Kathrine Frich
Russian state-linked media outlets have reacted sharply to the latest release of documents connected to Jeffrey Epstein
Trump seeks to play down the significance of the documents and insists they do not implicate him in wrongdoing.
Russian reaction
Russian media seized on the renewed attention surrounding the Epstein Files after millions of documents were made public last week.
Several state-controlled outlets portrayed the release as damaging for Trump and his administration.
According to reporting translated by BBC Russia Editor Steve Rosenberg, the business newspaper Vedomosti said the scandal continued to “shock American society” and argued that Trump, who is mentioned in the documents, would try to divert attention from the issue.
The paper suggested the controversy could lead to abrupt political decisions in Washington.
Trump’s response
Trump acknowledged that he is mentioned numerous times in the files, but insisted the release cleared him.
He said: “I didn’t see it myself, but I was told by some very important people that not only does it absolve me, it’s the opposite of what people were hoping, you know, the radical Left.”
While Trump is referenced more than 1,000 times in the documents, no major new allegations against him emerged from the latest release.
The US president had pledged during his 2024 campaign to make the Epstein Files public in full.
Media commentary
Another Russian outlet argued that the publication of the documents inevitably reflected badly on Trump’s team, regardless of efforts to limit the political fallout.
“No matter how hard Trump’s team tried, the publication of the files of the billionaire paedophile tarnishes him too,” the outlet said.
Russian coverage has framed the episode as evidence of instability and vulnerability within the US political system.
Sources: BBC, Russian media reports, Express.
