Trump blasts MAGA focus on Jeffrey Epstein after memo causes uproar

US president dismisses lingering questions astir accused enactment trafficker aft instrumentality enforcement reappraisal dismays supporters.

United States President Donald Trump has waved distant lingering questions astir accused enactment trafficker Jeffrey Epstein aft the release of a instrumentality enforcement memo astir the case incensed segments of his MAGA base.

Trump’s aggravated dismissal of the continuing involvement successful the lawsuit connected Tuesday came aft a associated reappraisal by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI concluded that Epstein died by termination and did not person a “client list”.

“Are you inactive talking astir Jeffrey Epstein? This guy’s been talked astir for years,” Trump said successful effect to a reporter’s question directed astatine US Attorney General Pam Bondi.

“Are radical inactive talking astir this guy, this creep? That is unbelievable,” Trump continued, earlier asking Bondi if she wanted to “waste the time” addressing the question.

“I mean, I can’t judge you’re asking a question connected Epstein astatine a clip similar this, wherever we’re having immoderate of the top occurrence and besides tragedy, with what happened successful Texas,” Trump said.

“It conscionable seems similar a desecration.”

Prominent figures successful Trump’s “Make America Great Again” conjugation reacted to Monday’s memo with disbelief and outrage, accusing members of the medication of joining a cover-up astir the information of Epstein’s decease and his connections to governmental and fiscal elites.

Alex Jones, the laminitis of the conspiracy website InfoWars, called the memo “over the apical sickening” and suggested the DOJ mightiness adjacent assertion that Epstein “never adjacent existed”.

Laura Loomer, a far-right activistic and influencer, called connected Bondi to resign, suggesting successful a vigor interrogation that she appeared much funny successful being “another Fox News Barbie” than doing her occupation arsenic lawyer general.

In an occurrence of his podcast, Former Fox News big Tucker Carlson claimed Bondi was covering up “very superior crimes”.

Conspiracy theories suggesting that Epstein was murdered and possessed sexually compromising worldly connected almighty figures person circulated wide since his 2019 decease successful a Manhattan jailhouse cell, particularly successful right-wing circles.

Before the merchandise of Monday’s memo, elder Trump medication figures, including Bondi and FBI manager Kash Patel, had been among the astir salient figures to lend credence to the beingness of a database of Epstein’s clients.

In an interrogation with Fox News successful February, Bondi was asked if her section planned to merchandise “the database of Jeffrey Epstein’s clients”, to which she responded: “It’s sitting connected my table close present to review.”

On Tuesday, Bondi sought to clarify those comments, saying they referred to documents astir the Epstein case, alternatively than a circumstantial list.

Bondi besides said that she had “no knowledge” of whether Epstein worked with US oregon overseas quality agencies and that thousands of videos reviewed successful the lawsuit could not beryllium released arsenic they consisted of kid intersexual exploitation material.

“Child porn is what they were. Never going to beryllium released, ne'er going to spot the airy of day,” she said.