By ERIC TUCKER
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump won’t suggest a particular counsel within the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, a White Home spokeswoman mentioned Thursday, turning apart requires additional motion in an inquiry that has roiled the Justice Division and angered supporters who had been anticipating a treasure trove of paperwork from the case.
The rejection of a particular counsel is a part of an effort by the White Home to show the web page from continued outrage from corners of Trump’s base over the Justice Division’s refusal final week to launch further data from the investigation into Epstein, a well-connected and rich financier who killed himself in jail in 2019 as he awaited trial on intercourse trafficking expenses.
Officers additionally mentioned Epstein didn’t preserve a much-hyped “client list” and mentioned the proof was clear he had died by suicide regardless of conspiracy theories on the contrary.
Trump on Wednesday sought to clamp down on criticism from his personal supporters about his administration’s dealing with of the Epstein-related data, calling them “weaklings” who have been being duped and characterizing the investigation as a “hoax” — although his hand-picked leaders on the FBI and Justice Division had lengthy stoked public expectations that necessary data was being hidden.
However White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt appeared to shut the door Thursday on a particular counsel for the Epstein investigation, saying “the idea was floated from someone in the media to the president.”
“The president would not recommend a special prosecutor in the Epstein case,” she mentioned.
Justice Division rules permit for the lawyer basic to nominate and supervise an out of doors particular counsel to research allegations of felony wrongdoing in situations when prosecutors may face a possible or perceived battle of curiosity.
The division lately has appointed a succession of particular counsels — generally, although not at all times, plucked from outdoors the company — to steer investigations into politically delicate issues, together with into conduct by President Joe Biden and by Trump.
Final 12 months, Trump’s private attorneys launched an aggressive, and profitable, problem to the appointment of Jack Smith, the particular counsel assigned to research his efforts to undo the 2020 presidential election and his retention of categorized paperwork at his Mar-a-Lago property in Palm Seaside, Florida.
A Trump-appointed choose agreed, ruling that then-Legal professional Basic Merrick Garland had exceeded his bounds by appointing a prosecutor with out Senate approval and affirmation, and dismissed the case.
That authorized workforce included Todd Blanche, who’s now deputy lawyer basic, in addition to Emil Bove, who’s Blanche’s high deputy however was lately nominated to function a choose on a federal appeals courtroom.
Initially Printed: July 17, 2025 at 5:22 PM EDT
