Trump will not recommend special prosecutor in Epstein case

By Steve Holland and Nandita Bose

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Donald Trump will not recommend appointing a special prosecutor in the Jeffrey Epstein case, his press secretary said on Thursday, amid pressure from some of his supporters and renewed public scrutiny on the convicted sex offender's connections to powerful figures.

"The president would not recommend a special prosecutor in the Epstein case. That's how he feels," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

Leavitt said Trump had already directed the Justice Department and Attorney General Pam Bondi to conduct an "exhaustive review of all files," dismissing the renewed interest in Epstein as politically motivated and accusing Democrats of ignoring the issue during their time in power.

Epstein, a wealthy financier, was facing federal charges of sex-trafficking minors when he died by suicide in jail in 2019. He had pleaded not guilty, and the case was dismissed after his death.

The topic returned to the news last week after the Trump administration reversed course on its pledge to release documents it had previously suggested would offer major revelations about Epstein and his alleged clientele. That reversal has enraged some of Trump's most loyal followers.

On Wednesday, Trump attacked supporters who have been critical of his administration's handling of the Epstein case.

On Truth Social, Trump said: "Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats work, don't even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don't want their support anymore!"

Later in the day, he said Bondi should release whatever she thinks is credible.

"Whatever's credible, she can release," he told reporters. "If a document's there that's credible, she can release. I think it's good."

(Reporting by Steve Holland and Nandita Bose in Washington; editing by Deepa Babington)