could have seen him face life in prison – due to a controversial plea deal with prosecutors that saw him jailed for just under 13 months.

In July 2019, he was arrested again in New York and charged with trafficking dozens of teenage girls and engaging in sex acts with them in exchange for money.

Prosecutors said he worked with employees and associates to ensure a “steady supply of minor victims to abuse”.

Epstein pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. On Aug 10, 2019, while he was in custody awaiting trial, the authorities said he was found dead in his prison cell after hanging himself.

A separate case against Epstein’s girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, who was jailed in 2022 for helping him abuse girls, detailed his connections with high-profile figures like Britain’s Prince Andrew and former US president Bill Clinton.

Both men have denied any wrongdoing.

Why are there conspiracy theories?

Some people believe that the authorities are concealing details about the Epstein case to protect rich and powerful elites who associated with him, including Mr Trump.

Those ideas have gripped Mr Trump’s Make America Great Again (Maga) movement – but demands for more transparency have crossed the political aisle.

One key theory centres on a rumoured client list of individuals who committed sex offences alongside Epstein. The Trump administration has insisted that no such list exists.

Sceptics also allege suspicious circumstances in Epstein’s death, such as the security cameras around his cell apparently malfunctioning on the night he died, in addition to other irregularities.

Trump and the Epstein case

Mr Trump, who as a New York property magnate rubbed shoulders with Epstein, said when re-running for president that he would “probably” release files related to the case.

But since taking office, many of Mr Trump’s supporters have been disappointed by what they see as a failure to deliver.

The 79-year-old himself was dragged into the conspiracy theories after his former adviser Elon Musk claimed in June – in a now-deleted X post – that

Mr Trump was “in the Epstein files”.

The Trump administration’s efforts to appease demands for a full disclosure of the so-called Epstein files have largely fallen short.

A bundle released in February that promised to shed light on the Epstein case contained little new information.

Meanwhile, an almost 11-hour video published in July to dispel theories Epstein was murdered fell flat.

The camera angle showed a section of the New York prison on the night Epstein died, but appeared to be missing a minute of footage, fuelling more speculation online.

And a memo from the Justice Department and FBI last week saying the Epstein files did not contain evidence that would justify further investigation was met by calls for the heads of the agencies to resign.

What comes next?

Mr Trump has been toeing a delicate line – saying he

supports the release of any “credible” files related to Epstein

while dismissing the case as “pretty boring stuff”.

But even the normally authoritative president seems unable to arrest the disruption, as critics and even key allies call for more transparency.

Mr Mike Johnson, the Republican Speaker of the House, has not followed Mr Trump’s line on the issue and has instead urged the Justice Department to make public any documents linked to Epstein.

Meanwhile, Democrats have seized on the rift between Mr Trump and his party by demanding his administration publish the full evidence held by prosecutors in their case against Epstein. AFP