On Friday, President Trump sought to divert attention from his own connections to Jeffrey Epstein, urging both the public and the media to investigate prominent Democrats associated with the late sex offender.
“They should focus on the ties of Larry Summers from Harvard, Bill Clinton, whom you are undoubtedly familiar with, and numerous other close associates of [Epstein]. These individuals warrant discussion. … They should address them rather than discussing me. I had no dealings with the man,” Trump remarked before his departure for Scotland.
“Nevertheless, the dialogue should center on Larry Summers and some of his acquaintances,” Trump continued, stressing that he never set foot on Epstein’s private island, where allegations have emerged regarding affluent individuals engaging in sexual activities with minors.
Summers, who has previously served as president of Harvard and held significant positions within Democratic administrations—including as Treasury Secretary under President Clinton and Director of the National Economic Council during the Obama administration—was named as one of the key figures linked to Epstein in documents released in 2023.
These documents, which contained Epstein’s emails and schedules, revealed that many high-profile individuals continued to meet with Epstein even after he was registered as a sex offender. While the records show that Summers met with Epstein more than a dozen times from 2013 to 2016, long after Harvard stopped accepting donations from Epstein following his 2008 conviction, there is no evidence indicating that Summers engaged in any wrongdoing.
At that time, Summers stated that he “deeply regrets having contact with Epstein after his conviction” and clarified that the meetings were aimed at raising funds for a non-profit organization run by his wife.
Eliza New, Summers’ wife and a former literature professor at Harvard, launched a project in 2016 designed to create educational resources.
Flight logs from Epstein’s private jet, known as the “Lolita Express,” show that Summers was on the aircraft at least four times: once in 1998 when he served as deputy treasury secretary, and at least three more times during his presidency at Harvard.
The links between former President Clinton and Epstein are also well documented, with many photographs showing the two together.
Clinton was referenced in court documents released last year as part of the case against Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s long-time associate, who is currently serving time for enabling his exploitation of underage girls. However, the Times pointed out that there are no reports or direct evidence connecting Clinton to any unlawful activities.
The documents disclose that a woman who accused Prince Andrew of groping her as a minor also alleged that Epstein once commented to her that Clinton “likes them young,” referring to girls.
Additionally, the files include testimony from Maxwell, who confirmed that Clinton flew on Epstein’s private jet, although she claimed she did not know how many times this happened.
In a statement made in 2019, Clinton maintained that his flights on Epstein’s plane were limited to humanitarian missions in Africa during the early 2000s, a period when he publicly praised Epstein as a philanthropist. Clinton later severed ties with him.
Clinton has repeatedly asserted that he was unaware of Epstein’s criminal conduct and emphasized that his Secret Service detail accompanied him on every leg of those trips, as reported by the Times.
Maxwell underwent about nine hours of questioning with the Justice Department over two days this week after being granted limited immunity, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Sources have informed ABC News that it was Maxwell who initiated contact and arranged meetings with the Trump Department of Justice. The immunity agreement allowed Maxwell to respond to inquiries from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche without the fear that her answers could be used against her later, as conveyed by the sources to the outlet.
This arrangement, known as proffer immunity, is often extended to individuals whom prosecutors are considering as potential cooperators in ongoing criminal investigations.