- - - Which MAGA supporters is Trump calling 'weaklings' over Epstein files? See the list

Kinsey Crowley and Holly Baltz, USA TODAY NETWORK July 17, 2025 at 11:09 PM

President Donald Trump appears at odds with some of his supporters over files on the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Epstein was a financier and convicted sex offender who died while awaiting trial in 2019. Trump had long accused the Biden administration of hiding a list of Epstein clients. In March, Attorney General Pam Bondi said she had a "truckload" of Epstein files to review and potentially release. On July 7, Bondi's Justice Department said there was no "client list" and no further disclosure was needed.

The move prompted an outcry for more transparency among Republicans, even as Trump appeared to downplay it as old news. His apparent frustration over the matter reached a new high in a July 16 Truth Social Post.

"(Democrats') new SCAM is what we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax, and my PAST supporters have bought into this “bulls***,” hook, line, and sinker," Trump wrote. "Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats work, don’t even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don’t want their support anymore!"

Trump later said the DOJ should release "credible" records related to Epstein, according to a White House pool report.

Who was Jeffrey Epstein? What to know about the late sex offender

Which Republicans have called for more transparency on the Epstein files?

Since Bondi's memo, here are some prominent Republicans who have spoken out against the Trump administration with calls to release the files:

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson called for more transparency on the matter.

Trump's daughter-in-law Lara Trump also called for more transparency.

Rep. Mike Lee, R-Utah, called for Ghislaine Maxwell to testify to Congress on Benny Johnson's podcast, "The Benny Show."

Charlie Kirk, the head of Turning Point USA, listed 10 things he thinks should be done about the files and witnesses.

Rep. Lauren Boebert said, "no one is satisfied with what has been received of lack thereof," on "The Benny Show."

House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer said, "people want to see accountability," on "The Benny Show."

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, cosponsored a petition to force a House vote on releasing the files.

House Democrats have also introduced legislative measures to release the Epstein files.

What was Epstein convicted of?

Epstein never sat for trial, but he pleaded guilty to solicitation of prostitution and solicitation of a minor for prostitution in 2008 in Florida. He was also a registered sex offender.

He died in 2019, before he could be tried for sex trafficking charges in New York. He was found hanged in a Manhattan jail cell, and the medical examiner ruled it a suicide.

When was Epstein caught and first charged?

A police investigation into Epstein began in March 2005 after a woman from the Palm Beach area in Florida said her 14-year-old step-daughter had been molested by a wealthy man.

In July 2006, Epstein was indicted by a grand jury on a felony charge of soliciting prostitution, which did not address the 14-year-old victim's age. He was arrested and spent one night in Palm Beach County jail, released the next day on $3,000 bond.

Epstein signed a non-prosecution agreement that was called the "deal of the century." He pleaded guilty in 2008 to solicitation of prostitution and solicitation of a minor for prostitution. He was sentenced to 18 months in jail, where he was allowed work leave privileges six days a week/12 hours a day over the 13 months he served.

When he was released from jail, he spent a year on house arrest but was allowed to travel anywhere so long as he returned in 24 hours.

Is Donald Trump in the Epstein files?

Trump has already appeared in legal documents concerning Epstein's crimes but never in a way that implicates him.

In the 1990s, Trump rode on aircraft owned by Epstein, according to flight logs released in two lawsuits. But that was 30-plus years ago.

In Palm Beach County state attorney documents, an image of a message pad communication seized in a Palm Beach police search appeared, but there is nothing more than Trump's name and a phone number.

Contributing: Aysha Bagchi, Sudiksha Kochi, USA TODAY

Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at [email protected]. Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @kinseycrowley.bsky.social.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MAGA supporters Trump called 'weaklings' over Epstein files

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