The Justice Department has released a new series of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which include hundreds of references to former President Donald Trump.
Details of Document Release
The Justice Department released these files on Tuesday, stating the batch contains nearly 30,000 pages. The department noted that this release includes "untrue or sensationalist claims" regarding Trump. This release follows a congressional mandate for all related files to be made public by last Friday, with the department adopting a phased approach to releasing the expected hundreds of thousands of pages.
Connections to Donald Trump
Donald Trump has not been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein. However, documentation within the newly released files details a friendship between Trump and Epstein during the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s.
A 2020 email from an unidentified federal prosecutor indicates that Trump traveled on Epstein's private jet "many more times than previously has been reported (or that we were aware)." According to this email, Trump was listed as a passenger on at least eight flights between 1993 and 1996. Four of these flights also included Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's co-conspirator and a convicted sex offender. One specific flight log entry showed Trump, Epstein, and a 20-year-old individual whose name was redacted as the only passengers. The flight logs indicate Trump's travel was primarily domestic, between New Jersey, Palm Beach, Florida, and Washington, D.C.
Furthermore, the files include a 2021 subpoena issued to Trump's Mar-a-Lago club, requesting employment records as part of the investigation into Maxwell.
Trump's Response
Prior to the release, on Monday, Donald Trump commented on the Epstein files, describing them as a distraction. He stated, "What this whole thing is with Epstein is a way of trying to deflect from the tremendous success that the Republican Party has." Trump also expressed concern that the release unfairly implicates innocent individuals, saying, "A lot of people are very angry that pictures are being released of other people that really had nothing to do with Epstein, but they're in a picture with him because he was at a party. And you ruin a reputation of somebody."
Other Documents of Note
The newly released documents also contain a 2019 letter, purportedly sent by Epstein from a correctional facility in Manhattan to convicted sex offender Larry Nassar. This letter states, "our president shares our love of young, nubile girls." The letter was marked as returned to sender. An FBI document included in the release indicates a request for handwriting analysis to verify if Epstein authored the letter, though the outcome of this analysis is not stated in the files.