President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he will ask Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate Jeffrey Epstein's connections with several prominent figures, including former President Bill Clinton and various financial institutions. In a post on his social media platform, Trump claimed that Democrats are attempting to distract from their failures by reviving the Epstein narrative, which he referred to as the "Epstein Hoax."

"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.

This announcement follows the release of emails from Epstein's estate by House Democrats, which mention Trump by name. One email referred to Trump as the "dog that hasn't barked" and suggested that an alleged victim had spent significant time at Trump's residence.

Trump's call for an investigation marks a significant effort to counteract bipartisan pressure for the release of Epstein-related documents. Recently, Democratic Representative Adelita Grijalva became the 218th member to sign a discharge petition aimed at compelling the Justice Department to make these records public.

In response to the emails, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that they "prove absolutely nothing other than the fact that President Trump did nothing wrong." Trump has previously stated that he had not spoken to Epstein in over a decade after their friendship ended.

The Justice Department has not yet commented on Trump's request. Meanwhile, JPMorgan Chase, which had a long-standing banking relationship with Epstein, issued a statement saying they ended their association with him years before his arrest on sex trafficking charges. The bank has faced legal challenges related to Epstein, including a $290 million settlement with his victims and a $75 million settlement with the U.S. Virgin Islands, both of which did not involve admissions of wrongdoing.

As the situation develops, Speaker Mike Johnson has indicated that a vote on the release of Epstein files will be scheduled for next week, which is expected to garner support from many Republican lawmakers. This story is ongoing, and updates will follow as more information becomes available.