On Friday, President Trump attempted to shift focus away from his own associations with Jeffrey Epstein, calling on the public and the media to investigate notable Democrats who were linked to the deceased sex offender.
“They should concentrate on the connections of Larry Summers from Harvard, Bill Clinton, whom you are well aware of, and many other close associates of [Epstein]. These individuals should be discussed. … They ought to address them instead of talking about me. I had no involvement with the man,” Trump stated prior to his departure for Scotland.
“However, the conversation should revolve around Larry Summers and some of his acquaintances,” Trump added, emphasizing that he never visited Epstein’s private island, where allegations have surfaced regarding wealthy individuals engaging in sexual activities with underage girls.
Summers, who has previously held the position of president at Harvard and served in significant roles within Democratic administrations—including as Treasury Secretary under President Clinton and Director of the National Economic Council during the Obama administration—was identified as one of the prominent individuals associated with Epstein in documents made public in 2023.
These documents, which included Epstein’s emails and schedules, disclosed that many well-known figures continued to meet with Epstein even after he became a registered sex offender. Although the records indicate that Summers met with Epstein over a dozen times from 2013 to 2016, long after Harvard ceased accepting donations from Epstein following his 2008 conviction, there is no evidence suggesting that Summers participated in any misconduct.
At that time, Summers expressed that he “deeply regrets having contact with Epstein after his conviction” and clarified that the meetings were intended to raise funds for a non-profit organization managed by his wife.
Eliza New, Summers’ spouse and a former literature professor at Harvard, initiated a project in 2016 aimed at producing educational videos on poetry. That same year, a non-profit associated with Epstein donated $110,000 to support her project, as reported by the Washington Times.
Flight logs from Epstein’s private jet, referred to as the “Lolita Express,” indicate that Summers was aboard the aircraft at least four times: once in 1998 during his role as deputy treasury secretary, and at least three additional occasions while he served as president of Harvard.
The connections between former President Clinton and Epstein are also well established, with numerous photographs depicting the two together.
Clinton was mentioned in court documents released last year as part of the proceedings against Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s long-time associate, who is currently incarcerated for facilitating his exploitation of underage girls. However, the Times highlighted that there are no reports or direct evidence linking Clinton to any illegal activities.
The documents reveal that a woman who accused Prince Andrew of groping her while she was a minor also claimed that Epstein once remarked to her that Clinton “likes them young,” in reference to girls.
The files further contain testimony from Maxwell, who acknowledged that Clinton traveled on Epstein’s private jet, although she stated that she was unaware of the number of times this occurred.
In a statement made in 2019, Clinton asserted that his flights on Epstein’s aircraft were restricted to humanitarian efforts in Africa during the early 2000s, a time when he publicly lauded Epstein as a philanthropist. Clinton subsequently cut ties with him.
Clinton has consistently claimed that he was oblivious to Epstein’s criminal activities and has stressed that his Secret Service detail accompanied him on every segment of those journeys, as reported by the Times.
Maxwell underwent approximately nine hours of interrogation with the Justice Department over two days this week after being granted limited immunity, according to sources familiar with the situation.
Sources informed ABC News that Maxwell was the one who initiated the contact and meetings with the Trump DOJ. The immunity agreement permitted Maxwell to answer questions from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche without the concern that her responses could be used against her in the future, the sources conveyed to the outlet.
The arrangement referred to as proffer immunity is frequently granted to individuals whom prosecutors are evaluating as possible cooperators in current criminal investigations.
