Democrats call for special counsel to probe Trump’s Epstein ties

Democratic lawmakers have called for the appointment of a special counsel to investigate former President Donald Trump's alleged ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, less than a week before the US midterm elections. The House Judiciary Committee released a 53-page report, detailing accusations of sexual misconduct against Trump, which has been repeatedly mentioned in the documents.

However, Trump denies any wrongdoing and has not been charged with any criminal offences related to the matter. Representative Jamie Raskin, the ranking Democrat on the committee, accused the Justice Department of covering up crimes to protect Trump, claiming that five women have directly accused Trump of rape or sexual assault while Epstein was present.

Democrats urged Attorney General Todd Blanche to appoint an independent special counsel to investigate Trump's connection to Epstein and his potential accomplices. Despite acknowledging the DOJ's unwillingness to take such a step, Democrats maintained that the current administration is leading a cover-up of Epstein's sex trafficking operation.

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung dismissed the allegations as false, stating that Democrats are only seeking political gain ahead of the November 3 elections. According to the report, Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former girlfriend, is the only person convicted in connection to Epstein and serves a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking.