US President Donald Trump has cautioned that the release of investigative files linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein could unfairly harm the reputations of individuals who had only innocent associations with him.

Trump made the remarks on Monday night at his Mar-a-Lago residence, marking his first public comments since the US Justice Department began releasing the Epstein-related files last Friday. He downplayed the renewed attention on the case, describing it as a distraction from what he said were the Republican Party’s recent achievements.

“This whole thing with Epstein is a way of trying to deflect from the tremendous success that the Republican Party has,” Trump told reporters.

The release of the first batch of images prominently featured former US President Bill Clinton, prompting questions about Trump’s response. Trump said he has always had a good relationship with Clinton and expressed discomfort over the publication of the photos.

“I like Bill Clinton. I’ve always gotten along with Bill Clinton. I hate to see photos come out of him,” he said.

Trump also acknowledged that he appeared in photos with Epstein, noting that Epstein had socialised widely among influential figures.

“There’s photos of me too. Everybody was friendly with this guy,” he said.

He described the release of such images as “a terrible thing,” stressing that appearing in a photograph with Epstein does not automatically suggest wrongdoing.

“Bill Clinton’s a big boy, he can handle it,” Trump added. “But you probably have pictures being exposed of other people that innocently met Jeffrey Epstein years ago — many years ago — and they’re highly respected bankers, lawyers, and others.”

According to Trump, many people are upset by the publication of images involving individuals he believes had no connection to Epstein’s crimes.

“They’re in a picture with him because he was at a party and you ruin a reputation of somebody,” he said.

Epstein, a wealthy financier with high-profile connections, died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. His death was officially ruled a suicide.