A building is seen at Little St. James Island, one of the properties of financier Jeffrey Epstein, near Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands August 17, 2019. REUTERS/Marco Bello/File Photo
EDINBURGH, Scotland (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he "never had the privilege" of visiting Jeffrey Epstein's island, saying he turned down an invitation from the convicted sex offender in what the president called a moment of good judgment.
Trump's remarks were his latest effort to distance himself from the political furor over his administration's handling of files related to Epstein's case and renewed questions over his past relationship with the disgraced financier, who died by suicide in a New York jail in 2019.
"I never had the privilege of going to his island, and I did turn it down," Trump told reporters during a trip to Scotland. "In one of my very good moments, I turned it down."
Epstein owned a private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands where he entertained prominent people from politics, business and entertainment. Prosecutors have alleged he used the compound to conceal the sex trafficking and abuse of under-age victims.
Trump, who socialized with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s, also offered new insight into why their relationship ended. The president said he cut ties after Epstein attempted to recruit staff who worked for Trump.
"He hired help. And I said, 'Don't ever do that again.' He stole people that work for me," Trump said. "He did it again. And I threw him out of the place persona non grata."
Last week, White House communications director Steven Cheung said Trump had cut ties with Epstein because he regarded him as a "creep."
The White House has been under growing pressure from Trump's supporters and political opponents to release more information about the Justice Department's investigation into Epstein.
After Attorney General Pam Bondi earlier this year promised to release additional materials related to possible Epstein clients and the circumstances surrounding his death, the Justice Department reversed course this month and issued a memo concluding there was no basis to continue investigating and no evidence of a client list.
Those findings sparked an angry outcry from some of Trump's supporters who have long believed the government was covering up Epstein's ties to the rich and powerful.
Trump's efforts to deflect attention from the case have so far faltered. On Monday, the president again called the story "a hoax."
"It's a hoax that's been built up way beyond proportion," Trump said, saying Democrats controlled the Epstein files for several years and would have used them against him during the last presidential election if there was anything in them.
Trump flew with Epstein aboard his plane at least six times, according to logs for flights spanning from 1991 through 2005. None of those trips were to Epstein's private island.
Trump has denied ever being on the plane and has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal in Edinburgh, Scotland and Nandita Bose in Washington, Additional reporting by Andrew MacAskill and Luc Cohen; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Cynthia Osterman)
