President Donald Trump on Tuesday again blamed his predecessors for creating files relating to the high-profile clients of the late child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The president also praised Attorney General Pam Bondi, who has come under intense criticism within Trump's own base for her handling of the incendiary files issue.

During a press briefing outside the White House that aired live on Newsmax and the Newsmax2 free online streaming platform, Trump was asked whether Bondi told him if his name appeared in the documents.

"No, no, she's given us just a very quick briefing and in terms of the credibility of the different things that they've seen," said Trump, who has denied numerous times any association with Epstein's criminal activity. "And I would say that, you know, these files were made up by [James] Comey. They were made up by [Barack] Obama. They were made up by the Biden [team].

"You know, we went through years of that with the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax, with all of the different things that we had to go through. We've gone through years of it, but she's handled it very well and it's going to be up to her. Whatever she thinks is credible, she should release."

Trump's comments follow a Saturday post on Truth Social in which he blamed Comey, the former FBI director whom he fired, former CIA Director John Brennan, Obama, Hillary Clinton and the previous administration for "creating" the controversial files.

"For years, it's Epstein, over and over again," Trump wrote. "Why are we giving publicity to Files written by Obama, Crooked Hillary, Comey, Brennan, and the Losers and Criminals of the Biden Administration, who conned the World with the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, 51 ‘Intelligence' Agents, 'THE LAPTOP FROM HELL,' and more? They created the Epstein Files, just like they created the FAKE Hillary Clinton/Christopher Steele Dossier that they used on me, and now my so-called 'friends' are playing right into their hands.

"Why didn't these Radical Left Lunatics release the Epstein Files? If there was ANYTHING in there that could have hurt the MAGA Movement, why didn't they use it? They haven't even given up on the John F. Kennedy or Martin Luther King, Jr. Files. No matter how much success we have had, securing the Border, deporting Criminals, fixing the Economy, Energy Dominance, a Safer World where Iran will not have Nuclear Weapons, it's never enough for some people."

Last week, the Department of Justice and FBI announced in a memo that after "an exhaustive review of investigative holdings relating to Epstein," it found "no incriminating 'client list,'" no credible evidence that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals, and no "evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties." The memo also concluded that Epstein died by suicide in federal custody on Aug. 10, 2019, while awaiting trial and was not murdered, as many have speculated.

References to a "client list" imply that Epstein had clients in his sex-trafficking business, including many who traveled to his island resort, sometimes on his private plane. David Schoen, Epstein's defense attorney at the time of his death, reportedly on Tuesday rejected any idea that Epstein had a client list or that he attempted to blackmail anyone.

• Investigative Reporter on Epstein Files: Things They Don't Want You to See
• Lara Trump Suggests 'More Coming' From White House on Epstein