President Donald Trump’s decision to shelve the release of the Epstein files has drawn sharp criticism — including from within his own family.
During his 2024 campaign, Trump suggested that the long-rumored documents — including what many believed to be a “client list” used by the convicted sex offender for blackmail — might soon be made public. But this week, the president signaled it was time to move on, following a Justice Department review that found no evidence that such a list existed and concluded that no further files would be released.
The reversal has sparked backlash across the political spectrum, with critics on both the left and right accusing the administration of burying the truth. Among them is Mary Trump, the president’s estranged niece, who publicly rebuked him for walking back his promise of transparency.
“Either [the Epstein investigation] does implicate people Donald doesn’t want implicated publicly, or it doesn’t implicate the people he’s been promising us for a decade,” Mary told Katie in an exclusive Substack interview. “Either way, he looks like a liar or he looks like he doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” she added.
Earlier this week, Trump stepped up his attacks on Republicans pushing for the release of more documents about the disgraced financier and sex offender. “Some stupid Republicans and foolish Republicans fall into the net, and so they try and do the Democrats’ work,” he told reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday, repeating his claim that the controversy over the files is a Democrat-driven “hoax.”
But to Mary, that reaction comes as no surprise.
“He’s really lost control of the narrative here,” she said. “We’ve seen it before — someone pushes back against him, stands up to him, and suddenly they’re stupid, they’re liars, they don’t know what they’re talking about. But the difference now is that it’s his own people.”
Mary is keeping a close eye on Congress as Republican support builds for legislation that would direct the Department of Justice to release more files related to the late financier (an initiative I also spoke about with David Boies, attorney for the late Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre).
“What I’m most interested in, because I think it could actually have an impact on how this plays out,” Mary said, “is what elected Republicans in Congress decide to do here. ‘Cause they are between a rock and a hard place.”
Click here to check out the rest of Katie’s interview with Mary Trump, in which she discusses reports that the president may fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and shares her thoughts on his recent medical diagnosis, which has raised new questions about his health.
LIVE with Mary Trump by Katie Couric Media
A recording from Katie Couric’s live video
Read on Substack
The post Mary Trump Slams Her Uncle Over Epstein Files: “He’s Really Lost Control of the Narrative” appeared first on Katie Couric Media.
