WASHINGTON, July 24, (Xinhua): US President Donald Trump's name appeared multiple times in the Justice Department's investigative documents relating to the late convicted trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. Citing senior US administration officials, the report said that Attorney General Pam Bondi briefed Trump at a meeting in the White House in May that his name was in the Epstein files, adding that Trump was also told that "many other high-profile figures were also named."

The files contained "what officials felt was unverified hearsay about many people, including Trump, who had socialized with Epstein in the past," the report noted, adding that being mentioned in the records "isn't a sign of wrongdoings." Following the publication of the report, White House communications director Steven Cheung said in a statement, "This is nothing more than a continuation of the fake news stories concocted by the Democrats and the liberal media."

"The fact is that the President kicked him out of his club for being a creep," Cheung said, referring to Epstein. Epstein, who had extensive connections with US political and business elites, was arrested on crime charges and died in prison in August 2019, which was officially ruled a suicide. During his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump pledged to release Epstein-related documents if re-elected. However, earlier this month, the Justice Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation issued a joint memo stating no incriminating "client list" exists and that "no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted."