Bill Clinton has challenged Donald Trump’s Justice Department to release any remaining Epstein files relating to the former Democratic president, accusing the administration of trying to smear him while protecting others.
Days after Clinton featured prominently in the first batch of files released last week, the former president’s office issued a statement demanding full transparency – including by disclosing more details about Clinton himself.
“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,” Clinton’s spokesman Angel Ureno said on Monday on behalf of the former president.
“We do not know whom, what or why. But we do know this: we need no such protection.”
Last Friday, Clinton featured prominently in material the department chose to partially release, including images of him frolicking in a pool with Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, dining with Epstein and Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, and sitting in a spa with a person whose face was redacted.
Notably, references to Trump, who was also a known associate of Epstein and partied with him in New York and Florida, were limited.
One of the released documents related to an earlier court case against Epstein’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, in which a victim named Jane Doe testified that she was 14 when Epstein took her to Mar-a-Lago, where she met Trump.
“Epstein elbowed Trump playfully asking him, referring to [Jane] Doe, ‘This is a good one, right?’ Trump smiled and nodded in agreement,” the document says.
Another file has a transcript from a deposition Epstein took in 2010, in which the sex predator is asked if he ever “socialized” with Trump “in the presence of females under the age of 18.”
Epstein replies: “Though I’d like to answer that question, at least today I’m going to have to assert my Fifth, Sixth 14th Amendment Right, sir.”
Both Clinton and Trump have long denied knowing anything about Epstein’s crimes.
Asked on Monday if he was surprised at the number of photos of Clinton, Trump said he got along well with the former president and insisted, “I hate to see photographs come out on him.”
“But this is what the Democrats – mostly Democrats and a couple of bad Republicans – are asking for,” he said.
“There are photos of me too, everyone was friendly with this guy (Epstein).”
Images of Clinton were shared widely by White House aides across social media – including one photo of Clinton, Michael Jackson and Diana Ross, alongside several minors whose faces appeared redacted.
“Per the Epstein Files Transparency Act, DOJ was specifically instructed only to redact the faces of victims and/or minors,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson captioned the post. “Here is a picture of Bill Clinton with his arm around Michael Jackson, and redacted individuals.”
The unredacted photo was a publicly available image of a fundraiser featuring the pop star and Ross’ own children.
In the statement issued on Monday, Clinton’s spokesman called on Trump to direct Attorney General Pam Bondi to “immediately release any remaining materials” relating to the former president, including photographs, court transcripts and interview notes.
“Refusal to do so,” it added, “will confirm the widespread suspicion of the Department of Justice’s actions to date and not about transparency, but about insinuation – using selective releases to imply wrongdoing about individuals who have already been repeatedly cleared by the very same Department of Justice over many years, under Presidents and Attorneys General of both parties.”
— Angel Ureña (@angelurena) December 22, 2025
The White House referred the matter to the DOJ when asked for comment. The Daily Beast has also asked the department what, if anything, has progressed since Trump ordered Bondi to investigate Clinton’s links to Epstein last month.
The department has yet to comment, but its handling of the Epstein files has sparked an ongoing backlash, including threats of legal and political sanctions.
The Epstein Transparency Act, which Trump reluctantly signed into law last month, mandated full transparency by midnight last Friday, with a few exemptions to protect victims, and to safeguard national security and ensure ongoing investigations were not jeopardized.
Instead, only a small fraction of the files were released by the deadline, and those that were released contained page after page of entirely blacked out documents. Some victims’ names were also left unredacted, while images of Trump were quietly taken down by the department with little explanation, only to later resurface.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the Department of Justice temporarily removed the image for further review. After the review, it was determined there is no evidence that any Epstein victims are depicted in the photograph, and it has been reposted without any alteration or redaction.”
Nineteen of Epstein’s victims issued a joint statement on Monday accusing Bondi and her department of unlawfully keeping the public in the dark.
Democrat Ro Khanna and Republican Thomas Massie – the two lawmakers who spearheaded the legislation – are also speaking with members of Congress about holding Attorney General Pam Bondi in contempt.
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