New York Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has criticised the President for 'risking world war' to distract from the Epstein files scandal.
Trump, who promised 'no more wars' during his second campaign, is facing backlash after launching joint US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran last weekend.
He said the strikes were necessary to eliminate 'imminent threats' and prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and that Iran had restarted its nuclear program to develop long-range missiles capable of reaching the US.
"He impulsively went in on Venezuela. He impulsively went in on Iran. There was no exit and no endgame for either of these situations," Ocasio-Cortez told MeidasTouch in Washington on Wednesday (4 March).
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"And every time he’s done that, it has been consistent with a spike or a revelation in what is happening with the Epstein files. I don’t think that that coincidence is something to dismiss off the cuff. I think that he feels existentially tied to it."
A 2019 FBI interview includes an unidentified woman who alleged she was sexually assaulted by Trump and Epstein when she was a minor. The White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described these claims as 'completely baseless'.
Trump’s name reportedly appears over 5,300 times across various files, but no formal charges or established criminal wrongdoing have been linked to the Republican leader. Many of the documents released by the DOJ also lack additional context or substantiation.
He stated in 2002 that he had known Epstein for 15 years, before a significant falling out in the mid-2000s. He has continuously denied any knowledge of Epstein's crimes.
Ocasio-Cortez continued: "And I actually think that it is one reason that he must be removed from office, because… if the Epstein files have such a hold on President Trump and this administration that they are willing to plunge us and risk world war in order to save themselves politically.
"That is… the definition of someone that cannot make objective decisions for the American people."
In response to Ocasio-Cortez's comments, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told LADbible: "No one should listen to foreign policy commentary from a Congresswoman who doesn’t even know where the equator is."
Following the release of the files on 30 January, both the White House and the DOJ addressed the claims against Trump.
The DOJ said in a statement: "This production may include fake or falsely submitted images, documents or videos, as everything that was sent to the FBI by the public was included in the production that is responsive to the act.
"Some of the documents contain untrue and sensationalist claims against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election.
"To be clear, the claims are unfounded and false, and if they have a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponized against President Trump already."
Trump also addressed the claims against him while speaking to reporters on Air Force One, telling them: "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."
Topics: Donald Trump, US News, Politics, Iran, Jeffrey Epstein
Anish Vij