CNBC | Wednesday, July 16, 2025 
Trump lashes out at Republicans over Jeffrey Epstein file demands

President Donald Trump on Wednesday sharply criticized the bloc of his own political base that is publicly demanding the release of the so-called Jeffrey Epstein files, calling them “weaklings” whose support he does not want. “Their new SCAM is what we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax, and my PAST supporters have bought into this ‘bull—-,’ hook, line, and sinker,” Trump vented in a Truth Social post.  Trump doubled down at the White House later Wednesday, when he answered several questions about his administration’s handling of the Epstein controversy. Asked if he was effectively disowning those supporters of his who are still focused on the Epstein case, Trump replied, “I’ve lost a lot of faith in certain people.” He also defended Attorney General Pam Bondi, who has been at the center of the uproar since the Department of Justice said this month that it would not disclose more Epstein-related records. “I really think that she’s done very good,” Trump said of Bondi. “She says ‘I gave you all the credible information,’ and if she finds any more credible information, she’ll give that too. What more can she do than that?” The president’s swipe at significant swath of his supporters is his latest, and angriest, effort to pressure people in his MAGA movement to stop talking about Epstein. The convicted sex offender and financier, who moved in a circle of very powerful figures in politics, society and business, was found to have killed himself in prison in 2019. Questions about those high-profile relationships and the circumstances of his death, which took place while he…Read more