US PRESIDENT DONALD Trump has retweeted a number of unsubstantiated conspiracy theories linking Bill Clinton to the apparent suicide of Jeffrey Epstein.

The billionaire financier was found dead in his jail cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan yesterday and an FBI investigation has now been launched. 

Epstein’s death has launched many new conspiracy theories online in a saga that has provided fodder for them for years, fueled by Epstein’s ties to princes, politicians and other famous and powerful people.

Online theorists quickly offered unsubstantiated speculation with Trump retweeting two posts mentioning Clinton. 

One of the conspiracies shared by Trump said that Epstein “had information on Bill Clinton”. The post had been shared by comedian and Trump supporter Terrence Williams.

Responding the reporting of Trump’s retweet, Clinton spokesperson Angel Urena said the notion was “ridiculous”.

“Ridiculous, and of course not true — and Donald Trump knows it. Has he triggered the 25th Amendment yet?,” Urena wrote. 

The 25th Amendment allows for a US president to be removed from office if they are deemed unable to perform their duties, potentially due to mental instability. 

Ureña also said that Clinton “knows nothing about the terrible crimes Jeffrey Epstein pleaded guilty to in Florida some years ago, or those with which he has been recently charged in New York.”

Epstein (66) had been denied bail and faced up to 45 years behind bars on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges unsealed last month. He had pleaded not guilty and was awaiting trial next year.

His death led to an immediate outcry about how such a high profile inmate was allowed to take his own life following another apparent suicide attempt a number of weeks ago.

US Attorney General Bill Barr said he was “appalled” and instructed the Justice Department’s inspector general to probe the circumstances.

“Mr Epstein’s death raises serious questions that must be answered,” Barr said.

The New York Times and other media reported Epstein hanged himself. The city medical examiner’s office did not confirm the cause of death.

On July 23, the 66-year-old was found unconscious with marks on his neck. He was put on suicide watch for six days before being returned to his cell in a high-security part of the jail, the New York Times reported.

“We need answers. Lots of them,” tweeted New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Republican Senator Ben Sasse, who heads the Senate’s judiciary oversight committee, said the government had failed Epstein’s alleged victims “yet again.”

With reporting by - AFP 2019 and Associated Press