President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice is ignoring requests for assistance from European law enforcement agencies trying to investigate leads from the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Millions of documents related to the late pedophile were released earlier this year under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, despite President Donald Trump spending months trying to prevent the files’ disclosure.
Although the DOJ has not brought any additional cases based on the information contained in the files, revelations about Epstein’s activities and associates have sparked multiple investigations in foreign countries, as well as state-level investigations in the U.S.
During cross-border investigations, international law enforcement officials often request mutual legal assistance to obtain documents, testimony, and other evidence from the U.S.
But several European officials told The Washington Post that the DOJ has not responded to their requests for mutual legal assistance.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said in February that his country was investigating possible links between Epstein and Russian intelligence.
In April, Poland’s National Prosecutor’s Office requested the disclosure of unredacted documents “relating to any Polish aspects of the case,” but never received an answer, spokesperson Przemysław Nowak told the Post.
In Norway, two former diplomats and a former prime minister are under investigation for corruption over their relationships with Epstein. All three say they are innocent of any wrongdoing.
Prosecutors with the economic crimes investigation unit, Økokrim, have requested relevant documents from the DOJ, but so far, the request has not been approved
“This is very unfortunate for the Norwegian investigation, and Økokrim hope that the U.S. Department of Justice will approve our request at some point,” prosecutor Marianne Bender told the Post.
Latvia’s state police also “sent several requests for mutual legal assistance to the relevant authorities in the United States” in connection with a criminal investigation involving a Latvian victim identified in the Epstein, state police spokesperson Simona Gravite said.
“However, no responses have yet been received,” Gravite told the Post.
The Justice Department told the Post it doesn’t comment on the status of mutual legal assistance requests. The Daily Beast has also reached out.
The latest revelations come after multiple newspapers reported earlier this year that the U.K. was also seeking access to unredacted copies of documents in the Epstein files.
After informal discussions between the DOJ and British law enforcement broke down, London formally requested mutual legal assistance as part of an investigation into Lord Peter Mandelson, the former British ambassador to the U.S. who was fired last year when his ties to Epstein were revealed.
Based on partially redacted emails contained in the files, Mandelson is suspected of leaking confidential government information to the disgraced financier, though he denies any wrongdoing.
As of late August, the DOJ and FBI had not responded to the Metropolitan Police’s request for the documents, The Telegraph reported.
Sources told the paper the administration was reluctant to release any files that could damage Trump’s reputation or set a precedent in other cases that could reignite the scandal.
The president was close friends for years with Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
The late sex offender also pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution as part of a plea deal that allowed him to avoid charges that he trafficked dozens of women and girls.
The president has denied any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.
