William Barr, the former Attorney General, shared some intriguing insights about his chats with President Trump following the shocking death of Jeffrey Epstein back in 2019. During his testimony before a House investigative panel last month, he revealed these details, now available in a transcript made public on Tuesday.
In his statements to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Barr mentioned he had a couple of key conversations with Trump about Epstein’s situation.
“One was when I heard about the suicide,” Barr reminded the committee. “I called the president and said, ‘You better brace for this,’ indicating just how shocking it was.”
Barr explained that he told Trump Epstein had “committed suicide” and that Trump himself was suspecting foul play as well. “He reacted just like I did, wondering, ‘How the hell did this happen when he’s in federal custody?’”
The pair both expressed worry that this apparent suicide could fuel a plethora of conspiracy theories. Barr said, “I stressed to him that it was shocking and we were going to look into it thoroughly,” adding that Trump echoed his concern about the potential fallout. “This is going to generate a heap of conspiracy theories,” Barr recalled.
Reflecting on their talks, Barr clarified that while the words may not be exact, the sentiment conveyed was quite clear between them.
In July, a memo from the Justice Department and the FBI determined Epstein’s death was a suicide, which sparked backlash among many Trump supporters who believe foul play was involved.
Barr also highlighted another discussion he had with Trump, reminiscing about their past acquaintance with Epstein.
“The president noted that he distanced himself from Epstein long ago and even expelled him from Mar-a-Lago,” Barr stated.
Trump, known to have acknowledged his past links with Epstein, stated in 2019 they hadn’t conversed in 15 years. Part of the rift apparently stemmed from pushing Epstein out for taking employees from the resort.
“It’s not exactly news that Epstein had connections to Donald Trump, seeing as the latter kicked him out of his club for being a creep,” commented White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson in a recent statement shared with The Hill.
“Democrats and media recognized Epstein and his victims for years yet failed to assist while Trump pushed for transparency and delivered by providing thousands of documents.”
House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) disclosed the entire transcript of Barr’s past deposition along with letters from former Attorneys General Alberto Gonzales and Jeff Sessions who both claimed no relevant knowledge connected to the committee’s investigation into Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, his convicted accomplice.
The committee later revealed a letter sent Tuesday to Epstein’s estate, requesting “full, unredacted copies” of cash ledgers, message logs, calendars, and flight records. According to the committee, some staff members privately reviewed the documents previously without redaction.
Updated: 3:39 p.m. EST
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