A 2019 email written by the late financier Jeffrey Epstein has intensified scrutiny over President Donald Trump's past connections with the convicted sex offender. The correspondence, released by House Democrats, features Epstein claiming to American journalist Michael Wolff that Trump "knew about the girls."
This revelation is part of a larger batch of 23,000 documents from Epstein's estate, made public as US lawmakers debate the full release of all unclassified records related to the case. The disclosure has triggered immediate and sharp political divisions, with Democrats asserting it raises serious questions and Republicans denouncing it as a politically motivated smear campaign.
What The Released Emails Reveal
House Democrats this week publicised a selection of Jeffrey Epstein's emails. The most notable is the 2019 message where Epstein told Michael Wolff that Donald Trump was aware of "the girls." Major news agencies like AP and Reuters have reported that the precise meaning of this statement remains unclear, including whether it refers to Epstein's criminal activities involving underage girls.
Another email from 2011 was also released, in which Epstein informed his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell that Trump had "spent hours" at his residence with one of the victims. The name of this victim was redacted in the version made available to the public.
Political Reactions and Fallout
The White House response was swift. Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt accused Democrats of "selectively leaking emails" to fabricate a false narrative against the President. She insisted the emails prove nothing other than Trump's innocence.
In retaliation, House Republicans published an additional 20,000 pages of Epstein-related documents. While these contained various emails where Epstein commented on Trump's political career, none appeared to provide evidence of misconduct. One ambiguous message mentioned "photos of Donald and girls in bikinis in my kitchen," though the context was unclear.
On his social media platform, Truth Social, President Trump dismissed the developments as a "Hoax" orchestrated by Democrats to distract from other political issues like a government shutdown. He urged Republicans to avoid the topic and focus on reopening the federal government.
Key Testimonies and Next Steps
Central figure Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role in Epstein's sex trafficking ring, has previously defended Trump's conduct. In a July interview with the US Justice Department, she stated she "never saw Trump behave inappropriately" and described him as "a gentleman in all respects."
Regarding the unnamed victim in the 2011 email, Republicans identified her as Virginia Giuffre. Giuffre, who accused Epstein and Maxwell of trafficking but died by suicide earlier this year, had testified under oath that Trump was not involved in any wrongdoing. Her memoir noted that Trump was friendly during their single meeting at his Mar-a-Lago club.
The political drama continues to unfold. The swearing-in of Arizona Democrat Adelita Grijalva has given her party a narrow House majority to push for greater transparency. Speaker Mike Johnson's office confirmed that the House will vote next week on a measure to release all unclassified Epstein-related files, setting the stage for further revelations.
