Former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly said in a NewsNation interview aired 10 July that Donald Trump told him the trove of still-sealed documents tied to financier Jeffrey Epstein should remain confidential because they include “a lot of names” of people who had only incidental contact with Epstein. O’Reilly said the former president warned that releasing the files without context would “destroy” those individuals’ reputations. O’Reilly described speaking “man to man” with Trump on St. Patrick’s Day this year about the material. According to O’Reilly, Trump argued that some listed individuals merely “had lunch with” or corresponded with Epstein and could be unfairly vilified if their identities became public. The Justice Department has retained the Epstein records for several years, and victims’ lawyers and some lawmakers have pressed for fuller disclosure. Epstein, a convicted sex offender, was arrested on federal trafficking charges in July 2019 and died in jail the following month, prompting continuing interest in documents that might identify associates or potential enablers.