WASHINGTON − President Donald Trump says he's asking the Justice Department and the FBI to investigate Democrats linked to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including former President Bill Clinton, who he alleged "spent large portions of their life" with the disgraced financier.

"I will be asking A.G. Pam Bondi, and the Department of Justice, together with our great patriots at the FBI, to investigate Jeffrey Epstein’s involvement and relationship with Bill Clinton, Larry Summers, Reid Hoffman, J.P. Morgan Chase, and many other people and institutions, to determine what was going on with them, and him," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Bondi responded a few hours later that she asked Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, to "take the lead" on the investigation.

"As with all matters, the Department will pursue this with urgency and integrity to deliver answers to the American people," Bondi wrote.

Trump's call came after Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released emails obtained from Epstein's estate in which the late financier, who was friends with Trump for more than a decade, alleged the president "knew about the girls." "I am the one able to take him down," Epstein wrote in another email.

Trump also railed against Republicans working with Democrats to force the full release of Epstein's federal case files, calling them "soft and foolish" in a social media post, and urged them to stop digging into his relationship with the disgraced financier.

"Some Weak Republicans have fallen into their clutches because they are soft and foolish. Epstein was a Democrat, and he is the Democrat’s problem, not the Republican’s problem!" Trump wrote. "Ask Bill Clinton, Reid Hoffman, and Larry Sommers about Epstein, they know all about him, don’t waste your time with Trump. I have a Country to run!"

Epstein socialized with the rich, famous and members of academia, many of whom were criticized following his 2019 sex trafficking indictment for maintaining ties to him after he'd pleaded guilty in 2008 to state child prostitution charges in Florida.

Clinton hosted Epstein at the White House in the 1990s and traveled on Epstein’s jet. Summers was Clinton’s secretary of Treasury, and kept up a casual email relationship with Epstein as recently as 2017, according to emails released this week.

Epstein was a longtime client of JP Morgan Chase, which was accused of facilitating Epstein’s trafficking ring. The bank reached a nine-figure settlement with Epstein’s accusers after they sued over the bank’s role in Epstein’s finances.

Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn, helped facilitate donations from Epstein to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Trump threat comes amid House push for DOJ to release all Epstein files

Democrats had enough support as of this week to override Republican leaders in the House and bring a bill to the floor that would compel the Department of Justice to release its remaining files on Epstein, who died by suicide while he was in jail awaiting trial for sex trafficking charges. Four Republicans signed on, including Trump ally Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.

The other Republicans were Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Nancy Mace of South Carolina and Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who has been leading the push alongside Democrat Ro Khanna of California to bring the legislation to the House floor.

With the swearing-in this week of Arizona Rep. Adelita Grijalva, the discharge petition reached the 218 vote threshold. House Speaker Mike Johnson has said he will hold a vote on the bill sometime next week. It would also need to pass the Senate.

Massie accused Johnson, Trump, Bondi and FBI director Kash Patel of trying to kill the petition in a statement to USA TODAY on Nov. 14.

"Next week could be big for survivors of Epstein’s sex trafficking scheme because we are forcing a recorded vote in the House on releasing the Epstein files," Massie said. "President Trump and Speaker Johnson can still be on the right side by encouraging a YEA vote.”

Trump's name came up in emails that Democrats obtained from Epstein's estate and released on Nov. 12, prompting a new wave of scrutiny on his friendship with the convicted sex offender. The president says he had a falling out with Epstein after he "stole" young female workers from him, and the White House said their friendship ended because Epstein was a creep.

One of the Epstein emails alleged Trump “knew about the girls." Another said that Trump "spent hours at my house" with one of the victims. Republicans have since identified that person as prominent Epstein accuser and former Trump employee Virginia Giuffre, a former spa attendant at his Palm Beach resort, who did not level accusations against Trump. Trump has forcefully denied any wrongdoing in what he calls the "Epstein hoax."

"These emails prove absolutely nothing other than the fact that President Trump did nothing wrong," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said this week.

Giuffre died by suicide in April. She said in a unsealed deposition for a defamation lawsuit against Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell that she was forced as a teenager to have sex with powerful men.

Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

Contributing: Erin Mansfield

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: After email release, Trump calls on DOJ to probe Democrats tied to Epstein

Reporting by Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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