Trump-Epstein latest: FBI agents were told to ‘flag’ any files that mentioned the president, Sen. Durbin says, as an Epstein accuser recalls an encounter with both men

Pressure continues to mount on the administration to release more files.

Dylan Stableford, Reporte – While reviewing files related to the late accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, about 1,000 FBI agents were instructed by Attorney General Pam Bondi to “flag” any records that mentioned President Trump, according to Sen. Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

In letters sent to Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino on Friday, Durbin said that his office had received information that the attorney general “pressured” the agents to conduct a review of about 100,000 Epstein-related records on 24-hour shifts.

“These personnel were instructed to ‘flag’ any records in which President Trump was mentioned,” Durbin said. The effort, he added, was “haphazardly supplemented by hundreds of FBI New York Field Office personnel, many of whom lacked the expertise to identify statutorily protected information regarding child victims and child witnesses.”

Durbin concluded his letters by demanding to know why the agents were told to flag records in which Trump was mentioned and what happened to any such records that were flagged.

He requested that Bondi and the top FBI officials provide any new information and materials related to the matter by Aug. 1.

The fallout over Epstein

The inquiry comes amid an ongoing fallout that has engulfed the Trump administration over its handling of the investigation into Epstein, who died by suicide in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial.

Epstein has long been the focus of unfounded conspiracy theories — fueled by Trump and some of his prominent supporters — which claim the disgraced financier was murdered to conceal the names of powerful people on a secret “client list.” Trump said he would consider releasing additional government files on Epstein and directed the Justice Department to conduct an exhaustive review of any evidence collected in its investigation.

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