“I threw him out… he was sick pervert: Donald Trump says he cut ties with Jeffrey Epstein long ago

US President Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday rejected any suggestion that he had ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. “As far as the Epstein files,” Trump said, “I have nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein. I threw him out of my club many years ago because I thought he was a sick pervert ... and I guess I turned out to be right.”

His remarks come after months of political resistance, internal pressure and heavy lobbying to keep the documents sealed. Trump ultimately relented on Sunday when it became clear that a significant bloc of Republicans in Congress was ready to break with him.

While Trump has argued the files will reveal connections between Epstein and prominent Democrats, the Republican president is also facing renewed scrutiny over his own past association with Epstein, who was accused of providing underage women to powerful men.

The Justice Department maintains broad authority to withhold information if its release “would jeopardize an active federal investigation.” Last week, Trump drew criticism for ordering officials to investigate Epstein’s links to high-profile Democrats.

The dispute has underscored rare fractures within Republican ranks. Trump, who campaigned on releasing the files but reversed course in office and called the issue a Democratic “hoax,” faced a bipartisan push to force the issue. After Republican leadership tried repeatedly to prevent a vote, all Democrats and four Republicans signed a “discharge petition,” compelling the bill to the House floor.

Late Sunday, Trump publicly urged Republicans to support releasing the documents, saying, “because we have nothing to hide.”

The reversal marks an unusual instance of Trump yielding to pressure from his own allies. Survivors of Epstein’s abuse, speaking ahead of the vote, questioned the president’s motivations.

“I can’t help to be skeptical of what the agenda is,” said Haley Robson, who was recruited by Epstein at 16. “So with that being said, I want to relay this message to you: I am traumatized, I am not stupid.”

Epstein died while awaiting federal trial on charges that he operated a sex-trafficking network involving underage girls and young women. That followed a 2008 conviction for procuring a minor for prostitution.

In July, Trump’s Justice Department announced it had completed an “exhaustive review” of the case file and found “no basis to revisit the disclosure” of any Epstein-related materials, a conclusion that angered many of Trump’s supporters.

The White House increased efforts last week to derail the vote, with Trump and allies pressing two of the Republicans who had signed the discharge petition. Tensions escalated when Trump withdrew his endorsement of Marjorie Taylor Greene, a longtime loyalist, in what she said “has all come down to the Epstein files.”

“Today you are going to see probably a unanimous vote in the House to release the Epstein files, but the fight — the real fight — will happen after that,” Greene said. “The real test will be, will the Department of Justice release the files? Or will it all remain tied up in investigations?”

Trump has continued to deny any wrongdoing and insists he severed ties with Epstein long before his arrest. He has also tried to shift attention toward Epstein’s ties to Democrats, including former President Bill Clinton. But new disclosures, including recently surfaced emails from Epstein suggesting Trump “knew about the girls”, have revived questions about their past relationship.

*With Agency Inputs