Bondi Taps SDNY’s Jay Clayton to Lead Epstein-Ties Inquiry After Trump’s Public Request

Overview

• President Trump publicly urged the DOJ, FBI, and Attorney General Pam Bondi to examine Jeffrey Epstein’s relationships with Bill Clinton, Larry Summers, Reid Hoffman, and JPMorgan Chase.
• Hours later, Bondi announced on X that acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton would lead the inquiry, thanking the president and pledging urgency and integrity.
• The swift move contrasts with a July memo in which the DOJ and FBI said they had not found evidence to predicate investigations of uncharged third parties tied to Epstein.
• Legal experts and commentators, including former U.S. attorney Joyce Vance, criticized the step as undermining DOJ independence, and The New York Times noted possible conflict within traditionally independent SDNY.
• Bondi’s announcement followed House Oversight Democrats releasing Epstein-related emails this week and comes days before a scheduled House vote on whether to release federal Epstein files; Clayton previously chaired the SEC in Trump’s first term.