Trump's Call to Move On from Epstein: A Complicated Journey Ahead

Thu Feb 05 2026 03:00:33 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

As the U.S. Department of Justice concludes its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, President Trump urges the nation to shift focus, yet lingering questions and ongoing congressional inquiries could make the transition challenging.

President Donald Trump has suggested that America should move on from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal following the release of extensive DOJ documents. However, ongoing congressional inquiries and calls for further transparency from Epstein's victims highlight that this issue remains far from resolved. Although recent evaluations have declared no new prosecutions are warranted, many of Epstein's connections, including high-profile political figures, continue to draw scrutiny. As the conversation progresses, Trump’s ties to Epstein raise questions about the future of this complicated narrative.

Over the past two months, the US Department of Justice has released millions of documents related to its sex-trafficking investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. Now, the president wants the nation to move on - but will it?

Deputy US Attorney General Todd Blanche has said the government's review of the Epstein files - which was mandated by a law passed by Congress in November - is over, and there are no grounds for new prosecutions.

There's a lot of correspondence. There's a lot of emails. There's a lot of photographs, Blanche said on Sunday. But that doesn't allow us necessarily to prosecute somebody.

While the justice department's review may be over, on Capitol Hill, the House of Representatives is pushing ahead with its own Epstein inquiry. Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are scheduled to testify later in February after Republicans threatened to hold them in contempt of Congress.

Members of Congress and Epstein's victims, meanwhile, are continuing to call for further disclosures – pointing to documents they say exist but weren't included in the released files.

It is yet another sign of just how difficult to shake this story has become for those, like President Donald Trump, who are clearly keen to move on.

For the moment, however, the president has emerged from the storm with no apparent lasting damage.

That is not true for some of the other rich and powerful figures whose ties to Epstein were more prominently detailed in the files, and who had continued contact with him long after he became a convicted sex offender in 2008.

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Democrats have alleged the lack of damning evidence against Trump may mean the justice department withheld incriminating documents.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote in a statement, You say all the documents are released. Does that include all of the co-conspirator memos, the corporate protection memos, the original Palm Beach Police Department reports, etc.?

Anger and frustration among Trump's supporters over the administration's apparent reluctance to release all of its Epstein files waned with this wave of newly produced documents. Still, the conversation regarding Epstein's legacy and Trump's association continues to evolve, indicating that the narrative isn't over.