Emails sent by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 2011 say US President Donald Trump “spent hours” with one of his victims, an allegation that could fuel further calls for the release of files on the disgraced financier.
The email, made public Wednesday by Democratic members of the House Oversight Committee, was sent to Epstein’s ex-girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking.
Recommended stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
“I want you to understand that the dog that didn’t bark is Trump. (The victim) spent hours with him at my house and he was never mentioned,” Epstein wrote in an email shared with the victim’s name redacted.
It is not clear what Mr. Epstein was referring to. The email was sent to Maxwell two years after Epstein served 13 months in prison for sex crimes.
Maxwell replied, “I’ve been thinking about that…”
In another email sent in 2019, Epstein said Trump “knew the girls.”
White House press secretary Caroline Levitt dismissed the emails Wednesday, saying they were “selectively released.”
“The ‘unnamed victim’ referred to in these emails is the late Virginia Giuffre, and President Trump repeatedly stated that he was not involved in any wrongdoing and that he ‘could not have been friendlier’ to her during their limited interactions,” Levitt said in a statement.
“The fact remains that President Trump kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of his club decades ago for making female employees, including Giuffre, uncomfortable.”
President Trump has previously acknowledged that he had problems with Epstein, the late sex offender, after he recruited (or, in the US president’s words, “stolen”) young women who worked at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.
The US president had personal ties to Epstein, a billionaire with ties to powerful figures in politics, popular culture, finance and academia, who later became known for rampant sexual abuse of girls and young women.
Epstein first pleaded guilty in 2008 to pimping a minor, receiving a lenient sentence that critics described as a sweetheart deal that did not match the severity of the crime.
After the Miami Herald investigated the charges against Epstein, federal authorities reopened the case against him, arresting and indicting him in 2019 on charges of sex trafficking of minors.
Two months later, he was found dead in his cell in New York City. His death was ruled a suicide.
Epstein’s associates included former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Britain’s Prince Andrew, and former US President Bill Clinton.
The scandal and the circumstances of Epstein’s death have fueled conspiracy theories and speculation that he worked for foreign or domestic intelligence agencies.
Some activists, including many Trump supporters, have long called for the release of all government documents related to Epstein.
However, the Trump administration has refused to release the so-called Epstein files, citing victims’ privacy.
Earlier this year, the Justice Department and FBI also rejected claims that Epstein may have used his sex-trafficking business to blackmail people who frequented his home and private island, reiterating that he died by suicide.
“Throughout this investigation, we find no basis to reconsider the disclosure of these materials and do not authorize the release of child pornography,” they said in a July memo.
“One of our top priorities is to combat child exploitation and bring justice to victims. Perpetuating baseless theories about Epstein serves neither purpose.”
The US president also rebuked critics who focused on Epstein, calling the issue a “waste of time.”
But many of the president’s supporters were not satisfied with that explanation, especially after leaks and allegations raised questions about Trump’s own relationship with Epstein.
Earlier this year, the Wall Street Journal published what it said was a sexually charged birthday card that Trump had sent to Epstein, with a message written inside a picture of a naked woman.
Mr. Trump denied writing or drawing the cards and sued the newspaper for the allegations.
In June, after former billionaire White House aide Elon Musk fell out with the US president, he said the “real reason” Trump would not release the Epstein files was because his name was in them.
