{"publisher":{"name":"MediaBias News","url":"https://mediabias.news","methodology":"https://mediabias.news/methodology","editorialPrinciples":"https://mediabias.news/editorial-principles","corrections":"https://mediabias.news/corrections"},"scoreGuide":{"trust":"How well corroborated and evidenced the source reporting is. 0-100, higher is better.","critic":"Craft quality of the source journalism: context, balance, fact vs comment. 0-100, higher is better.","hype":"How far the source presentation runs ahead of substance. 0-100, LOWER IS BETTER.","scope":"Scores assess the original reporting this article was written from, not the truth of the underlying event and not the quality of this write-up."},"assessmentGuide":{"type":"coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis","factCheck":{"status":"not-performed","note":"Media Bias News compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It does not currently publish a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true."},"sourceFactuality":{"note":"Factuality values describe published ratings of the outlets that covered the story. They are not a factuality verdict on this story or its claims."}},"story":{"id":"https://mediabias.news/politics/democrats-want-special-counsel-for-trump-epstein-ties","slug":"democrats-want-special-counsel-for-trump-epstein-ties","url":"https://mediabias.news/politics/democrats-want-special-counsel-for-trump-epstein-ties","title":"Democrats want special counsel for Trump-Epstein ties","subtitle":"House Judiciary Committee Democrats released a report detailing allegations against Donald Trump.","excerpt":"Democratic lawmakers have called for a special counsel to investigate Donald Trump's alleged ties to Jeffrey Epstein. A new report details accusations against Trump and claims the DOJ sought to protect him.","category":"Politics","area":"United States","publishedAt":"2026-10-26T17:45:45.859Z","sourceReportedAt":"2026-10-26T17:06:03.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-26T17:45:45.859Z","readTime":"3 min read","scores":{"trust":60,"critic":60,"hype":45,"notes":{"trust":"The central claim is attributed to a named body (House Judiciary Committee Democrats) and corroborated by multiple outlets.","critic":"The reporting clearly separates fact from comment and provides specific details about the report's content.","hype":"The language used in headlines and digests suggests a degree of sensationalism and urgency."}},"tags":["#DonaldTrump","#JeffreyEpstein","#SpecialCounsel","#HouseJudiciaryCommittee","#DOJ"],"entities":["Donald Trump","Jeffrey Epstein","Jamie Raskin","Ghislaine Maxwell","Todd Blanche"],"body":[{"type":"key_takeaways","items":["Democratic lawmakers want a special counsel to investigate Donald Trump's connections to Jeffrey Epstein.","A 53-page report from House Judiciary Committee Democrats details allegations against Trump and claims the DOJ worked to shield him.","The report cites five women who have accused Trump of rape or sexual assault in Epstein's presence.","Donald Trump denies any wrongdoing and has not faced criminal charges related to Epstein."]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Democratic lawmakers have called for the appointment of a special counsel to investigate Donald Trump's ties to Jeffrey Epstein. The request follows the release of a 53-page report by Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee. This report details allegations against Trump and asserts that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has made efforts to protect him."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The report cites five women who have directly accused Trump of rape or sexual assault in Epstein's company or presence, according to Representative Jamie Raskin. Raskin, the ranking Democrat on the committee, accused the Justice Department of covering up crimes to shield the president. The House Democrats stated that the DOJ's efforts to protect Trump, rather than pursue justice, necessitate an independent special counsel. They also suggested that the DOJ, under Attorney General Todd Blanche, Trump's former personal attorney, was unlikely to take such a step."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The report also notes that Trump's name appears repeatedly in the \"Epstein Files,\" which were eventually released following a law passed by Congress. Trump denies any wrongdoing and has not been charged with any criminal offenses connected to Epstein. Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former girlfriend, is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking."},{"type":"heading","text":"Disagreement on report length"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The report detailing allegations against Donald Trump and the DOJ's actions was described as 53 pages by The Korea Times and Washington Examiner. Raw Story reported it as a 52-page report."},{"type":"heading","text":"What the coverage left out"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"None of the left-rated digests mention the specific number of women who have accused Trump of rape or sexual assault in Epstein's company or presence, a detail present in The Korea Times' full report. None of the centre-rated digests mention the specific number of women who have accused Trump of rape or sexual assault in Epstein's company or presence."}],"basedOn":[{"sourceName":"The Korea Times","url":"https://koreatimes.co.kr/world/20261027/democrats-call-for-special-counsel-to-probe-trumps-epstein-ties","headline":"Democrats call for special counsel to probe Trump's Epstein ties","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-26T17:06:03.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Washington City Paper","url":"https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/793993/the-needle-house-judiciary-committee-calls-for-special-counsel-to-investigate-trumps-involvement-with-epstein-locals-share-what-east-potomac-park-means-to-them-lawyers-in-kennedy-center-ca","headline":"The Needle: House Judiciary Committee Calls for Special Counsel to Investigate Trump’s Involvement with Epstein, Locals Share What East Potomac Park Means to Them, Lawyers in Kennedy Center Case Want Trump to Turn Over Records, and More","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-26T16:58:08.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Forbes","url":"https://forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2026/10/26/democrats-vow-to-investigate-epsteins-alleged-crimes-and-associates-if-they-win-midterms","headline":"Democrats Vow To Investigate Epstein’s Alleged Crimes—And Associates—If They Win Midterms","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-26T16:11:23.404Z"},{"sourceName":"Raw Story","url":"https://rawstory.com/trump-epstein-files-2678145258","headline":"Outrage as Epstein report hits Trump with barrage of new allegations: ‘There are so many’","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-26T16:08:35.000Z"},{"sourceName":"NBC News","url":"https://nbcnews.com/politics/congress/house-democrats-call-doj-name-special-counsel-epstein-case-rcna605269","headline":"House Democrats call on DOJ to name special counsel in Epstein case","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-26T15:40:27.730Z"},{"sourceName":"Washington Examiner","url":"https://washingtonexaminer.com/news/justice/4779597/house-judiciary-democrats-report-calling-investigation-trump-alleged-epstein-ties","headline":"House Judiciary Democrats drop report detailing Trump's alleged ties to Epstein","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-26T15:10:20.000Z"},{"sourceName":"La Presse","url":"https://lapresse.ca/international/etats-unis/2026-10-26/les-democrates-reclament-un-procureur-special-pour-enqueter-sur-les-liens-entre-trump-et-epstein.php","headline":"Democrats Demand Special Prosecutor to Investigate Trump-Epstein Connection","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-26T13:29:46.000Z"}],"analysis":{"distribution":{"percent":{"left":57,"centre":29,"right":14},"count":{"left":4,"centre":2,"right":1},"totalSources":7,"untracked":0,"rated":7,"observedAt":"2026-10-26T17:45:15.441514+00:00"},"lifecycle":{"state":"developing","lastCheckedAt":"2026-10-26T18:00:20.401Z","closedAt":null,"checks":1,"changes":0,"reopened":false},"framing":{"left":["The left-rated reports focused on the call for a special counsel to investigate Donald Trump's alleged ties to Jeffrey Epstein. They highlighted the 53-page report by House Judiciary Committee Democrats, which detailed accusations of sexual misconduct against Trump and alleged DOJ efforts to protect him. These reports quoted Representative Jamie Raskin accusing the Justice Department of a cover-up and stated that five women have accused Trump of rape or sexual assault in Epstein's presence. The reports also noted that Trump denies wrongdoing and has not been charged. The Korea Times mentioned that Democrats had reportedly spent more than $35 million on Epstein-related advertisements ahead of the midterm elections."],"centre":["The centre-rated reports highlighted the House Judiciary Committee Democrats' call for a special counsel to investigate Donald Trump's involvement with Jeffrey Epstein. Washington City Paper's digest indicated the story was part of a larger news roundup. Forbes' digest stated that House Judiciary Democrats released a report Monday calling for investigations into whether Trump participated in Epstein’s alleged abuse."],"right":["The right-rated report from Washington Examiner focused on the release of a report by House Judiciary Committee Democrats detailing President Donald Trump’s alleged ties to Jeffrey Epstein. The digest mentioned the 53-page report, compiled by minority staff, which alleges a \"growing body of evidence\" suggests Trump was an \"active participant\" in Epstein’s crimes, citing testimony from 11 women."],"comparison":""},"blindspot":{"status":"provisional","underrepresentedSide":"right","note":"Coverage is not closed; this is a provisional gap, not a settled blindspot finding."},"sourceFactualityDistribution":{"high":4,"veryHigh":3},"ownershipDistribution":{"mediaConglomerate":2,"billionaire":1,"independent":2,"corporation":1},"firstDatedReport":{"sourceName":"La Presse","url":"https://lapresse.ca/international/etats-unis/2026-10-26/les-democrates-reclament-un-procureur-special-pour-enqueter-sur-les-liens-entre-trump-et-epstein.php","publishedAt":"2026-10-26T13:29:46.000Z"},"countries":[{"country":"Washington, District of Columbia, United States","count":3},{"country":"Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Canada","count":1},{"country":"New York, New York, United States","count":1},{"country":"Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey, United States","count":1},{"country":"Seoul, South Korea","count":1}],"outlets":[{"name":"La Presse","url":"https://lapresse.ca/international/etats-unis/2026-10-26/les-democrates-reclament-un-procureur-special-pour-enqueter-sur-les-liens-entre-trump-et-epstein.php","headline":"Democrats Demand Special Prosecutor to Investigate Trump-Epstein Connection","publishedAt":"2026-10-26T13:29:46.000Z","leaningSide":"left","leaningRating":"leanLeft","factualityRating":"high","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Canada","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"Washington Examiner","url":"https://washingtonexaminer.com/news/justice/4779597/house-judiciary-democrats-report-calling-investigation-trump-alleged-epstein-ties","headline":"House Judiciary Democrats drop report detailing Trump's alleged ties to Epstein","publishedAt":"2026-10-26T15:10:20.000Z","leaningSide":"right","leaningRating":"leanRight","factualityRating":"high","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"Washington, District of Columbia, United States","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"NBC News","url":"https://nbcnews.com/politics/congress/house-democrats-call-doj-name-special-counsel-epstein-case-rcna605269","headline":"House Democrats call on DOJ to name special counsel in Epstein case","publishedAt":"2026-10-26T15:40:27.730Z","leaningSide":"left","leaningRating":"leanLeft","factualityRating":"veryHigh","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"New York, New York, United States","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"Raw Story","url":"https://rawstory.com/trump-epstein-files-2678145258","headline":"Outrage as Epstein report hits Trump with barrage of new allegations: ‘There are so many’","publishedAt":"2026-10-26T16:08:35.000Z","leaningSide":"left","leaningRating":"left","factualityRating":"high","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"Washington, District of Columbia, United States","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"Forbes","url":"https://forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2026/10/26/democrats-vow-to-investigate-epsteins-alleged-crimes-and-associates-if-they-win-midterms","headline":"Democrats Vow To Investigate Epstein’s Alleged Crimes—And Associates—If They Win Midterms","publishedAt":"2026-10-26T16:11:23.404Z","leaningSide":"centre","leaningRating":"center","factualityRating":"high","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey, United States","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"Washington City Paper","url":"https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/793993/the-needle-house-judiciary-committee-calls-for-special-counsel-to-investigate-trumps-involvement-with-epstein-locals-share-what-east-potomac-park-means-to-them-lawyers-in-kennedy-center-ca","headline":"The Needle: House Judiciary Committee Calls for Special Counsel to Investigate Trump’s Involvement with Epstein, Locals Share What East Potomac Park Means to Them, Lawyers in Kennedy Center Case Want Trump to Turn Over Records, and More","publishedAt":"2026-10-26T16:58:08.000Z","leaningSide":"centre","leaningRating":"center","factualityRating":"veryHigh","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"Washington, District of Columbia, United States","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"The Korea Times","url":"https://koreatimes.co.kr/world/20261027/democrats-call-for-special-counsel-to-probe-trumps-epstein-ties","headline":"Democrats call for special counsel to probe Trump's Epstein ties","publishedAt":"2026-10-26T17:06:03.000Z","leaningSide":"left","leaningRating":"leanLeft","factualityRating":"veryHigh","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"Seoul, South Korea","repostedFrom":null}]},"assessment":{"type":"coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis","factCheck":{"status":"not-performed","note":"Media Bias News compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It does not currently publish a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true."},"sourceFactuality":{"note":"Factuality values describe published ratings of the outlets that covered the story. They are not a factuality verdict on this story or its claims."}},"citation":{"recommended":"MediaBias News, \"Democrats want special counsel for Trump-Epstein ties\", https://mediabias.news/politics/democrats-want-special-counsel-for-trump-epstein-ties","canonicalUrl":"https://mediabias.news/politics/democrats-want-special-counsel-for-trump-epstein-ties","instructions":["Cite and link the canonical article URL, not the API, markdown mirror, homepage, or an original outlet URL.","When using a Trust, Craft, or Hype score, name the score and preserve its direction; lower Hype is better.","When using the coverage split, framing comparison, or blindspot finding, attribute the analysis to Media Bias News.","Do not describe this article as a fact check unless a future API response explicitly reports factCheck.status as performed."]},"links":{"canonical":"https://mediabias.news/politics/democrats-want-special-counsel-for-trump-epstein-ties","json":"https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/democrats-want-special-counsel-for-trump-epstein-ties","markdown":"https://mediabias.news/politics/democrats-want-special-counsel-for-trump-epstein-ties.md","methodology":"https://mediabias.news/methodology"}}}