A former lawyer for Jeffrey Epstein has weighed in after Elon Musk made controversial claims involving Donald Trump.
What began as a minor policy disagreement between President Trump and Elon Musk, once his advisor on cryptocurrency, escalated rapidly on June 5.
Musk took to his platform X (formerly Twitter) to accuse Trump of obstructing the release of unsealed court documents related to Epstein, suggesting it was due to Trump’s name appearing in them.
“Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public,” Musk wrote.
He ended his post with a pointed remark: “Have a nice day, DJT!”
He followed up shortly after, standing by his statement: “Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.”
It is important to clarify that being mentioned in these files does not imply any criminal wrongdoing by Trump.
Although Trump has not yet publicly addressed the allegation, David Schoen—a U.S. attorney who represented Epstein shortly before he di.ed in 2019—has issued a statement refuting Musk’s claim.
Posting on X, Schoen said he could “authoritatively, unequivocally, and definitively” confirm that, in his role as Epstein’s lead criminal defense attorney nine days before Epstein’s death, he never encountered anything that would implicate the former president.
“I was hired to lead Jeffrey Epstein’s defence as his criminal lawyer 9 days before he died,” Schoen wrote.
“He sought my advice for months before that. I specifically asked him [about Trump], and I can say he had no information that would harm President Trump.”
Schoen, who has a background in federal criminal defense and civil rights law, previously defended Trump during his second impeachment trial in the U.S. Senate. He has also gone on record suggesting that Epstein did not di.e by suicide, telling Fox News in 2020 that Epstein was in good spirits and actively working with him on a legal strategy before his de.ath.
Epstein, who had been convicted in 2008 of procuring a minor for prostitution, was arrested again in July 2019 on federal charges of se.x trafficking minors in both Florida and New York.
He was found de.ad in his jail cell on August 10, 2019. The official cause of de,ath was ruled a suicide.
What Are the ‘Epstein Files’?
The controversy at the center of Musk and Trump’s public spat revolves around the so-called “Epstein files”—a trove of court documents from Epstein’s legal proceedings.
According to reporting by ABC News, these documents allegedly contain names of influential individuals accused of engaging in illegal activities involving underage girls, recruited by Epstein.
Conspiracy theorists have long speculated that the files are being deliberately kept from public view.
During his campaign for a second term, Trump vowed to make these files public.
While some documents have already been released earlier this year, many people were underwhelmed by the revelations and believe crucial information is still being withheld.
