Jeffrey Epstein case: Democrats call for investigators into Trump's Epstein connections

The publication of the report comes in the final phase of the election campaign in the USA. In just over a week the Americans will elect their parliament. Although Trump is not standing for election himself, the midterms are always considered a vote on the president's policies.

Trump's handling of the Epstein affair brought him a lot of criticism in his second term. The Republican had promised to release the files on the case during his presidential campaign. However, after taking office, he resisted for a long time. Only after pressure from the public and parliament were some files finally published. However, the criticism did not stop. It is criticized, for example, that the blacked out passages in the files would not only protect victims, but also suspected accomplices.

Trump once knew Epstein well. The rich financier from New York ran an abuse ring that victimized young women and minors. The already convicted sex offender died in his prison cell in 2019 before any further guilty verdicts could have been reached. Epstein networked global elites and maintained contacts around the world, including with Donald Trump.

The current US president denied any involvement in the criminal activities. He also claims to have known nothing about Epstein's actions. Speaking about the new report, a White House spokeswoman emphasized that none of the allegations were true. Trump has been “completely exonerated” with regard to everything that has to do with Epstein, she said.

The Republicans currently hold narrow majorities in both chambers of parliament. If that changes as a result of the congressional elections, Democrats would have the opportunity to initiate investigations into the Epstein scandal in the future. They could also use this leverage for further investigations into the Epstein scandal.