President Donald Trump is facing mounting criticism over the Justice Department's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case. In a recent press conference, he attempted to deflect blame onto former government officials, including Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, as well as former FBI Director James Comey.

On Tuesday, Trump claimed, "I would say that, you know, these files were made up by Comey, they were made up by Obama, they were made up by the Biden ..." This statement was made at the White House before he left for an event in Pennsylvania. The following day, he took to Truth Social to label the situation a "new SCAM" that he dubbed the "Jeffrey Epstein Hoax."

Epstein, who was arrested in 2019, was found dead in his jail cell a month later. Investigators ruled his death a suicide. However, Trump has not provided any evidence to support his allegations that Democrats and Comey manipulated documents related to Epstein's case. Notably, Comey was dismissed from his position in 2017, two years prior to Epstein's arrest, and has not returned to government service since. Obama had already left office by the time of Epstein's death.

During Biden's presidency, the Justice Department successfully prosecuted Epstein's associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, securing a conviction against her. There is no indication that Biden or anyone in his administration was involved in the Epstein case. Comey, who was a Republican for most of his life, stated in 2016 that he was no longer registered with the party.

Last year, Trump hinted at the possibility of releasing information about the Epstein case if he were to win a second term. In February, the Justice Department released some documents related to the case, but they did not contain any new information. Earlier this month, the department acknowledged that a lengthy review of additional evidence did not uncover a list of clients. They also stated that no further files would be released, except for a video intended to support the conclusion that Epstein took his own life.

This announcement sparked backlash among Trump supporters. Attorney General Pam Bondi suggested in a Fox News interview that a client list was "sitting on my desk" for review. However, she later clarified that she was referring to the Epstein case file in general, not an actual client list. Bondi and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino engaged in a heated discussion at the White House as criticism of the Justice Department's decision to withhold records intensified.

For years, Trump, his administration, and conservative commentators have propagated unverified claims surrounding Epstein. Conspiracy theories regarding Epstein's death have gained traction in right-wing circles, often linked to Trump's assertions about dismantling the so-called "deep state," a term used to describe a purported secret network of influential individuals manipulating government actions.

In light of these developments, several Democratic lawmakers are calling for the release of all Epstein-related files. They suggest that Trump may be resisting this release because he or someone close to him could be implicated in the documents.