--- title: White House Nixes Calls for Epstein Special Prosecutor description: The White House tried to end President Trump’s role in the Jeffrey Epstein saga and reject calls for a special prosecutor. canonical: https://time.com/7303241/jeffrey-epstein-trump-special-prosecutor/ author: Nik Popli article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2025-07-17T20:01:16.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-19T08:09:03.921Z article:section: Politics og:title: White House Nixes Calls for Epstein Special Prosecutor og:description: “The President would not recommend a special prosecutor in the Epstein case. That’s how he feels." og:url: https://time.com/7303241/jeffrey-epstein-trump-special-prosecutor/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc04ecc1a44f449e7/6998c8507323afad3b2bcb14/GettyImages-2225641039.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Media Briefing Held By White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: White House Nixes Calls for Epstein Special Prosecutor twitter:description: “The President would not recommend a special prosecutor in the Epstein case. That’s how he feels." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc04ecc1a44f449e7/6998c8507323afad3b2bcb14/GettyImages-2225641039.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # White House Tries to End Trump's Role in Epstein Saga, Nixes Calls For Special Prosecutor > Sponsored content. 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The White House on Thursday attempted to close the door on President Donald Trump’s role in the Jeffrey Epstein saga, rejecting calls from within his own political base for a special prosecutor and casting his recent comments about the “Epstein Hoax” as a swipe at Democrats, not a dismissal of Epstein’s crimes._  by [Nik Popli](https://time.com/author/nik-popli/)  ## Nik Popli Staff Writer Jul 17, 2025 8:01 PM UTC The White House on Thursday attempted to close the door on President Donald Trump’s role in the Jeffrey Epstein saga, rejecting calls from within his own political base for a special prosecutor and casting his recent comments about the “Epstein Hoax” as a swipe at Democrats, not a dismissal of Epstein’s crimes.  by [Nik Popli](https://time.com/author/nik-popli/)  ## Nik Popli Staff Writer Jul 17, 2025 8:01 PM UTC The White House on Thursday attempted to close the door on President Donald [Trump’s role](https://time.com/7302995/donald-trump-jeffrey-epstein-jd-vance/) in the Jeffrey Epstein saga, rejecting calls from within his own political base for a special prosecutor and casting his recent comments about the [“Epstein Hoax”](https://time.com/7302995/donald-trump-jeffrey-epstein-jd-vance/) as a swipe at Democrats, not a dismissal of Epstein’s crimes. Speaking from the briefing room, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt faced a number of questions from reporters about the Administration’s decision to not release any more files from the case, which has [alienated](https://time.com/7302441/epstein-trump-bondi-republicans-maga/) many of Trump’s most ardent supporters. Leavitt said that the White House had no authority over the release of sealed documents and deflected blame toward the Justice Department and the courts. “In terms of redactions or grand jury seals, those are questions for the Department of Justice, those are also questions for the judges who have that information under a seal,” she said. “That’s out of the President’s control.” The comments came amid a wave of backlash triggered by the Department of Justice’s memo earlier this month declaring there is no “client list” tied to Epstein, the deceased financier and convicted sex offender, and that no further criminal charges or disclosures would be coming. Many in Trump’s base began accusing him of falling short of what they expected him to do with the Epstein case, partly because of [years of rhetoric from his allies](https://time.com/7302995/donald-trump-jeffrey-epstein-jd-vance/)—including Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel—that a trove of damning information would be revealed if Trump returned to power. Leavitt insisted that the President supports transparency “if the attorney general and the Department of Justice comes across any other credible evidence.” But she also made clear Trump is not entertaining calls—some coming from MAGA-aligned lawmakers like Reps. Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene—for a special prosecutor to investigate further. “The President would not recommend a special prosecutor in the Epstein case. That’s how he feels,” she said. Leavitt defended Trump’s handling of the case, praising what she called an “exhaustive review” conducted by Bondi, Patel, and Patel’s deputy Dan Bongino—[three Trump loyalists](https://time.com/7302995/donald-trump-jeffrey-epstein-jd-vance/) installed during his second term. “They’ve spent many months going through all of the files related to Jeffrey Epstein,” Leavitt said, adding, “the President has been transparent. He has followed through on his promises to the American people, but he doesn't like to see Democrats in the mainstream media covering this like it's the biggest story.” That message has not quelled the unrest within Trump’s base. High-profile voices from the MAGA world, including retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, Turning Point USA’s Charlie Kirk, and conservative commentator Benny Johnson, have openly criticized Trump’s rhetoric and the Administration’s sudden shift in tone on the release of documents related to Epstein. On Wednesday, Trump lashed out at his critics from the right, calling them “stupid” and “foolish” for falling for what he labeled the “Jeffrey Epstein Hoax.” “My PAST supporters have bought into this ‘bulls—,’ hook, line, and sinker,” he wrote on Truth Social, arguing that Democrats had “conned” them. Leavitt, asked to clarify Trump’s choice of words, insisted he was not dismissing Epstein’s alleged crimes, but rather criticizing Democrats, and alluding to the Biden Administration not drawing similar pushback for not releasing more information on the case. “The fact that Democrats have now seized on this, as if they ever wanted transparency when it comes to Jeffrey Epstein,” she said, “they didn't do a dang thing when it came to transparency in regards to Jeffrey Epstein and his heinous crimes.” ## Transcript Thank you. Caroline. There's been a lot of discussion about the Epstein files and the president's comments yesterday, calling it a hoax. Can you clarify which part of the Epstein hoax is the hoax part? The president is referring to the fact that Democrats have now seized on this as if they ever wanted transparency when it comes to Jeffrey Epstein, which is an asinine suggestion for any Democrat to make. The Democrats had control of this building, the white House for four years, and they didn't do a dang thing when it came to transparency in regards to Jeffrey Epstein and his heinous crimes, it was this president who directed the Department of Justice and the attorney general to do an exhaustive review of all files related to Jeffrey Epstein, which they did. The attorney general and the FBI, led by Pam Bondi, Dan Bongino, Kash Patel. These are great patriots, some of the most trusted voices in the Republican Party movement. It's part of the reason the president appointed him, appointed them to these high law enforcement positions. And they spent many months going through all of the files related to Jeffrey Epstein. And they concluded what they found in that memo, which they drafted and they released. And so the president has been transparent. He has followed through on his promises to the American people, but he doesn't like to see Democrats in the mainstream media covering this like it's the biggest story that the American people care about. What is stopping the administration from just redacting any sensitive information, grand jury information, and putting out what is appropriate so that the American people can decide and then let this story die? Well, in terms of redactions or grand jury seals, those are questions for the Department of Justice. Those are also questions for the judges who have that information under seal. And that would have to be requested and a judge would have to approve it. That's out of the president's control. He has said, in agreement with some of the leaders on Capitol Hill, that if the Attorney General and the Department of Justice come across any other credible evidence, they should provide that to the American people. The president has said that, and he agrees with them on that. The Department of Justice did, and I would refer you to them. Dasha. Has the white House been directly in touch with some of the MAGA influencers that are still not satisfied with this administration's handling, and has a message to them in similar to what the president has said, which is sort of either let this go or we don't need your support. Well, look, the president and this team are always in contact with the president's supporters, with voices of many kinds on both sides of the aisle. I think that's part of the reason this president is a great president, because he's willing to listen and hear other people's perspectives. But ultimately, he has led this country, not just over the past six months, to historic success, but also through his first four years as president and as the leader in the creator of the MAGA movement. He has led through these perilous times for our country based on instinct and in the best interest of the country. And as I always say, the American people should trust in President Trump. The president said that he floated the idea of a special prosecutor in the Epstein case. Can you confirm that? And does he has he asked the attorney general to do this, to appoint a special prosecutor to look it over? Well, the idea was floated from someone in the media to the president. The president would not recommend a special prosecutor in the Epstein case. That's how he feels. And as for his discussions with the attorney general, I'm not sure. Deanna. Thank you so much. Do you know what the president's reaction was to Mike Johnson saying that he wants additional files released, the Epstein files? Was there a conversation with Mike Johnson about that following his comments? I won't discuss the president's private conversations with the speaker of the House, but as I answer to Jackie's question earlier, the president has said if the attorney general and the Department of Justice and the FBI have any more credible evidence in regards to Jeffrey Epstein's crimes, they should put that forward. 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