“I know nothing about that. They would have announced that a long time ago,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One when asked what Epstein meant in a 2019 email saying “of course he knew about the girls”.

Trump has sought to shift the focus from his relationship with the convicted sex offender, asking the US Justice Department to investigate Jeffrey Epstein’s ties with former Democratic president Bill Clinton and JPMorgan.

The Justice Department said on Friday that it would fulfil the president’s request.

The move comes two days after a congressional committee released thousands of documents that raised new questions about Trump’s relationship with the late financier, and marks the latest in a series of demands by Trump for federal law enforcement to pursue his perceived political enemies.

US Attorney General Pam Bondi said Jay Clayton, the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, will lead the investigation.