During Mr. Trump's first term, his labor secretary, Alexander Acosta, resigned following criticism of his handling of Epstein's 2008 plea deal when he was a federal prosecutor in Florida. Epstein served 13 months in a jail work-release program after he was originally accused of sexually abusing dozens of girls and young women.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi told President Donald Trump in May that his name appeared in investigative files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) on Sunday said that the current controversy over convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is “going to hurt Republicans in the midterms.” “This is going to hurt Republicans in the midterms,