2 US senators seek answers from White House chief of staff over Epstein file comments

US Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Dick Durbin wrote a letter, made public on Tuesday, seeking clarification from White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles about remarks she made related to late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

In an interview published on Dec. 16 by the Vanity Fair, Wiles said she read the "Epstein files," and that President Donald Trump appears in the documents. "We know he's in the file. And he's not in the file doing anything awful," Wiles said, adding that Trump "was on (Epstein's) plane … he's on the manifest. They were, you know, sort of young, single, whatever — I know it's a passe word but sort of young, single playboys together."

In their letter, the Democratic senators asked Wiles to explain when, how, and under what authority she accessed those materials before they were released.

The lawmakers requested a written response by Jan. 5, posing a series of detailed questions about the nature of the materials Wiles reviewed. They asked what the documents included, whether any of them had been presented to a grand jury, and when she first gained access to the information.

Whitehouse and Durbin also questioned why Wiles reviewed the materials and whether she shared any of the information with Trump.

They asked her to describe any role she may have played in decisions related to the "review, redaction, withholding, or release" of Epstein-related materials, including any involvement by the Department of Justice or the FBI.

Last week, Justice Department announced that more than 1 million additional pages of documents related to Epstein had been uncovered. The department said it would release the documents "as soon as possible" after the review as part of its obligations under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which was signed into law on Nov. 19, as well as existing federal statutes and court orders.

Epstein was found dead in his New York City jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. He pleaded guilty in a Florida court and was convicted of procuring a minor for prostitution in 2008, but critics call the relatively minor conviction a "sweetheart deal."

His victims have alleged that he operated a sprawling sex trafficking network that was used by members of the wealthy and political elite.

Epstein's case has remained a politically charged issue in the US, with lawmakers and victims' advocates from across the spectrum demanding greater transparency about his network of associates and any individuals who may have facilitated his crimes.

Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein. Their past social and business ties as well as Epstein's extensive links to political, business and academic figures in the US and abroad have fueled calls for the broad release of official records.