US President Donald Trump has harsh words for his Republican party members who criticized his administration's work in connection with the case of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
Trump lashed out at his allies, who he said had fallen for a "scam" pushed by Democrats, who "unlike Republicans... are acting like they're glued together".
Epstein, a financier convicted of sex crimes, committed suicide in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of trafficking underage girls. The case was dropped after his death.
Last week, the US government reneged on a promise to release documents it said contained important revelations about Epstein and his alleged clientele. The move angered some of Trump's most loyal followers.
"This is all a big hoax", the Republican president told reporters in the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday. "It was perpetrated by the Democrats and some stupid Republicans, and the stupid Republicans get caught up in the web and try to do the Democrats' job," he added.
Trump also took to Twitter to address his party members who had expressed concern about the case. "Let these weaklings continue to do the Democrats' job and never even think about talking about our incredible and unprecedented success, because I no longer want their support," Trump wrote.
Last week, the Justice Department said it had concluded that there was no "incriminating client list" or evidence that Epstein extorted any celebrities. The Justice Department's review also confirmed the FBI's previous conclusions that Epstein committed suicide in his prison cell while awaiting trial and that his death was not a homicide. Those findings contradict suggestions made before Trump's second term by Republicans like Dan Bongino and Kesh Patel that authorities were withholding key information about the Epstein case. Those rumors have gained momentum in recent weeks. Influential conservatives and media figures have continued to promote the idea of a cover-up of shocking information.
Some Republican lawmakers, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, have called on the Justice Department to release more documents about Epstein. But Republicans have blocked efforts by Democratic lawmakers to push through measures to force the department to release the materials.
Trump, who knew Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s, on Wednesday again defended Bondi's work on the case and said she could release any credible documents related to the case. "She can release anything that is credible," Trump told reporters. "I would rather talk about our economic successes," he added.