Donald Trump does not look on Jeffrey Epstein survivors with one SHRED of dignity — this according to Marjorie Taylor Greene!
The United States Representative sat down with The New York Times for a sprawling interview published on Monday, where she detailed more about her upcoming resignation in the wake of losing Trump’s support.
As we’ve been following, Marjorie has been a major proponent of releasing the Epstein files, and even helped pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which forced the government to release said files.
Trump has been extremely vocal about his disdain for Marjorie in the wake of her public support for Epstein survivors, with the Georgia politician claiming he called her “extremely angry” complaining his “friends will get hurt” if the files were released. But that wasn’t the only instance of his appalling lack of sympathy for the victims in the situation.
During her interview with the NYT, Marjorie revealed she encouraged the President to invite said survivors to the White House to give them a platform to raise awareness… but Trump didn’t give the idea the time of day. According to Marjorie, Trump said his pal’s victims had not done anything to earn such an honor.
After everything these women have been through… What a cruel and insensitive insult.
In response to Marjorie’s claims’ White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said in a statement to People:
“President Trump remains the undisputed leader of the greatest and fastest growing political movement in American history — the MAGA movement. On the other hand, Congresswoman Greene is quitting on her constituents in the middle of her term and abandoning the consequential fight we’re in — we don’t have time for her petty bitterness.”
That’s not a denial!
What are YOUR reactions to this shocking insult? Let us know in the comments down below.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence and would like to learn more about resources, consider checking out https://www.rainn.org/resources
An undated photo of Jeffrey Epstein and his defense attorney Alan Dershowitz, a professor emeritus at Harvard Law School, released by House Oversight Committee Democrats on Dec. 12, 2025
House Oversight Committee Democrats
Jeffrey Epstein’s team of high-powered lawyers famously negotiated a lenient 2007 deal on his behalf with federal prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida that allowed the financier to avoid a lengthy prison sentence and plead guilty to only two state charges to settle allegations that he had abused dozens of teenage girls.
Never-before-seen documents released this week by the Department of Justice as part of the so-called Epstein Files show how his attorneys continued to try to influence federal prosecutors even after his deal was finalized, and mixed personal and business relationships with the attorneys who had agreed to settle Epstein’s case.
While federal prosecutors pushed back against Epstein’s lawyers, at the end of day, Epstein got what he wanted.
In mid-November of 2008, nearly five months after Epstein began his sentence at the Palm Beach County Jail, his attorney Jay Lefkowitz wrote to one of the Florida prosecutors on the case asking if the prosecutor could meet the week of Thanksgiving.
“Do we need to discuss anything related to Mr. Epstein or is this purely a social visit?,” asked the prosecutor, whose name is redacted.
Lefkowitz replied that he would be seeing Epstein and would provide the prosecutor updates on his client.
“But primarily,” Lefkowitz wrote, “I thought we could have a social visit. For once.”
Lefkowitz didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment.
His correspondence with the unnamed prosecutor came roughly one week before the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Florida wrote to another of Epstein’s prominent attorneys, Roy Black, to raise a significant issue.
Miami criminal defense attorney Roy Black Handout
They learned that Epstein had applied for and been admitted to a work release program through the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, which operated the county jail.
Under the terms of this program, Epstein was ultimately able to spend up to 12 hours a day, six days a week working at a nearby office he rented in West Palm Beach while he was serving his sentence. Epstein allegedly continued to abuse girls at this West Palm Beach Office while still technically serving his incarceration.
In the Nov. 24, 2008 letter, the U.S. Attorney’s Office wrote that Epstein’s participation in the program is a “material breach” of his deal with the government. Part of his agreement required that he spend his incarceration in jail, not on work release.
“Accordingly, the United States demands that Mr. Epstein withdraw his application to participate in the program and complete his eighteen-month term of imprisonment,” the letter states.
Neither of those things would happen.
Epstein continued to participate in the program, and he was released from custody after only 13 months.
Black died earlier this year.
‘A relaxed drink and conversation’
It wasn’t the first time federal prosecutors discussed the conditions of Epstein’s incarceration with his attorneys; the letter indicates that they raised concerns about it in June 2008 as his plea deal with the state was being finalized. It wouldn’t be the last time, either.
Another of Epstein’s attorneys, Alan Dershowitz, met for a drink in March 2009 with an attorney from the U.S. Attorney’s Office who Dershowitz identified as Jeffrey Sloman, the then-deputy U.S. attorney in Miami.
Sloman at the time was overseeing the Epstein case and succeeded Alexander Acosta as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida two months later.
“It was so nice having a relaxed drink and conversation on the porch of our neighborhood bistro,” Dershowitz wrote. “I appreciate your kind words of advice, encouragement and friendship.”
But the visit clearly wasn’t all social.
“I especially appreciate your assurance that the feds will not interfere with how the Palm Beach sheriff administers jefferey’s sentence as long as he is treated like any similarly situated inmate,” Dershowitz added, misspelling Epstein’s name. “My understanding is that if the sheriff were to decide, in the normal course of events, that the circumstances warranted Jeffrey completing the custodial portion of his sentence under alternative custody/in-home detention, your office would not intrude.”
Sloman responded saying that he looked “forward to maintaining and growing our friendship.”
He went on to say that the U.S. Attorney’s Office “will not interfere with how the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office administers the sentence imposed by the Court.”
But he added that “this does not mean that [The U.S. Attorney’s Office] condones or encourages [The Palm Beach Sheriffs Office] to mitigate the terms and conditions of his sentence.”
If the office was contacted to offer their position on Epstein being allowed to serve out the remainder of his sentence in “alternative custody or in-home detention,” Sloman wrote, “we will object.”
Dershowitz wrote back the following day with a compliment.
“You are a real mensch,” he said.
A few months later Epstein was released from the Palm Beach County jail, five months before the scheduled end of his 18-month sentence.
Dershowitz told the Miami Herald that he did for Epstein what he would do for any client.
“I try to get the best possible situation,” he said.
He added that there was “nothing unusual” about the negotiations between Epstein’s legal team and the U.S. Attorney’s Office throughout the entire process.
Sloman didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment.
‘The possibility of working together’
The prospect of future work complicated the relationship between federal prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida and Epstein’s legal team.
Acosta, who formally signed off on Epstein’s non-prosecution deal with the feds, recused himself from the case in December 2008 because he was in discussions about going to work for the law firm Kirkland & Ellis, according to the Justice Department’s internal investigation into the Epstein deal released in 2020. Kirkland & Ellis employed both Lefkowitz and another of Epstein’s high-powered attorneys, former Solicitor General Ken Starr.
The report also showed that Acosta had met with Lefkowitz for breakfast in October 2007 at a West Palm Beach Marriott.
In a letter to Acosta, Lefkowitz wrote that Acosta had assured him that the U.S. Attorney’s Office would “not intervene with the State Attorney’s Office regarding this matter” and not intervene in Epstein’s state sentence. Acosta disputed that characterization in a letter sent to Lefkowitz in response, the report said. Agreeing to those terms would equate to “the imposition of a gag order,” the response to Lefkowitz said.
Epstein himself was in direct contact with one of the prosecutors who oversaw his case after he was released from custody.
The Herald previously reported that Epstein met with former prosecutor Matthew Menchel several times in 2011, 2013 and 2017, according to Epstein’s calendars released by the House Oversight Committee from material it received through a subpoena to Epstein’s estate.
The new Epstein files include another new piece of information, an October 2010 e-mail between Menchel and Epstein, less than a year and a half after Epstein’s sentence ended.
“I very much enjoyed our talk the other night,” Menchel wrote. “I look forward to the possibility of working together, but regardless let’s keep in touch.” A spokesperson for Menchel provided the Herald with a statement indicating that Menchel never met with Epstein during the time he was involved with the Epstein investigation at the U.S. Attorney’s Office and that the law firm where Menchel went to work after leaving the government, Kobre & Kim, was one of several firms Epstein considered hiring to address various legal issues.
“There was nothing inappropriate about any of Mr. Menchel’s communications or conduct,” the statement said. “Ultimately, neither Mr. Menchel nor anyone else at his firm ever represented Epstein or otherwise did business with him.”
Julie K. Brown is a member of the Miami Herald’s Investigative Team. Her 2017 probe into Palm Beach sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein won multiple journalism awards, including a George Polk Award. She was also a member of the Herald’s 2022 Pulitzer-Prize-winning team recognized for its coverage of the Surfside condo collapse. Support my work with a digital subscription
The Justice Department said Wednesday that it may need a “few more weeks” to release all of its records on the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after suddenly discovering more than a million potentially relevant documents, further delaying compliance with last Friday’s congressionally mandated deadline.Related video above: Justice Department releases extensive Epstein files mentioning President TrumpThe Christmas Eve announcement came hours after a dozen U.S. senators called on the Justice Department’s watchdog to examine its failure to meet the deadline. The group, 11 Democrats and a Republican, told Acting Inspector General Don Berthiaume in a letter that victims “deserve full disclosure” and the “peace of mind” of an independent audit.The Justice Department said in a social media post that federal prosecutors in Manhattan and the FBI “have uncovered over a million more documents” that could be related to the Epstein case — a stunning 11th-hour development after department officials suggested months ago that they had undertaken a comprehensive review that accounted for the vast universe of Epstein-related materials.In March, Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News that a “truckload of evidence” had been delivered to her after she ordered the Justice Department to “deliver the full and complete Epstein files to my office” — a directive she said she made after learning from an unidentified source that the FBI in New York was “in possession of thousands of pages of documents.”In July, the FBI and Justice Department indicated in an unsigned memo that they had undertaken an “exhaustive review” and had determined that no additional evidence should be released — an extraordinary about-face from the Trump administration, which for months had pledged maximum transparency. The memo did not raise the possibility that additional evidence existed that officials were unaware of or had not reviewed.Wednesday’s post did not say when the Justice Department was informed of the newly uncovered files.In a letter last week, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Manhattan federal prosecutors already had more than 3.6 million records from sex trafficking investigations into Epstein and Maxwell, though many were copies of material already turned over by the FBI.The Justice Department said its lawyers are “working around the clock” to review the documents and remove victims’ names and other identifying information as required by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the law enacted last month that requires the government to open its files on Epstein and his longtime confidant Ghislaine Maxwell.“We will release the documents as soon as possible,” the department said. “Due to the mass volume of material, this process may take a few more weeks.”The announcement came amid increasing scrutiny on the Justice Department’s staggered release of Epstein-related records, including from Epstein victims and members of Congress.Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, of Kentucky, one of the chief authors of the law mandating the document release, posted Wednesday on X, “DOJ did break the law by making illegal redactions and by missing the deadline.” Another architect of the law, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said he and Massie will “continue to keep the pressure on” and noted that the Justice Department was releasing more documents after lawmakers threatened contempt.“A Christmas Eve news dump of ‘a million more files’ only proves what we already know: Trump is engaged in a massive coverup,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said after the DOJ’s announcement. “The question Americans deserve answered is simple: WHAT are they hiding — and WHY?”The White House on Wednesday defended the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein records.“President Trump has assembled the greatest cabinet in American history, which includes Attorney General Bondi and her team — like Deputy Attorney General Blanche — who are doing a great job implementing the President’s agenda,” spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement.After releasing an initial wave of records Friday, more batches were posted over the weekend and on Tuesday. The Justice Department has not given any notice when more records might arrive.Records that have been released, including photographs, interview transcripts, call logs, court records and other documents, were either already public or heavily blacked out, and many lacked necessary context. Records that had not been seen before include transcripts of grand jury testimony from FBI agents who described interviews they had with several girls and young women who described being paid to perform sex acts for Epstein.Other records made public in recent days include a note from a federal prosecutor from January 2020 that said Trump had flown on the financier’s private plane more often than had been previously known and emails between Maxwell and someone who signs off with the initial “A.” They contain other references that suggest the writer was Britain’s former Prince Andrew. In one, “A” writes, “How’s LA? Have you found me some new inappropriate friends?”The senators’ call Wednesday for an inspector general audit comes days after Schumer introduced a resolution that, if passed, would direct the Senate to file or join lawsuits aimed at forcing the Justice Department to comply with the disclosure and deadline requirements. In a statement, he called the staggered, heavily redacted release “a blatant cover-up.”Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joined Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., in leading the call for an inspector general audit. Others signing the letter were Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Adam Schiff of California, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Cory Booker and Andy Kim, both of New Jersey, Gary Peters of Michigan, Chris van Hollen of Maryland, Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island.“Given the (Trump) Administration’s historic hostility to releasing the files, politicization of the Epstein case more broadly, and failure to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a neutral assessment of its compliance with the statutory disclosure requirements is essential,” the senators wrote. Full transparency, they said, “is essential in identifying members of our society who enabled and participated in Epstein’s crimes.”__Sisak reported from Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
WASHINGTON —
The Justice Department said Wednesday that it may need a “few more weeks” to release all of its records on the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after suddenly discovering more than a million potentially relevant documents, further delaying compliance with last Friday’s congressionally mandated deadline.
Related video above: Justice Department releases extensive Epstein files mentioning President Trump
The Christmas Eve announcement came hours after a dozen U.S. senators called on the Justice Department’s watchdog to examine its failure to meet the deadline. The group, 11 Democrats and a Republican, told Acting Inspector General Don Berthiaume in a letter that victims “deserve full disclosure” and the “peace of mind” of an independent audit.
The Justice Department said in a social media post that federal prosecutors in Manhattan and the FBI “have uncovered over a million more documents” that could be related to the Epstein case — a stunning 11th-hour development after department officials suggested months ago that they had undertaken a comprehensive review that accounted for the vast universe of Epstein-related materials.
In March, Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News that a “truckload of evidence” had been delivered to her after she ordered the Justice Department to “deliver the full and complete Epstein files to my office” — a directive she said she made after learning from an unidentified source that the FBI in New York was “in possession of thousands of pages of documents.”
In July, the FBI and Justice Department indicated in an unsigned memo that they had undertaken an “exhaustive review” and had determined that no additional evidence should be released — an extraordinary about-face from the Trump administration, which for months had pledged maximum transparency. The memo did not raise the possibility that additional evidence existed that officials were unaware of or had not reviewed.
Wednesday’s post did not say when the Justice Department was informed of the newly uncovered files.
In a letter last week, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Manhattan federal prosecutors already had more than 3.6 million records from sex trafficking investigations into Epstein and Maxwell, though many were copies of material already turned over by the FBI.
The Justice Department said its lawyers are “working around the clock” to review the documents and remove victims’ names and other identifying information as required by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the law enacted last month that requires the government to open its files on Epstein and his longtime confidant Ghislaine Maxwell.
“We will release the documents as soon as possible,” the department said. “Due to the mass volume of material, this process may take a few more weeks.”
The announcement came amid increasing scrutiny on the Justice Department’s staggered release of Epstein-related records, including from Epstein victims and members of Congress.
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, of Kentucky, one of the chief authors of the law mandating the document release, posted Wednesday on X, “DOJ did break the law by making illegal redactions and by missing the deadline.”
Another architect of the law, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said he and Massie will “continue to keep the pressure on” and noted that the Justice Department was releasing more documents after lawmakers threatened contempt.
“A Christmas Eve news dump of ‘a million more files’ only proves what we already know: Trump is engaged in a massive coverup,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said after the DOJ’s announcement. “The question Americans deserve answered is simple: WHAT are they hiding — and WHY?”
The White House on Wednesday defended the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein records.
“President Trump has assembled the greatest cabinet in American history, which includes Attorney General Bondi and her team — like Deputy Attorney General Blanche — who are doing a great job implementing the President’s agenda,” spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement.
After releasing an initial wave of records Friday, more batches were posted over the weekend and on Tuesday. The Justice Department has not given any notice when more records might arrive.
Records that have been released, including photographs, interview transcripts, call logs, court records and other documents, were either already public or heavily blacked out, and many lacked necessary context. Records that had not been seen before include transcripts of grand jury testimony from FBI agents who described interviews they had with several girls and young women who described being paid to perform sex acts for Epstein.
Other records made public in recent days include a note from a federal prosecutor from January 2020 that said Trump had flown on the financier’s private plane more often than had been previously known and emails between Maxwell and someone who signs off with the initial “A.” They contain other references that suggest the writer was Britain’s former Prince Andrew. In one, “A” writes, “How’s LA? Have you found me some new inappropriate friends?”
The senators’ call Wednesday for an inspector general audit comes days after Schumer introduced a resolution that, if passed, would direct the Senate to file or join lawsuits aimed at forcing the Justice Department to comply with the disclosure and deadline requirements. In a statement, he called the staggered, heavily redacted release “a blatant cover-up.”
Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joined Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., in leading the call for an inspector general audit. Others signing the letter were Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Adam Schiff of California, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Cory Booker and Andy Kim, both of New Jersey, Gary Peters of Michigan, Chris van Hollen of Maryland, Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island.
“Given the (Trump) Administration’s historic hostility to releasing the files, politicization of the Epstein case more broadly, and failure to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a neutral assessment of its compliance with the statutory disclosure requirements is essential,” the senators wrote. Full transparency, they said, “is essential in identifying members of our society who enabled and participated in Epstein’s crimes.”
The Justice Department said Wednesday that it may need a “few more weeks” to release all of its records on the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after suddenly discovering more than a million potentially relevant documents, further delaying compliance with last Friday’s congressionally mandated deadline.Related video above: Justice Department releases extensive Epstein files mentioning President TrumpThe Christmas Eve announcement came hours after a dozen U.S. senators called on the Justice Department’s watchdog to examine its failure to meet the deadline. The group, 11 Democrats and a Republican, told Acting Inspector General Don Berthiaume in a letter that victims “deserve full disclosure” and the “peace of mind” of an independent audit.The Justice Department said in a social media post that federal prosecutors in Manhattan and the FBI “have uncovered over a million more documents” that could be related to the Epstein case — a stunning 11th-hour development after department officials suggested months ago that they had undertaken a comprehensive review that accounted for the vast universe of Epstein-related materials.In March, Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News that a “truckload of evidence” had been delivered to her after she ordered the Justice Department to “deliver the full and complete Epstein files to my office” — a directive she said she made after learning from an unidentified source that the FBI in New York was “in possession of thousands of pages of documents.”In July, the FBI and Justice Department indicated in an unsigned memo that they had undertaken an “exhaustive review” and had determined that no additional evidence should be released — an extraordinary about-face from the Trump administration, which for months had pledged maximum transparency. The memo did not raise the possibility that additional evidence existed that officials were unaware of or had not reviewed.Wednesday’s post did not say when the Justice Department was informed of the newly uncovered files.In a letter last week, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Manhattan federal prosecutors already had more than 3.6 million records from sex trafficking investigations into Epstein and Maxwell, though many were copies of material already turned over by the FBI.The Justice Department said its lawyers are “working around the clock” to review the documents and remove victims’ names and other identifying information as required by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the law enacted last month that requires the government to open its files on Epstein and his longtime confidant Ghislaine Maxwell.“We will release the documents as soon as possible,” the department said. “Due to the mass volume of material, this process may take a few more weeks.”The announcement came amid increasing scrutiny on the Justice Department’s staggered release of Epstein-related records, including from Epstein victims and members of Congress.Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, of Kentucky, one of the chief authors of the law mandating the document release, posted Wednesday on X, “DOJ did break the law by making illegal redactions and by missing the deadline.” Another architect of the law, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said he and Massie will “continue to keep the pressure on” and noted that the Justice Department was releasing more documents after lawmakers threatened contempt.The White House on Wednesday defended the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein records.“President Trump has assembled the greatest cabinet in American history, which includes Attorney General Bondi and her team — like Deputy Attorney General Blanche — who are doing a great job implementing the President’s agenda,” spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement.After releasing an initial wave of records Friday, more batches were posted over the weekend and on Tuesday. The Justice Department has not given any notice when more records might arrive.Records that have been released, including photographs, interview transcripts, call logs, court records and other documents, were either already public or heavily blacked out, and many lacked necessary context. Records that had not been seen before include transcripts of grand jury testimony from FBI agents who described interviews they had with several girls and young women who described being paid to perform sex acts for Epstein.Other records made public in recent days include a note from a federal prosecutor from January 2020 that said Trump had flown on the financier’s private plane more often than had been previously known and emails between Maxwell and someone who signs off with the initial “A.” They contain other references that suggest the writer was Britain’s former Prince Andrew. In one, “A” writes, “How’s LA? Have you found me some new inappropriate friends?”The senators’ call Wednesday for an inspector general audit comes days after Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., introduced a resolution that, if passed, would direct the Senate to file or join lawsuits aimed at forcing the Justice Department to comply with the disclosure and deadline requirements. In a statement, he called the staggered, heavily redacted release “a blatant cover-up.”Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joined Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., in leading the call for an inspector general audit. Others signing the letter were Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Adam Schiff of California, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Cory Booker and Andy Kim, both of New Jersey, Gary Peters of Michigan, Chris van Hollen of Maryland, Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island.“Given the (Trump) Administration’s historic hostility to releasing the files, politicization of the Epstein case more broadly, and failure to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a neutral assessment of its compliance with the statutory disclosure requirements is essential,” the senators wrote. Full transparency, they said, “is essential in identifying members of our society who enabled and participated in Epstein’s crimes.”__Sisak reported from Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
WASHINGTON —
The Justice Department said Wednesday that it may need a “few more weeks” to release all of its records on the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after suddenly discovering more than a million potentially relevant documents, further delaying compliance with last Friday’s congressionally mandated deadline.
Related video above: Justice Department releases extensive Epstein files mentioning President Trump
The Christmas Eve announcement came hours after a dozen U.S. senators called on the Justice Department’s watchdog to examine its failure to meet the deadline. The group, 11 Democrats and a Republican, told Acting Inspector General Don Berthiaume in a letter that victims “deserve full disclosure” and the “peace of mind” of an independent audit.
The Justice Department said in a social media post that federal prosecutors in Manhattan and the FBI “have uncovered over a million more documents” that could be related to the Epstein case — a stunning 11th-hour development after department officials suggested months ago that they had undertaken a comprehensive review that accounted for the vast universe of Epstein-related materials.
In March, Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News that a “truckload of evidence” had been delivered to her after she ordered the Justice Department to “deliver the full and complete Epstein files to my office” — a directive she said she made after learning from an unidentified source that the FBI in New York was “in possession of thousands of pages of documents.”
In July, the FBI and Justice Department indicated in an unsigned memo that they had undertaken an “exhaustive review” and had determined that no additional evidence should be released — an extraordinary about-face from the Trump administration, which for months had pledged maximum transparency. The memo did not raise the possibility that additional evidence existed that officials were unaware of or had not reviewed.
Wednesday’s post did not say when the Justice Department was informed of the newly uncovered files.
In a letter last week, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Manhattan federal prosecutors already had more than 3.6 million records from sex trafficking investigations into Epstein and Maxwell, though many were copies of material already turned over by the FBI.
The Justice Department said its lawyers are “working around the clock” to review the documents and remove victims’ names and other identifying information as required by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the law enacted last month that requires the government to open its files on Epstein and his longtime confidant Ghislaine Maxwell.
“We will release the documents as soon as possible,” the department said. “Due to the mass volume of material, this process may take a few more weeks.”
The announcement came amid increasing scrutiny on the Justice Department’s staggered release of Epstein-related records, including from Epstein victims and members of Congress.
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, of Kentucky, one of the chief authors of the law mandating the document release, posted Wednesday on X, “DOJ did break the law by making illegal redactions and by missing the deadline.”
Another architect of the law, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said he and Massie will “continue to keep the pressure on” and noted that the Justice Department was releasing more documents after lawmakers threatened contempt.
The White House on Wednesday defended the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein records.
“President Trump has assembled the greatest cabinet in American history, which includes Attorney General Bondi and her team — like Deputy Attorney General Blanche — who are doing a great job implementing the President’s agenda,” spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement.
After releasing an initial wave of records Friday, more batches were posted over the weekend and on Tuesday. The Justice Department has not given any notice when more records might arrive.
Records that have been released, including photographs, interview transcripts, call logs, court records and other documents, were either already public or heavily blacked out, and many lacked necessary context. Records that had not been seen before include transcripts of grand jury testimony from FBI agents who described interviews they had with several girls and young women who described being paid to perform sex acts for Epstein.
Other records made public in recent days include a note from a federal prosecutor from January 2020 that said Trump had flown on the financier’s private plane more often than had been previously known and emails between Maxwell and someone who signs off with the initial “A.” They contain other references that suggest the writer was Britain’s former Prince Andrew. In one, “A” writes, “How’s LA? Have you found me some new inappropriate friends?”
The senators’ call Wednesday for an inspector general audit comes days after Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., introduced a resolution that, if passed, would direct the Senate to file or join lawsuits aimed at forcing the Justice Department to comply with the disclosure and deadline requirements. In a statement, he called the staggered, heavily redacted release “a blatant cover-up.”
Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joined Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., in leading the call for an inspector general audit. Others signing the letter were Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Adam Schiff of California, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Cory Booker and Andy Kim, both of New Jersey, Gary Peters of Michigan, Chris van Hollen of Maryland, Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island.
“Given the (Trump) Administration’s historic hostility to releasing the files, politicization of the Epstein case more broadly, and failure to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a neutral assessment of its compliance with the statutory disclosure requirements is essential,” the senators wrote. Full transparency, they said, “is essential in identifying members of our society who enabled and participated in Epstein’s crimes.”
People demostrate during the Stand with Survivors Rally in support of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s victims, in Washington, DC on September 3, 2025.
ROBERTO SCHMIDT
AFP via Getty Images
The top Democrat in the Senate threatened legal action against the Trump administration Monday over its slow and incomplete rollout of the so-called Epstein files. The Department of Justice has so far failed to release any additional new documents from its investigation into the deceased sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York introduced a resolution Monday that would direct the Senate to initiate legal action against the Trump administration for “illegally refusing to release the complete Epstein files and heavily redacting the files that are released.”
A group of Epstein’s victims also issued a letter Monday criticizing the Justice Department for failing to disclose more documents and for failing to redact the names of victims in some files while releasing others “riddled with abnormal and extreme redactions with no explanation.”
The law allows the department to withhold the release of documents that would impede active investigations and to redact material to protect the identity of victims.
The department was required to release all of its files by last Friday, according to the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a bipartisan piece of legislation that was signed into law by President Donald Trump in November.
Epstein’s victims — believed by DOJ to number roughly 1,000 women — have long sought more accountability for Epstein’s powerful friends and accomplices and greater transparency from a department that kept them in the dark about a sweetheart deal Epstein negotiated in 2007 that allowed him to escape harsh punishment for sexually abusing girls in South Florida.
The department’s initial release of files Friday — which consisted largely of photographs and heavily redacted documents — did little to satisfy victims, or the members of Congress who mandated that the files be released.
After its initial release Friday, the department subsequently removed some of the files, including a photograph that showed photos of both Trump and former President Bill Clinton from one of Epstein’s homes.
That photo, and several others, were subsequently put back online.
The department defended its removal of the photos in a fact sheet posted on X, the social media network formerly known as Twitter, saying that it has “received incoming from individuals alleging to be victims and their lawyers, requesting that certain information be removed.”
The files released Friday contained numerous photographs of Clinton, many from a trip to Africa that Clinton and Epstein took on Epstein’s plane in 2002.
On Monday, a spokesman for Clinton called for the Justice Department to release all the files it has containing Clinton and said the release of the files so far suggests that “someone or something is being protected.”
There were, however, some revelations from the material.
The files showed, for example, that Epstein’s homes were littered with photos of naked young women, many of them clearly young girls, as well as the sex toys and outfits that victims have long accused Epstein of forcing them to use.
And they included an FBI form from 1996 showing that a woman — Epstein victim Maria Farmer — had complained that Epstein had stolen naked pictures of her 12- and 16-year-old sisters that she had taken as part of her artistic work, confirming that Epstein’s sex crimes were on the FBI’s radar for a decade before the FBI investigated his alleged crimes in South Florida.
The department also later released files from grand jury investigations into Epstein in South Florida in 2007 and New York in 2019; and into his ex-girlfriend and accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell in New York in 2020.
As the Miami Herald documented in its 2018 ‘Perversion of Justice’ investigation, Epstein reached a remarkably lenient deal with federal prosecutors in South Florida in 2007 that allowed him to plead guilty to two state prostitution charges, one involving a minor, and serve 13 months in the Palm Beach County Jail, where he was allowed to leave regularly to work from a nearby office space in which he continued to abuse girls.
The newly released files showed that two FBI agents and one of Epstein’s victims testified before a grand jury in West Palm Beach in 2007, but Epstein was never indicted.
Also included in the files was the transcript of a 2019 DOJ interview with Alex Acosta, who was the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida who signed off on the plea deal reached with Epstein.
The DOJ investigators scrutinized Acosta’s decision in approving the deal and asked about missing binders of evidence and 11 months’ worth of missing e-mails from his account during the timeframe in which the deal was negotiated.
Epstein was charged again by the Southern District of New York in July 2019 and died in federal custody one month later in what has been ruled a suicide.
Maxwell was charged a year later for her role in recruiting and grooming girls for Epstein’s abuse and convicted of sex trafficking in 2021. She is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence, but is reportedly seeking a pardon.
Ana Claudia is an investigative reporter at the Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald. She was born in Venezuela, grew up in Miami and was previously a fellow with The Washington Post’s investigative unit through the Investigative Writing Workshop at American University, where she obtained her Master’s degree.Ana Claudia Chacin es una periodista investigativa para el Herald. Fue criada en Miami y previamente fue interna del equipo investigativo en el Washington Post.
Claire Healy is an Esserman Investigative Fellow at The Miami Herald. Prior to her current role, she wrote for The Washington Post, where she was a 2024 Pulitzer Finalist for “Searching for Maura.”
Ben Wieder,Shirsho Dasgupta,Claire Healy,Ana Claudia Chacin
At least 16 files disappeared from the Justice Department’s public webpage for documents related to Jeffrey Epstein — including a photograph showing President Donald Trump — less than a day after they were posted, with no explanation from the government and no notice to the public.Related video above: Justice Department’s partial release of Epstein files frustrates lawmakersThe missing files, which were available Friday and no longer accessible by Saturday, included images of paintings depicting nude women, and one showing a series of photographs along a credenza and in drawers. In that image, inside a drawer among other photos, was a photograph of Trump, alongside Epstein, Melania Trump and Epstein’s longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell.The Justice Department didn’t answer questions Saturday about why the files disappeared but said in a post on X that “photos and other materials will continue being reviewed and redacted consistent with the law in an abundance of caution as we receive additional information.”Online, the unexplained missing files fueled speculation about what was taken down and why the public was not notified, compounding long-standing intrigue about Epstein and the powerful figures who surrounded him. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee pointed to the missing image featuring a Trump photo in a post on X, writing: “What else is being covered up? We need transparency for the American public.”The episode deepened concerns that had already emerged from the Justice Department’s much-anticipated document release. The tens of thousands of pages made public offered little new insight into Epstein’s crimes or the prosecutorial decisions that allowed him to avoid serious federal charges for years, while omitting some of the most closely watched materials, including FBI interviews with victims and internal Justice Department memos on charging decisions.Scant new insight in the initial disclosuresSome of the most consequential records expected about Epstein are nowhere to be found in the Justice Department’s initial disclosures, which span tens of thousands of pages.Missing are FBI interviews with survivors and internal Justice Department memos examining charging decisions — records that could have helped explain how investigators viewed the case and why Epstein was allowed in 2008 to plead guilty to a relatively minor state-level prostitution charge.The gaps go further.The records, required to be released under a recent law passed by Congress, hardly reference several powerful figures long associated with Epstein, including Britain’s former Prince Andrew, renewing questions about who was scrutinized, who was not, and how much the disclosures truly advance public accountabilityAmong the fresh nuggets: insight into the Justice Department’s decision to abandon an investigation into Epstein in the 2000s, which enabled him to plead guilty to that state-level charge, and a previously unseen 1996 complaint accusing Epstein of stealing photographs of children.The releases so far have been heavy on images of Epstein’s homes in New York City and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with some photos of celebrities and politicians.There was a series of never-before-seen photos of former President Bill Clinton, but fleetingly few of Trump. Both have been associated with Epstein, but both have since disowned those friendships. Neither has been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, and there was no indication the photos played a role in the criminal cases brought against him.Despite a Friday deadline set by Congress to make everything public, the Justice Department said it plans to release records on a rolling basis. It blamed the delay on the time-consuming process of obscuring survivors’ names and other identifying information. The department has not given any notice when more records might arrive.That approach angered some Epstein accusers and members of Congress, who fought to pass the law forcing the department to act. Instead of marking the end of a yearslong battle for transparency, the document release Friday was merely the beginning of an indefinite wait for a complete picture of Epstein’s crimes and the steps taken to investigate them.”I feel like again the DOJ, the justice system is failing us,” said Marina Lacerda, who alleges Epstein started sexually abusing her at his New York City mansion when she was 14.Many of the long-anticipated records were redacted or lacked contextFederal prosecutors in New York brought sex trafficking charges against Epstein in 2019, but he killed himself in jail after his arrest.The documents just made public were a sliver of potentially millions of pages of records in the department’s possession. In one example, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Manhattan federal prosecutors had more than 3.6 million records from sex trafficking investigations into Epstein and Maxwell, though many duplicated material already turned over by the FBI.Many of the records released so far had been made public in court filings, congressional releases, or Freedom of Information Act requests, though, for the first time, they were all in one place and available for the public to search for free.Ones that were new were often lacking necessary context or heavily blacked out. A 119-page document marked “Grand Jury-NY,” likely from one of the federal sex trafficking investigations that led to the charges against Epstein in 2019 or Maxwell in 2021, was entirely blacked out.Trump’s Republican allies seized on the Clinton images, including photos of the Democrat with singers Michael Jackson and Diana Ross. There were also photos of Epstein with actors Chris Tucker and Kevin Spacey, and even Epstein with TV newscaster Walter Cronkite. But none of the photos had captions, and no explanation was given for why any of them were together.The meatiest records released so far showed that federal prosecutors had what appeared to be a strong case against Epstein in 2007, yet never charged him.Transcripts of grand jury proceedings, released publicly for the first time, included testimony from FBI agents who described interviews they had with several girls and young women who described being paid to perform sex acts for Epstein. The youngest was 14 and in ninth grade.One had told investigators about being sexually assaulted by Epstein when she initially resisted his advances during a massage.Another, then 21, testified before the grand jury about how Epstein had hired her when she was 16 to perform a sexual massage and how she had gone on to recruit other girls to do the same.”For every girl that I brought to the table, he would give me $200,” she said. They were mostly people she knew from high school, she said. “I also told them that if they are underage, just lie about it and tell him that you are 18.”The documents also contain a transcript of an interview Justice Department lawyers did more than a decade later with the U.S. attorney who oversaw the case, Alexander Acosta, about his ultimate decision not to bring federal charges.Acosta, who was labor secretary during Trump’s first term, cited concerns about whether a jury would believe Epstein’s accusers.He also said the Justice Department might have been more reluctant to make a federal prosecution out of a case that straddled the legal border between sex trafficking and soliciting prostitution, something more commonly handled by state prosecutors.”I’m not saying it was the right view,” Acosta added. He also said that the public today would likely view the survivors differently.”There’s been a lot of changes in victim shaming,” Acosta said.Associated Press journalists Ali Swenson, Christopher L. Keller, Aaron Kessler and Mike Catalini contributed to this report.
NEW YORK (AP) —
At least 16 files disappeared from the Justice Department’s public webpage for documents related to Jeffrey Epstein — including a photograph showing President Donald Trump — less than a day after they were posted, with no explanation from the government and no notice to the public.
Related video above: Justice Department’s partial release of Epstein files frustrates lawmakers
The missing files, which were available Friday and no longer accessible by Saturday, included images of paintings depicting nude women, and one showing a series of photographs along a credenza and in drawers. In that image, inside a drawer among other photos, was a photograph of Trump, alongside Epstein, Melania Trump and Epstein’s longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
The Justice Department didn’t answer questions Saturday about why the files disappeared but said in a post on X that “photos and other materials will continue being reviewed and redacted consistent with the law in an abundance of caution as we receive additional information.”
Online, the unexplained missing files fueled speculation about what was taken down and why the public was not notified, compounding long-standing intrigue about Epstein and the powerful figures who surrounded him. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee pointed to the missing image featuring a Trump photo in a post on X, writing: “What else is being covered up? We need transparency for the American public.”
The episode deepened concerns that had already emerged from the Justice Department’s much-anticipated document release. The tens of thousands of pages made public offered little new insight into Epstein’s crimes or the prosecutorial decisions that allowed him to avoid serious federal charges for years, while omitting some of the most closely watched materials, including FBI interviews with victims and internal Justice Department memos on charging decisions.
Scant new insight in the initial disclosures
Some of the most consequential records expected about Epstein are nowhere to be found in the Justice Department’s initial disclosures, which span tens of thousands of pages.
Missing are FBI interviews with survivors and internal Justice Department memos examining charging decisions — records that could have helped explain how investigators viewed the case and why Epstein was allowed in 2008 to plead guilty to a relatively minor state-level prostitution charge.
The gaps go further.
The records, required to be released under a recent law passed by Congress, hardly reference several powerful figures long associated with Epstein, including Britain’s former Prince Andrew, renewing questions about who was scrutinized, who was not, and how much the disclosures truly advance public accountability
Among the fresh nuggets: insight into the Justice Department’s decision to abandon an investigation into Epstein in the 2000s, which enabled him to plead guilty to that state-level charge, and a previously unseen 1996 complaint accusing Epstein of stealing photographs of children.
The releases so far have been heavy on images of Epstein’s homes in New York City and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with some photos of celebrities and politicians.
There was a series of never-before-seen photos of former President Bill Clinton, but fleetingly few of Trump. Both have been associated with Epstein, but both have since disowned those friendships. Neither has been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, and there was no indication the photos played a role in the criminal cases brought against him.
Despite a Friday deadline set by Congress to make everything public, the Justice Department said it plans to release records on a rolling basis. It blamed the delay on the time-consuming process of obscuring survivors’ names and other identifying information. The department has not given any notice when more records might arrive.
That approach angered some Epstein accusers and members of Congress, who fought to pass the law forcing the department to act. Instead of marking the end of a yearslong battle for transparency, the document release Friday was merely the beginning of an indefinite wait for a complete picture of Epstein’s crimes and the steps taken to investigate them.
“I feel like again the DOJ, the justice system is failing us,” said Marina Lacerda, who alleges Epstein started sexually abusing her at his New York City mansion when she was 14.
Many of the long-anticipated records were redacted or lacked context
Federal prosecutors in New York brought sex trafficking charges against Epstein in 2019, but he killed himself in jail after his arrest.
The documents just made public were a sliver of potentially millions of pages of records in the department’s possession. In one example, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Manhattan federal prosecutors had more than 3.6 million records from sex trafficking investigations into Epstein and Maxwell, though many duplicated material already turned over by the FBI.
Many of the records released so far had been made public in court filings, congressional releases, or Freedom of Information Act requests, though, for the first time, they were all in one place and available for the public to search for free.
Ones that were new were often lacking necessary context or heavily blacked out. A 119-page document marked “Grand Jury-NY,” likely from one of the federal sex trafficking investigations that led to the charges against Epstein in 2019 or Maxwell in 2021, was entirely blacked out.
Trump’s Republican allies seized on the Clinton images, including photos of the Democrat with singers Michael Jackson and Diana Ross. There were also photos of Epstein with actors Chris Tucker and Kevin Spacey, and even Epstein with TV newscaster Walter Cronkite. But none of the photos had captions, and no explanation was given for why any of them were together.
The meatiest records released so far showed that federal prosecutors had what appeared to be a strong case against Epstein in 2007, yet never charged him.
Transcripts of grand jury proceedings, released publicly for the first time, included testimony from FBI agents who described interviews they had with several girls and young women who described being paid to perform sex acts for Epstein. The youngest was 14 and in ninth grade.
One had told investigators about being sexually assaulted by Epstein when she initially resisted his advances during a massage.
Another, then 21, testified before the grand jury about how Epstein had hired her when she was 16 to perform a sexual massage and how she had gone on to recruit other girls to do the same.
“For every girl that I brought to the table, he would give me $200,” she said. They were mostly people she knew from high school, she said. “I also told them that if they are underage, just lie about it and tell him that you are 18.”
The documents also contain a transcript of an interview Justice Department lawyers did more than a decade later with the U.S. attorney who oversaw the case, Alexander Acosta, about his ultimate decision not to bring federal charges.
Acosta, who was labor secretary during Trump’s first term, cited concerns about whether a jury would believe Epstein’s accusers.
He also said the Justice Department might have been more reluctant to make a federal prosecution out of a case that straddled the legal border between sex trafficking and soliciting prostitution, something more commonly handled by state prosecutors.
“I’m not saying it was the right view,” Acosta added. He also said that the public today would likely view the survivors differently.
“There’s been a lot of changes in victim shaming,” Acosta said.
Associated Press journalists Ali Swenson, Christopher L. Keller, Aaron Kessler and Mike Catalini contributed to this report.
At least 16 files disappeared from the Justice Department’s public webpage for documents related to Jeffrey Epstein — including a photograph showing President Donald Trump — less than a day after they were posted, with no explanation from the government and no notice to the public.Related video above: Justice Department’s partial release of Epstein files frustrates lawmakersThe missing files, which were available Friday and no longer accessible by Saturday, included images of paintings depicting nude women, and one showing a series of photographs along a credenza and in drawers. In that image, inside a drawer among other photos, was a photograph of Trump, alongside Epstein, Melania Trump and Epstein’s longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell.The Justice Department didn’t answer questions Saturday about why the files disappeared but said in a post on X that “photos and other materials will continue being reviewed and redacted consistent with the law in an abundance of caution as we receive additional information.”Online, the unexplained missing files fueled speculation about what was taken down and why the public was not notified, compounding long-standing intrigue about Epstein and the powerful figures who surrounded him. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee pointed to the missing image featuring a Trump photo in a post on X, writing: “What else is being covered up? We need transparency for the American public.”The episode deepened concerns that had already emerged from the Justice Department’s much-anticipated document release. The tens of thousands of pages made public offered little new insight into Epstein’s crimes or the prosecutorial decisions that allowed him to avoid serious federal charges for years, while omitting some of the most closely watched materials, including FBI interviews with victims and internal Justice Department memos on charging decisions.Scant new insight in the initial disclosuresSome of the most consequential records expected about Epstein are nowhere to be found in the Justice Department’s initial disclosures, which span tens of thousands of pages.Missing are FBI interviews with survivors and internal Justice Department memos examining charging decisions — records that could have helped explain how investigators viewed the case and why Epstein was allowed in 2008 to plead guilty to a relatively minor state-level prostitution charge.The gaps go further.The records, required to be released under a recent law passed by Congress, hardly reference several powerful figures long associated with Epstein, including Britain’s former Prince Andrew, renewing questions about who was scrutinized, who was not, and how much the disclosures truly advance public accountabilityAmong the fresh nuggets: insight into the Justice Department’s decision to abandon an investigation into Epstein in the 2000s, which enabled him to plead guilty to that state-level charge, and a previously unseen 1996 complaint accusing Epstein of stealing photographs of children.The releases so far have been heavy on images of Epstein’s homes in New York City and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with some photos of celebrities and politicians.There was a series of never-before-seen photos of former President Bill Clinton, but fleetingly few of Trump. Both have been associated with Epstein, but both have since disowned those friendships. Neither has been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, and there was no indication the photos played a role in the criminal cases brought against him.Despite a Friday deadline set by Congress to make everything public, the Justice Department said it plans to release records on a rolling basis. It blamed the delay on the time-consuming process of obscuring survivors’ names and other identifying information. The department has not given any notice when more records might arrive.That approach angered some Epstein accusers and members of Congress, who fought to pass the law forcing the department to act. Instead of marking the end of a yearslong battle for transparency, the document release Friday was merely the beginning of an indefinite wait for a complete picture of Epstein’s crimes and the steps taken to investigate them.”I feel like again the DOJ, the justice system is failing us,” said Marina Lacerda, who alleges Epstein started sexually abusing her at his New York City mansion when she was 14.Many of the long-anticipated records were redacted or lacked contextFederal prosecutors in New York brought sex trafficking charges against Epstein in 2019, but he killed himself in jail after his arrest.The documents just made public were a sliver of potentially millions of pages of records in the department’s possession. In one example, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Manhattan federal prosecutors had more than 3.6 million records from sex trafficking investigations into Epstein and Maxwell, though many duplicated material already turned over by the FBI.Many of the records released so far had been made public in court filings, congressional releases, or Freedom of Information Act requests, though, for the first time, they were all in one place and available for the public to search for free.Ones that were new were often lacking necessary context or heavily blacked out. A 119-page document marked “Grand Jury-NY,” likely from one of the federal sex trafficking investigations that led to the charges against Epstein in 2019 or Maxwell in 2021, was entirely blacked out.Trump’s Republican allies seized on the Clinton images, including photos of the Democrat with singers Michael Jackson and Diana Ross. There were also photos of Epstein with actors Chris Tucker and Kevin Spacey, and even Epstein with TV newscaster Walter Cronkite. But none of the photos had captions, and no explanation was given for why any of them were together.The meatiest records released so far showed that federal prosecutors had what appeared to be a strong case against Epstein in 2007, yet never charged him.Transcripts of grand jury proceedings, released publicly for the first time, included testimony from FBI agents who described interviews they had with several girls and young women who described being paid to perform sex acts for Epstein. The youngest was 14 and in ninth grade.One had told investigators about being sexually assaulted by Epstein when she initially resisted his advances during a massage.Another, then 21, testified before the grand jury about how Epstein had hired her when she was 16 to perform a sexual massage and how she had gone on to recruit other girls to do the same.”For every girl that I brought to the table, he would give me $200,” she said. They were mostly people she knew from high school, she said. “I also told them that if they are underage, just lie about it and tell him that you are 18.”The documents also contain a transcript of an interview Justice Department lawyers did more than a decade later with the U.S. attorney who oversaw the case, Alexander Acosta, about his ultimate decision not to bring federal charges.Acosta, who was labor secretary during Trump’s first term, cited concerns about whether a jury would believe Epstein’s accusers.He also said the Justice Department might have been more reluctant to make a federal prosecution out of a case that straddled the legal border between sex trafficking and soliciting prostitution, something more commonly handled by state prosecutors.”I’m not saying it was the right view,” Acosta added. He also said that the public today would likely view the survivors differently.”There’s been a lot of changes in victim shaming,” Acosta said.Associated Press journalists Ali Swenson, Christopher L. Keller, Aaron Kessler and Mike Catalini contributed to this report.
NEW YORK (AP) —
At least 16 files disappeared from the Justice Department’s public webpage for documents related to Jeffrey Epstein — including a photograph showing President Donald Trump — less than a day after they were posted, with no explanation from the government and no notice to the public.
Related video above: Justice Department’s partial release of Epstein files frustrates lawmakers
The missing files, which were available Friday and no longer accessible by Saturday, included images of paintings depicting nude women, and one showing a series of photographs along a credenza and in drawers. In that image, inside a drawer among other photos, was a photograph of Trump, alongside Epstein, Melania Trump and Epstein’s longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
The Justice Department didn’t answer questions Saturday about why the files disappeared but said in a post on X that “photos and other materials will continue being reviewed and redacted consistent with the law in an abundance of caution as we receive additional information.”
Online, the unexplained missing files fueled speculation about what was taken down and why the public was not notified, compounding long-standing intrigue about Epstein and the powerful figures who surrounded him. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee pointed to the missing image featuring a Trump photo in a post on X, writing: “What else is being covered up? We need transparency for the American public.”
The episode deepened concerns that had already emerged from the Justice Department’s much-anticipated document release. The tens of thousands of pages made public offered little new insight into Epstein’s crimes or the prosecutorial decisions that allowed him to avoid serious federal charges for years, while omitting some of the most closely watched materials, including FBI interviews with victims and internal Justice Department memos on charging decisions.
Scant new insight in the initial disclosures
Some of the most consequential records expected about Epstein are nowhere to be found in the Justice Department’s initial disclosures, which span tens of thousands of pages.
Missing are FBI interviews with survivors and internal Justice Department memos examining charging decisions — records that could have helped explain how investigators viewed the case and why Epstein was allowed in 2008 to plead guilty to a relatively minor state-level prostitution charge.
The gaps go further.
The records, required to be released under a recent law passed by Congress, hardly reference several powerful figures long associated with Epstein, including Britain’s former Prince Andrew, renewing questions about who was scrutinized, who was not, and how much the disclosures truly advance public accountability
Among the fresh nuggets: insight into the Justice Department’s decision to abandon an investigation into Epstein in the 2000s, which enabled him to plead guilty to that state-level charge, and a previously unseen 1996 complaint accusing Epstein of stealing photographs of children.
The releases so far have been heavy on images of Epstein’s homes in New York City and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with some photos of celebrities and politicians.
There was a series of never-before-seen photos of former President Bill Clinton, but fleetingly few of Trump. Both have been associated with Epstein, but both have since disowned those friendships. Neither has been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, and there was no indication the photos played a role in the criminal cases brought against him.
Despite a Friday deadline set by Congress to make everything public, the Justice Department said it plans to release records on a rolling basis. It blamed the delay on the time-consuming process of obscuring survivors’ names and other identifying information. The department has not given any notice when more records might arrive.
That approach angered some Epstein accusers and members of Congress, who fought to pass the law forcing the department to act. Instead of marking the end of a yearslong battle for transparency, the document release Friday was merely the beginning of an indefinite wait for a complete picture of Epstein’s crimes and the steps taken to investigate them.
“I feel like again the DOJ, the justice system is failing us,” said Marina Lacerda, who alleges Epstein started sexually abusing her at his New York City mansion when she was 14.
Many of the long-anticipated records were redacted or lacked context
Federal prosecutors in New York brought sex trafficking charges against Epstein in 2019, but he killed himself in jail after his arrest.
The documents just made public were a sliver of potentially millions of pages of records in the department’s possession. In one example, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Manhattan federal prosecutors had more than 3.6 million records from sex trafficking investigations into Epstein and Maxwell, though many duplicated material already turned over by the FBI.
Many of the records released so far had been made public in court filings, congressional releases, or Freedom of Information Act requests, though, for the first time, they were all in one place and available for the public to search for free.
Ones that were new were often lacking necessary context or heavily blacked out. A 119-page document marked “Grand Jury-NY,” likely from one of the federal sex trafficking investigations that led to the charges against Epstein in 2019 or Maxwell in 2021, was entirely blacked out.
Trump’s Republican allies seized on the Clinton images, including photos of the Democrat with singers Michael Jackson and Diana Ross. There were also photos of Epstein with actors Chris Tucker and Kevin Spacey, and even Epstein with TV newscaster Walter Cronkite. But none of the photos had captions, and no explanation was given for why any of them were together.
The meatiest records released so far showed that federal prosecutors had what appeared to be a strong case against Epstein in 2007, yet never charged him.
Transcripts of grand jury proceedings, released publicly for the first time, included testimony from FBI agents who described interviews they had with several girls and young women who described being paid to perform sex acts for Epstein. The youngest was 14 and in ninth grade.
One had told investigators about being sexually assaulted by Epstein when she initially resisted his advances during a massage.
Another, then 21, testified before the grand jury about how Epstein had hired her when she was 16 to perform a sexual massage and how she had gone on to recruit other girls to do the same.
“For every girl that I brought to the table, he would give me $200,” she said. They were mostly people she knew from high school, she said. “I also told them that if they are underage, just lie about it and tell him that you are 18.”
The documents also contain a transcript of an interview Justice Department lawyers did more than a decade later with the U.S. attorney who oversaw the case, Alexander Acosta, about his ultimate decision not to bring federal charges.
Acosta, who was labor secretary during Trump’s first term, cited concerns about whether a jury would believe Epstein’s accusers.
He also said the Justice Department might have been more reluctant to make a federal prosecution out of a case that straddled the legal border between sex trafficking and soliciting prostitution, something more commonly handled by state prosecutors.
“I’m not saying it was the right view,” Acosta added. He also said that the public today would likely view the survivors differently.
“There’s been a lot of changes in victim shaming,” Acosta said.
Associated Press journalists Ali Swenson, Christopher L. Keller, Aaron Kessler and Mike Catalini contributed to this report.
Social media users shared purported photos of President Donald Trump and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein with young women, but these images weren’t released by the House Committee on Oversight.
The images, which resemble Polaroid photos, appear to show Trump hugging a young woman wearing only underwear and another with her wearing a bathrobe. Other photos show Epstein laying down and posing with a young woman in a white outfit.
“The Epstein photo dump has been released,” says the Dec. 12 X post.
Another X post reads, “Not AI, not photoshopped, just an old photo taken from the Epstein archives. There’s a special place in Hell.”
But there are signs these photos were, in fact, generated using artificial intelligence tools.
In the image on the top left, the young woman appears to be missing an arm.
In that same image, Trump’s nose looks different from other old images of him, and part of his face is missing.
Epstein’s arm in the top right image is darker than the rest of his body.
In the bottom right image, Epstein is missing an eye.
In a fuller version of the images posted on Threads, some of Trump’s fingers are missing in the bottom left image.
PolitiFact found no credible news reports about these images. Instead, we found otherfact-checkers saying they are fake.
We also didn’t find them in releaseddocumentsfrom Epstein’s estate by members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Both the committee and, separately, its Democratic minority members havereleasedthousands of photos and documents from Epstein’s estate since September. The Justice Department began releasing more documents Dec. 19 to comply with the deadline set in a law Trump signed.
While these images aren’t real,Trump has appeared in other Epstein related photos, including some published by Oversight Committee Democrats on Dec. 12; Trump has not been connected to Epstein’s crimes.
Since these images aren’t real, we rate this claim Pants on Fire!
Six years after his death, convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein still makes headlines.
He stars in conspiracy theories and falsehoods — about what government files reveal about him, the island where he trafficked girls and women, important men he knew, including Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton.
Social media users and politicians across the political spectrum engross themselves in stories — true and imagined — about Epstein’s world of sex, power, connections and wealth.
Epstein received lenient treatment from the criminal justice system until the Miami Herald published a 2018 extensiveinvestigation into his case. He was arrested in July 2019 on federal charges for recruiting dozens of underage girls to his New York City mansion and Palm Beach, Florida, estate from 2002 to 2005 to engage in sex acts for money. He was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell Aug. 10, 2019, and investigators concluded he died by suicide.
In November, Congress passed and Trump signed a law that requires the Justice Department to release unclassified government investigative files related to Epstein. In the lead-up to the White House’s anticipated Dec. 19 documents release, PolitiFact looked back at our coverage of Epstein-related falsehoods and conspiracy theories.
Falsehoods about the Epstein files, Trump’s involvement
Trump told reporters in July that the Epstein files “were made up” by former FBI Director James Comey and former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden. That’s Pants on Fire.
The files are not “made up” — they collectively represent investigative evidence and findings from law enforcement documents, victims’ testimonies and court cases.
Neither Obama nor Biden were in office when the FBI investigated Epstein; George W. Bush and Trump were. Comey worked in the private sector during those investigative periods. Epstein was arrested on federal charges during Trump’s first administration.
Some Trump critics have pointed to his past links to Epstein. Trump’s former adviser Elon Musk wrote on X that Trump “is in the Epstein files.” Being mentioned in the files is not akin to criminal wrongdoing. It is well-documented that Trump and Epstein knew each other although they had a falling out some time between 2004 and 2007.
The 2024 release of court documents in an Epstein-related lawsuit led to false social media claims about a 166-name list that alleged Epstein was connected to famous politicians, musicians and actors.
Seventy-eight percent of the people on the list were not mentioned in the court documents. Looking through other documents, including Epstein’s private jet flight logs and his address book, PolitiFact found that the majority of the names on the list were not in those records either. Although some of the people listed had well-documented relationships with Epstein, only two had been charged with crimes.
Falsehoods about Epstein’s island
After 2024 election results showed Trump won the presidency, an Instagram post falsely claimed Trump had visited the island Epstein owned. But there is no documented evidence that Trump visited Epstein’s Little St. James in the Virgin Islands.
Flight logs show Trump flew on Epstein’s private plane at least seven times in the 1990s between Palm Beach and New York, but there’s no documented evidence showing Trump visited the island. A supposed photo of a teenager dancing with Trump on the island was fabricated.
Social media posts previously said Clinton was photographed with young women on the island and appeared in 26 Epstein flight logs. In November, Trump made a similar statement, saying, “Bill Clinton went there supposedly 28 times.”
Clinton took four trips in 2002 and 2003 on Epstein’s airplane: one to Europe, one to Asia and two to Africa, which included stops in connection with Clinton Foundation work, a Clinton spokesperson said. It’s unclear how many individual flights Clinton took for those trips.
Vanity Fair in December published an article based on multiple 2025 interviews with Susie Wiles, Trump’s chief of staff. Wiles said “there is no evidence” that Clinton visited the island. Wiles said in an X post that “significant context was disregarded” in the article but included no examples and cited no errors of fact.
Additional falsehoods about Trump
Social media posts this summer falsely said Trump “made 4,725 wire transfers” to Epstein, totaling nearly $1.1 billion. The posts included as proof a clip of Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., talking about 4,725 wire transfers, but he wasn’t referring to Trump. Wyden said Senate Finance Committee investigators reviewed a Treasury file on Epstein and found 4,725 wire transfers “flowing in and out of just one of Mr. Epstein’s bank accounts.”
In November, a Democrat used newly-released documents from Epstein’s estate to assert that Trump and Epstein remained friends after Trump was elected in 2016.
Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill., highlighted one email exchange and said in an X post: “Trump spent his first Thanksgiving after getting elected President with Jeffrey Epstein. 2017.” That exaggerates what records show.
In an email exchange dated Nov. 23, 2017, Epstein discussed his Thanksgiving plans with Faith Kates, cofounder of the New York-based modeling agency NEXT Management. When Kates asked who else was “down there,” seemingly referring to Florida, Epstein mentioned several names including Trump.
It is possible Epstein was not foretelling a specific Thanksgiving Day plan but commenting about who else would be in the Florida area at that time.
News reports, photos, videos and White House news releases show Trump spent Thanksgiving 2017 at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. PolitiFact found no proof he met with Epstein that day.
Democrats serving on the House Oversight Committee released dozens of photos on Friday from the estate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including some of President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton. Some of the photos show Trump alongside women whose faces were blacked out. No additional context for the redactions was provided in the initial press release. “These disturbing photos raise even more questions about Epstein and his relationships with some of the most powerful men in the world,” Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said in a statement. White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said Democrats are “selectively releasing cherry-picked photos with random redactions to try and create a false narrative.”Trump told reporters Friday that he had not seen the photos and downplayed their significance.“He was all over Palm Beach. He has photos with everybody. I mean, there are hundreds and hundreds of people that have photos with him, so that’s no big deal. I know nothing about it,” Trump said. Neither Trump nor Clinton has been accused of wrongdoing by Epstein’s known victims.Garcia didn’t specifically say whether the women whose faces were redacted in the photos were victims of abuse. He told reporters, “Our commitment from day one has been to redact any photo, any information that could lead to any sort of harm to any of the victims.”Garcia said that the photos were released in the interest of transparency. He said the panel is in the process of reviewing the rest of the 95,000 photos received from Epstein’s estate on Thursday evening, and the public should expect more pictures to come out. Republicans on the House Oversight Committee defended Trump and took aim at the Clintons. Rep. James Comer, who chairs the committee, issued a statement warning that they will initiate proceedings to hold the Clintons in contempt of Congress if they fail to appear for their depositions next week or schedule a date for early January. Comer said it has been more than four months since they were subpoenaed as part of the committee’s Epstein probe. Friday’s developments are renewing focus on the yearslong controversy ahead of next week’s Dec. 19 deadline for the Justice Department to release another trove of documents related to Epstein’s sex trafficking investigation and his death behind bars in 2019. The release of those files was required by Congress in a near-unanimous vote last month. The DOJ has promised maximum transparency, but some fear the documents will be overly redacted.More from the Washington Bureau:
WASHINGTON —
Democrats serving on the House Oversight Committee released dozens of photos on Friday from the estate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including some of President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton.
Some of the photos show Trump alongside women whose faces were blacked out. No additional context for the redactions was provided in the initial press release.
“These disturbing photos raise even more questions about Epstein and his relationships with some of the most powerful men in the world,” Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said in a statement.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said Democrats are “selectively releasing cherry-picked photos with random redactions to try and create a false narrative.”
Trump told reporters Friday that he had not seen the photos and downplayed their significance.
“He was all over Palm Beach. He has photos with everybody. I mean, there are hundreds and hundreds of people that have photos with him, so that’s no big deal. I know nothing about it,” Trump said.
Neither Trump nor Clinton has been accused of wrongdoing by Epstein’s known victims.
Garcia didn’t specifically say whether the women whose faces were redacted in the photos were victims of abuse. He told reporters, “Our commitment from day one has been to redact any photo, any information that could lead to any sort of harm to any of the victims.”
Garcia said that the photos were released in the interest of transparency. He said the panel is in the process of reviewing the rest of the 95,000 photos received from Epstein’s estate on Thursday evening, and the public should expect more pictures to come out.
Republicans on the House Oversight Committee defended Trump and took aim at the Clintons.
Rep. James Comer, who chairs the committee, issued a statement warning that they will initiate proceedings to hold the Clintons in contempt of Congress if they fail to appear for their depositions next week or schedule a date for early January. Comer said it has been more than four months since they were subpoenaed as part of the committee’s Epstein probe.
Friday’s developments are renewing focus on the yearslong controversy ahead of next week’s Dec. 19 deadline for the Justice Department to release another trove of documents related to Epstein’s sex trafficking investigation and his death behind bars in 2019. The release of those files was required by Congress in a near-unanimous vote last month. The DOJ has promised maximum transparency, but some fear the documents will be overly redacted.
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department renewed its request Monday to unseal Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking grand jury materials, saying Congress made clear in approving the release of investigative materials related to the prosecution of the late financier that documents such as the court records should be released.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton signed the submission in Manhattan federal court asking that the judge issue an expedited ruling allowing the materials to be released now that President Donald Trump signed the action requiring the release of documents related to Epstein within 30 days.
The Justice Department said the Congressional action overrode existing law in a way that permits the unsealing of the grand jury records.
Judge Richard Berman previously denied a Trump administration request to make the Epstein grand jury transcripts public.
Berman, who presided over Epstein’s 2019 case, ruled in August that a “significant and compelling reason” to deny the request and keep the transcripts sealed was that information contained in the transcripts “pales in comparison” to investigative information and materials already in the Justice Department’s possession.
Berman wrote that the government’s 100,000 pages of Epstein files and materials “dwarf the 70 odd pages of Epstein grand jury materials” and that the grand jury testimony “is merely a hearsay snippet of Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged conduct.”
Two other judges have also denied the public release of material from investigations into Epstein’s decades-long sexual abuse of young women and girls.
The Justice Department has said that the only witness to testify before the Epstein grand jury was an FBI agent who, the judge noted, “had no direct knowledge of the facts of the case and whose testimony was mostly hearsay.”
The agent testified on June 18, 2019, and July 2, 2019. The rest of the grand jury presentation consisted of a PowerPoint slideshow and a call log. The July 2 session ended with grand jurors voting to indict Epstein.
Epstein was arrested on July 6, 2019. He was found dead in his cell at a Manhattan federal jail on Aug. 10, 2019 in what authorities have ruled a suicide.
The video in the player above is from an earlier report.
Here’s some light — and revolting! — reading while we wait for the Epstein Files to be released (or stonewalled). You can now peruse the Jeffrey Epstein emails, recently released by Congress, in a simulated Gmail account.
Jmail is about as faithful a recreation of Gmail as you could imagine. Just like a real inbox, the messages are sorted from the most recent, up to the eve of Epstein’s 2019 arrest for the sex trafficking of minors. It includes a working search feature.
Screenshot of the Jmail project. A simulated Gmail inbox of Jeffrey Epstein, using real emails released by Congress. (Luke Igel / Riley Walz)
The US House Oversight Committee released the emails on November 12. Their revelations put Donald Trump’s relationship with the sex trafficker back in the spotlight. The president’s name appears many times in the more than 20,000 documents. In one, the late sex offender claimed Trump “knew about the girls.”
In a 2011 email to Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein said Trump “spent hours at my house” with someone whose name was redacted. (The committee said it was a victim.) In a 2017 thread, Epstein described the current president as “worse in real life and upclose.” In 2018, the disgraced financier boasted he was “the one able to take [Trump] down.”
Another public figure who came out looking even worse than before was the Andrew formerly known as “Prince” (Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor). He told Epstein in 2011, “We’re in this together.” Then there’s former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers. He stayed in touch with Epstein as recently as 2019, long after the latter’s 2008 arrest for soliciting underage sex. In the wake of the email dump, Summers was put on leave from Harvard and resigned from OpenAI’s board.
You can check out Jmail at the project’s website. Nobody will fault you if you need to shower afterward (and perhaps douse yourself in bleach).
Trump could again draw in all the congressional leaders and force them into a deal. Photo: Melina Mara/Getty Images
This isn’t the first time that we’re reading stories about Republicans taking their first baby steps toward a post–Donald Trump future. Pundits, rivals, and opponents have been looking over the horizon for signs that Trump’s grip on his party would fade since 2016. But the combination of sinking presidential job-approval ratings, terrible off-year election results, occasional acts of congressional defiance, and more-deranged-than-usual Truth Social posts has revived talk of Trump’s mojo eroding. Add in the fact that the president has run his last campaign and you can understand why the “lame duck” label is beginning to stick to him. If his so-far-faithful servants on the Supreme Court let him down in a series of big cases between now and next July, a real jailbreak atmosphere could infect the GOP and the whole world of political observers who have had to live with this turbulent man every minute for a decade.
This trend has to be excruciating for the president, who believes he has already saved the country and has earned the right to a perpetual victory lap in which he consolidates his lofty place in global history by ending wars and cutting big investment deals wherever he goes. Instead he’s having to deal with a rebellion in the very core of his MAGA movement over his relationship with the late Jeffrey Epstein, and cope with widespread public concerns over the “affordability” of life in America. This last problem clearly baffles and sometimes angers Trump, who has bought his own spin about the economy being better than ever and on the brink of new heights thanks to AI.
There is, however, something he could do right now that would reestablish his relevance, confirm his mastery of Congress, and address affordability concerns while reducing the odds of a GOP midterm apocalypse. He could reengage on the issue of extending Obamacare subsidies and buy some time for his party to finally figure out what to propose on health care.
As you may recall, the Democratic calculation immediately before and throughout the recent record government shutdown was that Trump would negotiate a subsidy extension deal and impose it on his party. But he refused to come to the table, and instead, began denouncing Obamacare itself as though it was still 2015. He also began encouraging Republicans to go back to the poisoned well of proposals to repeal and replace Obamacare with some sort of beefed-up individual health accounts instead of fixing the current system and heading off a huge insurance-premium price spike. It has sure looked like Trump was leading his party back to the agenda that bombed in 2017 and led to the loss of the House in 2018.
But now there are Republicans in both congressional chambers trying to steer their party and their president back to a temporary Obamacare subsidy patch that can head off electoral disaster while letting them continue to talk about some wonderful Obamacare alternative that will appear a bit down the road (say, after the 2026 midterms). As Punchbowl News reports, the talented dealmaker Katie Britt seems to be front and center in this effort:
Republican senators have been privately lobbying President Donald Trump to support a limited short-term extension of Obamacare subsidies, arguing it would save the GOP from a 2026 drubbing and buy time for Congress to pass a longer-term health care plan that mirrors the president’s preferences.
Sen. Katie Britt(R-Ala.) has spoken with the president several times this week to pitch the idea, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.
Britt seems to have a special rapport with Trump based in part on her physical appearance. She’s also a shrewd politician who understands her party’s immediate needs:
A short-term extension of the Obamacare subsidies could mean one, two or even three years, with strict eligibility crackdowns, such as income caps and anti-fraud provisions. A Trump-led push would provide political cover for vulnerable Republicans; it would also save Thune from having to deal with a divided conference.
There’s activity in the House, too, where a bipartisan group that includes Democrats Tom Suozzi and Josh Gottenheimer and Republicans Don Bacon and Jeff Hurd have a two-year extension plan, per Punchbowl:
The billwould add a new income cap, extending the enhanced credits for families of four earning less than $200,000 per year and phasing them out for families of four earning between $200,000 and $300,000.
One other ideaunder discussion is a one-year subsidy extension with income caps and fraud-prevention changes, paired with a commission to negotiate a longer-term solution next year.
Time’s a-wasting, though, since the Senate vote on health care that John Thune agreed to is coming up in weeks and the politics of a short-term Obamacare subsidy-extension deal are tricky. Some Democrats are fine with Republicans doing nothing and giving them a powerful midterm message. And again, there is zero way House Republicans allow a vote on, much less agree to, any Obamacare extension unless Trump calls them in and demands it, along with all sorts of rhetorical window dressing about his determination to kill Obamacare and atomize its remains sometime real soon.
A deal is still a long shot. But Democrats need to retroactively vindicate their government-shutdown strategy, which fell short of its principal goal when Trump refused to play his part. Republicans need to get the Obamacare premium spike out of the news until November 2026. And Trump needs to show he’s still the Man, the straw that stirs every drink in American politics. The ingredients are there for the deal that has eluded everyone for so long.
In a statement, Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said he would take immediate action on the Epstein legislation once it’s approved by the House.
“Once the House passes the bill to release the Epstein files today, I will move for the Senate to immediately take it up and pass it—period,” he said.
Schumer continued, “Republicans have spent months trying to protect Donald Trump and hide what’s in the files. Americans are tired of waiting and are demanding to see the truth. If Leader Thune tries to bury the bill, I’ll stop him.”
The House is expected to vote Tuesday on legislation to force the Justice Department to publicly release its files on the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, the culmination of a monthslong effort that has overcome opposition from President Donald Trump and Republican leadership.When a small bipartisan group of House lawmakers introduced a petition in July to maneuver around House Speaker Mike Johnson’s control of which bills see the House floor, it appeared a long-shot effort, especially as Trump urged his supporters to dismiss the matter as a “hoax.” But both Trump and Johnson failed in their efforts to prevent the vote.Now the president has bowed to the growing momentum behind the bill and even said Republicans should vote for it. His blessing all but ensures that the House will pass the bill with an overwhelming margin, putting further pressure on the Senate to take it up.Trump on Monday said he would sign the bill if it passes both chambers of Congress, adding, “Let the Senate look at it.”Tuesday’s vote also provides a further boost to the demands that the Justice Department release its case files on Epstein, a well-connected financier who killed himself in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial in 2019 on charges he sexually abused and trafficked underage girls.A separate investigation conducted by the House Oversight Committee has released thousands of pages of emails and other documents from Epstein’s estate, showing his connections to global leaders, Wall Street powerbrokers, influential political figures and Trump himself.Trump’s reversal on the Epstein filesTrump has said he cut ties with Epstein years ago, but tried for months to move past the demands for disclosure. On Monday, he told reporters that Epstein was connected to more Democrats and that he didn’t want the Epstein files to “detract from the great success of the Republican Party.”Still, many in the Republican base have continued to demand the release of the files. Adding to that pressure, several survivors of Epstein’s abuse will appear on Capitol Hill Tuesday morning to push for release of the files. They also met with Johnson and rallied outside the Capitol in September, but have had to wait two months for the vote.That’s because Johnson kept the House closed for legislative business for nearly two months and also refused to swear-in Democratic Rep. Adelita Grijalva of Arizona during the government shutdown. After winning a special election on Sept. 23, Grijalva had pledged to provide the crucial 218th vote to the petition for the Epstein files bill. But only after she was sworn into office last week could she sign her name to the discharge petition to give it majority support in the 435-member House.It quickly became apparent the bill would pass, and both Johnson and Trump began to fold. Trump on Sunday said Republicans should vote for the bill.Rep. Thomas Massie, the Kentucky Republican who sponsored the bill alongside Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, said Trump “got tired of me winning. He wanted to join.”How Johnson is handling the billRather than waiting until next week for the discharge position to officially take effect, Johnson is moving to hold the vote this week. He indicated the legislation will be brought to the House floor under a procedure that requires a two-thirds majority.“I think it’s going to be an important vote to continue to show the transparency that we’ve delivered,” House Republican leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said Monday night.House Democrats celebrated the vote as a rare win for the minority.“It’s a complete and total surrender, because as Democrats we made clear from the very beginning, the survivors and the American people deserve full and complete transparency as it relates to the lives that were ruined by Jeffrey Epstein,” said House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries.What will the Senate do?Still, it’s not clear how the Senate will handle the bill.Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has previously been circumspect when asked about the legislation and instead said he trusted the Justice Department to release information on the Epstein investigation.But what the Justice Department has released so far under Trump was mostly already public. The bill would go further, forcing the release within 30 days of all files and communications related to Epstein, as well as any information about the investigation into his death in federal prison. Information about Epstein’s victims or continuing federal investigations would be allowed to be redacted, but not information due to “embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity, including to any government official, public figure, or foreign dignitary.”Johnson also suggested that he would like to see the Senate amend the bill to protect the information of “victims and whistleblowers.”But Massie said the Senate should take into account the public clamor that forced both Trump and Johnson to back down.“If it’s anything but a genuine effort to make it better and stronger, it’ll backfire on the senators if they muck it up,” Massie said.___Associated Press writers Kevin Freking and Matt Brown contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON —
The House is expected to vote Tuesday on legislation to force the Justice Department to publicly release its files on the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, the culmination of a monthslong effort that has overcome opposition from President Donald Trump and Republican leadership.
When a small bipartisan group of House lawmakers introduced a petition in July to maneuver around House Speaker Mike Johnson’s control of which bills see the House floor, it appeared a long-shot effort, especially as Trump urged his supporters to dismiss the matter as a “hoax.” But both Trump and Johnson failed in their efforts to prevent the vote.
Now the president has bowed to the growing momentum behind the bill and even said Republicans should vote for it. His blessing all but ensures that the House will pass the bill with an overwhelming margin, putting further pressure on the Senate to take it up.
Trump on Monday said he would sign the bill if it passes both chambers of Congress, adding, “Let the Senate look at it.”
Tuesday’s vote also provides a further boost to the demands that the Justice Department release its case files on Epstein, a well-connected financier who killed himself in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial in 2019 on charges he sexually abused and trafficked underage girls.
A separate investigation conducted by the House Oversight Committee has released thousands of pages of emails and other documents from Epstein’s estate, showing his connections to global leaders, Wall Street powerbrokers, influential political figures and Trump himself.
Trump’s reversal on the Epstein files
Trump has said he cut ties with Epstein years ago, but tried for months to move past the demands for disclosure. On Monday, he told reporters that Epstein was connected to more Democrats and that he didn’t want the Epstein files to “detract from the great success of the Republican Party.”
Still, many in the Republican base have continued to demand the release of the files. Adding to that pressure, several survivors of Epstein’s abuse will appear on Capitol Hill Tuesday morning to push for release of the files. They also met with Johnson and rallied outside the Capitol in September, but have had to wait two months for the vote.
That’s because Johnson kept the House closed for legislative business for nearly two months and also refused to swear-in Democratic Rep. Adelita Grijalva of Arizona during the government shutdown. After winning a special election on Sept. 23, Grijalva had pledged to provide the crucial 218th vote to the petition for the Epstein files bill. But only after she was sworn into office last week could she sign her name to the discharge petition to give it majority support in the 435-member House.
It quickly became apparent the bill would pass, and both Johnson and Trump began to fold. Trump on Sunday said Republicans should vote for the bill.
Rep. Thomas Massie, the Kentucky Republican who sponsored the bill alongside Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, said Trump “got tired of me winning. He wanted to join.”
How Johnson is handling the bill
Rather than waiting until next week for the discharge position to officially take effect, Johnson is moving to hold the vote this week. He indicated the legislation will be brought to the House floor under a procedure that requires a two-thirds majority.
“I think it’s going to be an important vote to continue to show the transparency that we’ve delivered,” House Republican leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said Monday night.
House Democrats celebrated the vote as a rare win for the minority.
“It’s a complete and total surrender, because as Democrats we made clear from the very beginning, the survivors and the American people deserve full and complete transparency as it relates to the lives that were ruined by Jeffrey Epstein,” said House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries.
What will the Senate do?
Still, it’s not clear how the Senate will handle the bill.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has previously been circumspect when asked about the legislation and instead said he trusted the Justice Department to release information on the Epstein investigation.
But what the Justice Department has released so far under Trump was mostly already public. The bill would go further, forcing the release within 30 days of all files and communications related to Epstein, as well as any information about the investigation into his death in federal prison. Information about Epstein’s victims or continuing federal investigations would be allowed to be redacted, but not information due to “embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity, including to any government official, public figure, or foreign dignitary.”
Johnson also suggested that he would like to see the Senate amend the bill to protect the information of “victims and whistleblowers.”
But Massie said the Senate should take into account the public clamor that forced both Trump and Johnson to back down.
“If it’s anything but a genuine effort to make it better and stronger, it’ll backfire on the senators if they muck it up,” Massie said.
___
Associated Press writers Kevin Freking and Matt Brown contributed to this report.
In recent days, as the U.S. House of Representatives approached a potential vote about releasing the Epstein files, President Donald Trump pivoted on the hot button topic.
Trump and members of his administration had sought to undermine efforts to release the files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. And Trump has been dismissive of the push to make the files public, calling the case “pretty boring stuff” in July and repeatedly referring to it as a Democratic “hoax.”
Then, on Nov. 16, he told House Republicans to vote in favor of the release.
His shift came after lawmakers cleared a significant hurdle Nov. 12, netting 218 signatures on a petition to force a vote on a bill to release the files within 30 days. The House is expected to vote on that bill this week. Previously, it was considered unlikely the legislation would pass in the Senate; it remains to be seen whether Trump’s latest statement will cause senators to reconsider.
Epstein moved in the same social circles as Trump in the 1990s, including attending parties at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s private Palm Beach, Florida, club. The two were photographed together in social settings multiple times. They later had a falling out, a rift that some reporters dated to late 2007.
Palm Beach County prosecutors investigated Epstein after reports that a 14-year-old girl was molested at his mansion. In 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty to state charges related to soliciting prostitution from someone under 18. He received preferential treatment during the criminal investigation and served about a year in jail, largely on work release.
In 2018, the Miami Herald published an extensiveinvestigation into the case, and the next year, Epstein was arrested on federal charges for recruiting dozens of underage girls to his New York City mansion and Palm Beach estate from 2002 to 2005 to engage in sex acts for money. He was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell Aug. 10, 2019, and investigators concluded he died by suicide.
We asked the White House why Trump changed his stance on releasing the files. White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement, “President Trump has been consistently calling for transparency related to the Epstein files for years — by releasing tens of thousands of pages of documents, cooperating with the House Oversight Committee’s subpoena request” and calling for investigations into “Epstein’s Democrat friends.”
Here’s what Trump has said in 2024 and 2025 about releasing the Epstein files.
While campaigning in 2024, Trump said he would release the files
In June 2024, “Fox and Friends” co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy asked Trump if he would declassify various files, including those related to 9/11 and former President John F. Kennedy.
“Would you declassify the Epstein files?” Campos-Duffy said.
“Yeah, yeah, I would,” Trump said.
The clip spread on social media, and Trump’s campaign account also shared it.
During the same interview, Trump also said, “I guess I would.” He added, “You don’t want to affect people’s lives if it’s phony stuff in there because there is a lot of phony stuff with that whole world, but I think I would.”
On a September 2024 episode of the Lex Fridman podcast, during a discussion about releasing some of the Epstein documents, Trump said, “Yeah, I’d certainly take a look at it.” He added that he’d be “inclined” to do it and said, “I’d have no problem with it.”
In 2025, Trump was dismissive of the Epstein files
Early in the second Trump administration, Trump officials— including Attorney General Pam Bondi and Kash Patel, who became the FBI director — said they supported releasing the files.
In a July 12 Truth Social post, Trump expressed frustration about the Epstein files. Speaking to reporters July 15 on the White House lawn, Trump said the files “were made up by Comey. They were made up by Obama. They were made up by Biden.” We rated that claim Pants on Fire.
Trump said the FBI should focus on investigating other issues such as voter fraud and that his administration should “not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about.”
In a July 16 interview with Real America’s Voice, a conservative outlet, Trump said, “I think in the case of Epstein, they’ve already looked at it and they are looking at it and I think all they have to do is put out anything credible. But you know, that was run by the Biden administration for four years.”
“I’m in support of keeping it open,” he said. “Innocent people shouldn’t be hurt, but I’m in support of keeping it totally open. I couldn’t care less. You got a lot of people that could be mentioned in those files that don’t deserve to be, people — because he knew everybody in Palm Beach. I don’t know anything about that, but I have said to Pam (Bondi) and everybody else, give them everything you can give them because it’s a Democrat hoax.”
On Sept. 3, a reporter asked Trump a question about efforts to release the Epstein files and if the Justice Department was protecting any friends or donors.
Trump said it was a “Democrat hoax that never ends” and “we’ve given thousands of pages of files.”
This month, Trump called for releasing the files
Trump came out in support of releasing the files after it became clear the House was headed in that direction.
The House Oversight Committee on Nov. 12 released about 20,000 pages of documents from Epstein’s estate.
Trump directed prosecutors to investigate Democrats and told Republicans to vote in favor of releasing the files.
Trump has often noted Epstein’s ties to former President Bill Clinton. In a Nov. 14 Truth Social post, Trump asked the Justice Department to investigate Epstein’s involvement with Clinton.
Typically, prosecutors do not release files during an ongoing investigation, so Trump’s announcement raised questions about whether the Justice Department will withhold certain files even if Congress votes to release them.
When a reporter asked Trump on Nov. 14 about releasing the files, he said, “I don’t care about it, released or not.”
Two days later, in a Nov. 16 post, Trump said, “House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide, and it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics in order to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party, including our recent Victory on the Democrat ‘Shutdown.’’
When then-President Bill Clinton and real estate mogul Donald Trump crossed paths at the 2000 U.S. Open in New York, White House photographer William Vasta snapped a picture as the men smiled widely side-by-side in a half embrace.
He caught them in mid-motion, with Trump’s right arm extended toward Clinton, as if he were coming in for a full hug or finishing a handshake. In the frame, Trump’s right hand hangs near Clinton’s crotch.
Fast-forward 25 years. Trump is now president and artificial intelligence is muddying reality. A video using the image showsTrump repeatedly patting Clinton’s crotch and stomach as both men laugh. But Vasta told PolitiFact the video isn’t authentic.
“It’s totally fake,” he said. “From what I remember, no one touched anything.”
Vasta said the Sept. 9, 2000, still image showed the two men posing for pictures in a private suite at the tennis tournament. They might just have shaken hands or they might have been arranging themselves for a group photo.
But the scene in this video is fabricated.
“It’s easy to misinterpret what is happening in a still image,” Vasta said.
(Screenshot from TikTok)
The video made rounds after newly released documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein included an email exchange in which Epstein’s brother mentioned someone called “Bubba.” Some speculated it was a reference to Clinton, whose nickname is Bubba, but Epstein’s brother told The Advocate that’s wrong.
Vasta said the video “clearly is a derivative” of his still images. The video’s lighting matches Vasta’s personal lighting style for still photography, he said. Both the photo and the video show the same shadow Trump’s hat casts on his face, for example.
But in 2000, it was common for indoor videographers to use direct lighting, Vasta said, which means the lighting then captured on video wouldn’t show the same lighting as his photographs from that day.
At the time, video was still a nascent medium and even the White House videography team had limited access, Vasta said. He said he doesn’t remember any videographers in the suite and noted that still photography cameras didn’t have video functionality back then.
Manjeet Rege, director of the Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence, analyzed the video and concluded it was AI generated based on the real photograph of Trump and Clinton.
“The most prominent sign is the static start artifact where the video begins with a perfectly realistic high quality frame that suddenly animates with unnatural motion which is a hallmark of image to video AI tools,” Rege said.
During the short clip, the woman standing behind Trump disappears or fades into the scenery, he said. Inconsistent background images strongly signal AI use.
Rege also ran the video through Attestiv, a forensic analysis tool designed to detect media manipulation. For that clip, the tool reported an AI suspicion rating of nearly 100%, he said.
The Clinton Presidential Library released the U.S. Open photos in 2016 in response to a Politico Freedom of Information Act request as Trump sought the presidency against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Politico reported that the photos underscored “just how chummy Trump once was with the president and his wife Hillary.”
The publication didn’t report that the photos showed Trump groping the commander-in-chief. Videos that show Trump touching Clinton’s crotch are AI generated. Claims that they’re authentic videos are False.
PolitiFact Researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report.
DENVER — Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert has not removed her name from the discharge petition forcing a vote in the U.S.House of Representatives to release the Jeffery Epstein files, despite reports of intense pressure from high-level Republicans to do so.
Epstein is a convicted sex offender and sex trafficker who died by suicide in jail in 2019. For years, politicians have fought to have files related to his crimes released to the public.
After reports Boebert met with members of the Trump administration who were trying to encourage her to remove her signature from the petition, the 218th signature needed to force a vote on releasing all the Epstein files was secured with the swearing in of Arizona Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva.
Denver7 spoke with Metropolitan State University of Denver political science chair Dr. Robert Preuhs about what happens next.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., speaks to reporters as members of the House Second Amendment Caucus criticize a series of Democratic measure to curb gun violence in the wake of the mass shootings at a school in Uvalde, Texas, and a grocery in Buffalo, N.Y., at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, June 8, 2022. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
“What happens next is that the House of Representatives will vote on that bill. The speaker has said they would do that next week. Then it’s an actual bill, so it has to go through the Senate. Usually needs to then pass the usual 60 majority,” Preuhs said. “Then, it goes to the Senate, where it will likely face the need to get 60 votes to close the filibuster, and then that’s procedural, and then a full vote, which is a simple majority, and then it needs to go and be signed by the President, just like any other bill.”
President Donald Trump would then decide whether to sign or veto the bill.
Those documents include emails in which Epstein discussed his relationship to the president. The White House has called those emails “a hoax.”
Scripps News Group has more on what those pages of documents contained. View their report in the video player below:
Lawmakers release more emails alleging ties between Trump and Epstein
“I think a lot of this has to do with 2026 elections. You have to keep in mind that the Democrats are in favor of this. It doesn’t look good from these early emails,” Preuhs said, adding the batch of documents will likely hurt both parties — not just Republicans. “But the big difference is that we have a sitting President Trump, who’s been named in some of these emails and maybe named in some of the more additional documents, and so that’s really the target.”
Preuhs said no matter how the issue progresses, it will likely continue to be used as a political sticking point ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
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Adelita Grijalva, the 218th signatory on the Epstein Files Tranparency Act. Photo: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images
This afternoon, Mike Johnson finally administered the oath of office to new Arizona Democratic congresswoman Adelita Grijalva. The Speaker held off this moment for well over a month under the guise of not wanting to do serious business while the government was shut down (the House wasn’t technically in recess, and Johnson had sworn in Republicans at similar moments earlier this year).
Grijalva won the seat vacated by her father’s death in a September 23 special election. Her delayed swearing-in was generally understood to have been attributable to her pledge to become the 218th signatory on a discharge petition to force a House vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a piece of legislation co-sponsored by Republican Thomas Massie and Democrat Ro Khanna that the White House would love to consign to the bottom of the sea. It would force the release of whatever the Justice Department has on the late sexual predator and his associates.
Grijalva has now signed the petition, and last-minute efforts by Trump himself to get one or more of the four Republicans on the petition to withdraw their names failed. So this triggers a process that Johnson can only do so much to delay. Politico explains:
The completion of the discharge petition, a rarely used mechanism to sidestep the majority party leadership, will trigger a countdown for the bill to hit the House floor. It will still take seven legislative days for the petition to ripen, after which Johnson will have two legislative days to schedule a vote. Senior Republican and Democratic aides estimate a floor vote will come the first week of December, after the Thanksgiving recess.
The Speaker may be able to play some games in how the House votes on the Epstein-files bill via his control of the Rules Committee, which will deal with possible amendments and all sorts of timing issues. But the whole point of a discharge petition is to tie leadership’s hands, which is why it’s used so rarely.
If it passes, it would create some interesting issues in the Senate, which will be soon be setting up some sort of vote on extending Obamacare premium subsidies, as promised by John Thune as part of the deal to reopen the federal government. High drama on two issues in the same time frame will be a moment of political peril for Republicans. They will likely display some of their most unpopular prejudices: indifference to the plight of Americans facing much higher health-care costs and a protective attitude toward Donald Trump and his possible implication with really bad stuff in the Epstein files.
It’s unclear what the Senate would do with the Epstein Files bill. Administration allies could filibuster it and block it with 41 votes, though that would be a bit ironic given Trump’s own recent attacks on the filibuster itself. Still, even if both chambers pass the legislation, Trump would have to sign it, which isn’t happening.
As votes are teed up in House or Senate, there will be competitive leaks of Epstein-files material by each party (such as the Epstein emails mentioning Trump that House Oversight Committee Democrats released today) either showing there’s smoke and fire or that it’s all a nothingburger. The White House and its congressional allies cannot be too heavy-handed in dismissing demands for more disclosure given the longtime importance of Epstein in various MAGA conspiracy theories. And even if Republicans can minimize disclosure, it’s not going to be helpful to their midterm election prospects to have these issues being broadly and actively discussed in 2026. So they will likely handle the Massie-Khanna bill with fire tongs and try to dispose of it as quickly as they can.
Donald Trump’s Jeffrey Epstein problem came roaring back to life on Wednesday, when members of the House released 23,000 pages of documents from the late sex offender’s estate.
House Democrats released three emails that suggested Trump knew all about Epstein’s sex trafficking, though he’s always denied any knowledge of his former friend’s crimes. An email Epstein sent to journalist Michael Wolff in 2019 said of Trump, “Of course he knew about the girls as he asked Ghislaine to stop.” In another 2011 email to his accomplice Ghislane Maxwell, Epstein claimed Trump “spent hours at my house” with one of the sex trafficking victims.
Here’s a roundup, which we’ll keep updated, on the big bombshells, wild accusations, and embarrassing chatter in the new trove of Epstein emails.
In an email sent to Maxwell in April 2011, Epstein wrote, “i want you to realize that that dog that hasn’t barked is trump.. [REDACTED VICTIM] spent hours at my house with him ,, he has never once been mentioned. police chief. etc. im 75 % there”
Maxwell replied, “I have been thinking about that…”
Photo: House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
At the time Trump was a reality TV star and businessman, not a politician. As the New York Timesreported, around this time “Epstein was emailing staff members about negative press coverage he had recently received about the abuse that took place inside his home in Florida.”
In a January 2019 email to Wolff, which was partly redacted, Epstein mentioned Mar-a-Lago, then said, “trump said he asked me to resign, never a member ever,” adding, “of course he knew about the girls as he asked ghislane to stop.”
Photo: House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
In the months prior to this email Wolff had authored a book about Trump and the Miami Herald had published a series of reports on the lenient 2008 plea deal Epstein struck with federal prosecutors in Florida. In the summer of 2019, Epstein was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges and died in a Manhattan prison weeks later.
On December 15, 2015, the night of a GOP presidential primary debate, Wolff told Epstein that he’d heard CNN was “planning to ask Trump tonight about his relationship with you — either on air or in scrum afterwards.”
Epstein replied, “If we were able to craft an answer for him, what do you think it should be?”
Wolff suggested Epstein should “let him hang himself.” “If he says he hasn’t been on the plane or to the house, then that gives you a valuable P.R. and political currency” he wrote, saying that could later be used to “hang” Trump later, or “save him, generating a debt.”
Trump was not asked about Epstein during the debate; it’s unclear if he was asked about him later that night.
Photo: House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
In April 2016, a Reuters reporter reached out to Epstein attorney Martin Weinberg for comment on a story about a woman, who went by the pseudonym Katie Johnson, who had filed a lawsuit accusing Epstein and Trump of raping her in 1994, when she was 13.
Epstein forward the exchange to Michael Wolff with the note “here we go.” Wolff replied, “Well, I guess if there’s anybody who can wave thus [sic] away, it’s Donald. Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”
Epstein then denied the allegation, saying “no, obviously someone who is deranged, but lets see, it will be released by reuters this afternoon supposedly.”
(Johnson filed three suits over the same rape allegation; two were dismissed and then she withdrew the third case days before the 2016 election. As Vox noted at the time, the circumstances around the cases were bizarre.)
In a December 2015 email to Landon Thomas Jr., who was then a reporter at Times, Epstein claimed Trump was so distracted by the women that he almost walked into a glass door.
“Read the [BuzzFeed article] re my airplane logs and hawaiian tropic contest,” Epstein wrote. “Have them ask my houseman about donald almost walking through the door leaving his nose print on the glass as young women were swimming in the pool and he was so focused he walked straight into the door.”
In another December 2015 exchange, Landon Thomas Jr. pointed to a quote from his 2002 profile of Epstein for New York Magazine, saying that now everyone thinks he has “juicy info on you and Trump.”
Epstein replied, “would you like photso [sic] of donald and girls in bikinis in my kitchen.” Thomas answers, “Yes!!!”
The journalist then seemed to urge Epstein to go public about his relationship with Trump, highlighting a statement from the Trump campaign to BuzzFeed denying their connection. “I am serious man – for the good of the nation why not try to get some of this out there. I would not do it myself, but would pass on to a political reporter.”
Epstein replied with a link to an article about Norwegian heiress and businesswoman Celina Midelfart, with the comment, ” my 20 year old girlfriend in 93, that after two years i gave to donald.”
In September 2017, Landon Thomas Jr. warned Epstein that John Connolly was “digging around again” for a project about him. Earlier that year Connolly, investigative journalist and former NYPD detective, published the book Filthy Rich: The Shocking True Story of Jeffrey Epstein — The Billionaire’s Sex Scandal with co-author James Patterson.
While discussing a 2018 New York Timesopinion piece about Trump’s first impeachment with Kathy Ruemmler, former White House counsel to President Obama, Epstein said, “you see, i know how dirty donald is. my guess is that non lawyers ny biz people have no idea. what it means to have your fixer flip.”
In December 2018, Epstein compared Trump to a mafia don in identical messages sent to Kathy Ruemmler and his attorney Reid Weingarten.
He said, “you might want to tell your dem friends that treating Trump like a mafia don, ignores the fact that he has great dangerous power. tightening the noose too slowly , risks a very bad situation. gambino was never the commander in chief. there was little gambino could do as the walls closed in not so with this maniac.”
Weingarten agreed, saying Trump was starting to “behave very erratically.”
Epstein responded, “borderline insane. and corroborated by some that are close.”
In a 2017 email to Epstein, the former Treasury secretary and Harvard president made a joke about women being stupid, predicted President Trump’s “world will collapse,” then lamented, “I’m trying to figure out why American elite think if u murder your baby by beating and abandonment it must be irrelevant to your admission to Harvard, but hit on a few women 10 years ago you can’t work at a network or think tank.”
In another 2017 email to Larry Summers, Epstein said, “recall ive told you ,, – i have ment some very bad people ,, none as bad as trump. not one decent cell in his body.. so yes-dangerous.”
About a month before Trump met with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in 2018, Epstein suggested that Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, should talk to him for insight into Trump.
“I think you might suggest to putin that lavrov can get insight on talking to me,” Epstein told Thorbjorn Jagland, a former prime minister of Norway who was leading the Council of Europe at the time, per Politico.
Epstein claimed he’d previously advised Vitaly Churkin, Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, who died in 2017.
“Churkin was great,” Epstein wrote. “He understood trump after our conversations. it is not complex. he must be seen to get something its that simple.”
On July 16, 2018, the day Trump met with Putin, Larry Summers asked Epstein, “Do the Russians have stuff on Trump?,” adding “Today was appalling even by his standards.”
Epstein replied, “Not that i know. I would doubt it. He was totally predictable!! Not sure why it is not obvious, can explain on the phone.”
In another email, Epstein said his email was full of similar complaints about Trump’s meeting with Putin.
“I’m sure his view is that it went super well,” he told Summers. “he thinks he has charmed his adversary. Admittedly he has no idea of symbolism. He has no idea of most things.”
