President Donald Trump said Tuesday the Justice Department should release all "credible" information from its probe into notorious sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein as he sought to douse a firestorm of criticism from critics and even some of his supporters over his handling of the case.
Trump is facing the most serious split of his political career from his famously loyal base over suspicions that his administration is covering up lurid details of Epstein's crimes to protect rich and powerful figures they say are implicated.
"The attorney general has handled that very well," the Republican leader said of Pam Bondi, who leads the Justice Department, when he was asked about the case at the White House.
Trump repeated his claim that the Epstein files were "made up" by his Democrat predecessors in the White House – even though he said multiple times during the election campaign that he would "probably" release them.
"She's handled it very well, and it's going to be up to her," Trump said. "Whatever she thinks is credible, she should release."
Trump's latest comments mark a softening of his stance -- he had voiced frustration in the Oval Office and online about his supporters' fixation on Epstein and pleaded with them to move on.
"I don't understand why the Jeffrey Epstein case would be of interest to anybody," Trump told reporters Tuesday night, adding: "It's pretty boring stuff."
The president's "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) movement has long held as an article of faith that "Deep State" elites are protecting Epstein's most powerful associates in the Democratic Party and Hollywood.
The Justice Department and FBI said in a memo made public earlier this month there is no evidence that the disgraced financier kept a "client list" or was blackmailing powerful figures.
They also dismissed the claim that Epstein was murdered in jail, confirming his death by suicide, and said they would not be releasing any more information on the probe.
- 'Let the people decide' -
It marked the first time Trump's officials had publicly rebutted the stories – pushed for years by numerous figures on the right, notably including the FBI's top two officials, before Trump hired them.
Beyond angering supporters, the issue has opened a schism within his administration, sparking a fiery blow-up between Bondi and Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino, who is said to be considering resigning.