Donald Trump has come to the defense of Bill Clinton after the former president was seen in several photos with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, following the release of Epstein-related files.
Last week, about 300,000 documents were disclosed, representing only a portion of the complete files maintained by the Department of Justice. Further releases are expected under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
The collection includes numerous photos, court documents, and handwritten notes aimed at providing insight into the life and associations of the late Jeffrey Epstein.
Among the released documents were images featuring Epstein alongside notable figures, including Clinton.
Although being found in these files does not inherently imply any wrongdoing, Donald Trump has nonetheless defended his predecessor, which is an unexpected gesture given their political differences.
During a press conference on Monday, Trump remarked: “I don’t like the pictures of Bill Clinton being shown, I don’t like the pictures of other people being shown, I think it’s a terrible thing.”
Trump further addressed Clinton’s appearance in the documents, saying: “I like Bill Clinton, I’ve always gotten along with Bill Clinton. I’ve been nice to him, he’s been nice to me, we’ve always gotten along with him, I respect him.”
He added: “Bill Clinton’s a big boy, he can handle it, but you probably have pictures of people that innocently met Jeffrey Epstein years ago.”
This supportive commentary for a political opponent marks a notable shift for Trump, who used the remainder of his speech to criticize the Democratic party and certain Republicans over the document release.
“I know there are a lot of people that are angry about all the pictures of other people. I think it’s terrible,” he commented.
“This whole thing with Epstein is a way to try to deflect from the tremendous success of the Republican Party. I thought that was finished, a lot of people are very angry that this continues.”
Trump’s remarks supporting Clinton follow criticism from a Clinton spokesperson, who expressed frustration with the Department of Justice for not meeting the deadline to release all the Epstein Files by Friday.
The files were required to be released within 30 days after President Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act into law, following congressional approval last month.
Clinton’s spokesperson, Angel Ureña, suggested the delay might indicate that the administration is ‘protecting someone or something.’
“The White House hasn’t been hiding these files for months only to dump them late on a Friday to protect Bill Clinton,” the spokesperson stated.
“What the Department of Justice has released so far, and the manner in which it did so, makes one thing clear: someone or something is being protected,” Ureña noted. “We do not know whom, what, or why. But we do know this: We need no such protection.”