A newly released transcript of former Attorney General William Barr’s testimony to the House Oversight Committee lays out that there is no known evidence linking President Donald Trump to any criminal wrongdoing involving Jeffrey Epstein.
Barr testified he had two conversations with Trump regarding Epstein. One came after Epstein’s death in 2019, when Barr informed Trump about what had occurred and said the Department of Justice would investigate. The second discussion was less clear and could not be pinned to a date before or after Epstein’s death.
When asked whether he ever told Trump that his name appeared in any Epstein documents, Barr said he did not. He also stated he was never presented with evidence that any claims of women alleging encounters with Trump through Epstein were supported by proof.
Barr reiterated his belief that Epstein’s 2019 death was suicide and said that, while the prison cell’s surveillance footage had some blind spots, there was no indication that someone entered Epstein’s cell or interfered with his confinement.
The transcript appears to undercut arguments from some Democrats who have suggested Trump had direct involvement or influence over the Epstein case. Barr emphasized that, in his view, any information damaging enough to implicate Trump would have surfaced already in public or legal channels.