A significant new batch of documents related to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has been released, containing numerous references to former United States President Donald Trump. The files, made public on Tuesday, include an email from a New York prosecutor detailing flight records that show Trump's previously unreported travels on Epstein's private aircraft.
Flight Log Details and Maxwell's Presence
According to an email dated January 7, 2020, written by an unidentified prosecutor, flight records indicate that Donald Trump flew on Jeffrey Epstein's private jet a total of eight times during the 1990s. This number, the prosecutor noted, is "many more times than previously has been reported." The documents further specify that on at least four of those flights, Epstein's associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, was also a passenger.
Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role in helping Epstein sexually abuse underage girls. The newly released document also notes that on two other flights logged in the records, the passengers included women who could have been potential witnesses in a case against Maxwell.
Specifics of the Journeys and Political Reactions
One particular flight entry highlights a trip where the only three passengers listed were Trump, Epstein, and a 20-year-old woman whose name has been redacted from the public documents. The latest document release is substantial, comprising about 8,000 files, which include video and audio recordings, alongside 30,000 pages of documents. Some videos are said to show the inside of the federal detention centre where Epstein died in 2019, an event officially ruled a suicide but still shrouded in widespread speculation.
In response to the release, Trump has downplayed the significance of the files. On Monday, he stated that his political rivals are using them to distract from what he called the "tremendous success" of his administration. He has also publicly denied the claims, asserting in a 2024 social media post that he "was never on Epstein's Plane, or at his 'stupid' Island." It is important to note that the prosecutor's email contained no allegation that Trump committed any crime.
DOJ Response and Document Release Controversy
The Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a statement on Tuesday addressing the document dump. The DOJ stated that some of the released papers included "untrue and sensationalist claims" about Trump. These specific documents, they noted, had been submitted to the FBI after the 2020 presidential election, which Trump lost. The DOJ did not provide further details but was emphatic in its social media post: "To be clear: the claims are unfounded and false, and if they had a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponised against President Trump already."
This release follows controversy from the previous week, where a tranche of Epstein-related documents was published with heavy redactions. The Trump administration had previously fought against the release of these files and has been accused of subverting a law passed in November designed to facilitate their disclosure.
