Trump calls for MAGA base to end 'Epstein Files' obsession

WASHINGTON

President Donald Trump urged his political base to stop attacking his administration over files related to notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a case that has become an obsession for conspiracy theorists.

Trump's Department of Justice and the FBI said in a memo made public there was no evidence that the disgraced financier kept a "client list" or was blackmailing powerful figures.

They also dismissed the claim that Epstein was murdered in jail, confirming his death by suicide at a New York prison in 2019, and said they would not be releasing any more information on the probe.

The move was met with incredulity by some on the U.S. far-right, many of whom have backed Trump for years, and strident criticism of Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel.

"What's going on with my 'boys' and, in some cases, 'gals?' Trump said on July 12 in a lengthy post on his Truth Social platform.

"We're on one Team, MAGA, and I don't like what's happening. We have a PERFECT Administration, THE TALK OF THE WORLD, and 'selfish people' are trying to hurt it, all over a guy who never dies, Jeffrey Epstein," he added.

Many among the MAGA faithful have long contended that so-called "Deep State" actors were hiding information on Epstein's elite associates.

"Next the DOJ will say 'Actually, Jeffrey Epstein never even existed,'" furious pro-Trump conspiracy theorist Alex Jones tweeted. "This is over the top sickening."

But on July 12, Trump came to the defense of his attorney general, suggesting that the so-called "Epstein Files" were a hoax perpetrated by the Democratic Party for political gain, without specifying what benefits they hoped to attain.