President Donald Trump directed the Justice Department and FBI to investigate Jeffrey Epstein's alleged ties to Democrats, specifically naming former President Bill Clinton and former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers. Four hours after Trump's directive, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced via social media that she had appointed U.S.
Attorney Jay Clayton to lead the investigation into Epstein's Democratic connections. Critics, including former federal prosecutor Joyce Vance, argue that Trump's directive and Bondi's public assignment of the case demonstrate the politicization of the Justice Department, as presidents are not supposed to direct attorneys general to open criminal cases, especially in a partisan manner, and such investigations are not typically publicized this way.
This action by Bondi represents a reversal from a July memo from the Justice Department and FBI that stated there was no basis for further inquiries into anyone related to the Epstein case, suggesting federal law enforcement had previously concluded no further investigations were needed.
