The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has made public a massive trove of nearly 30,000 pages of documents connected to the investigation of the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The release, mandated by the recently enacted Epstein Files Transparency Act, includes an unverified and heavily redacted allegation from 2020 that implicates former President Donald Trump in a serious crime.
Unverified Allegation and Swift Denial
Among the vast cache of material now available on the DOJ's official website is an FBI intake report dated October 27, 2020. This document records a tip from a former limousine driver who claimed to have overheard a disturbing phone conversation in 1995 involving Trump and Epstein. According to the report, an unnamed woman present during the call allegedly told the driver "he raped me," referring to Trump alongside Epstein. The driver further stated the woman later contacted police and was found dead in January 2000 by suicide.
The DOJ moved quickly to address this specific claim. In a statement on the social media platform X on Tuesday, the department explicitly rejected the allegation. It stated that some documents contain "untrue and sensationalist claims made against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election." The authority described the claims as lacking any credible basis and being "unfounded and false." The DOJ reiterated that the inclusion of such claims in the released files does not confer any factual validity upon them.
Flight Logs and Broader Context of the Release
The document release covers a wide range of material beyond the unverified rape allegation. Internal emails within the files indicate that Donald Trump travelled on Epstein's private jet at least eight times between 1993 and 1996, a higher number than previously known. While Trump's social and professional association with Epstein in the 1990s is documented, the presence of his name on flight logs is not an accusation of illegal behaviour.
This disclosure is part of a larger, legally required release under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a law passed this year. Notably, former President Trump himself signed this legislation last month, despite previously resisting the release of the files. The DOJ emphasized its commitment to transparency while cautioning the public about the nature of some unvetted information within the records.
Political Reactions and Ongoing Scrutiny
The release has intensified the political debate surrounding the Epstein case. Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein. This week, he publicly called the focus on the Epstein case a distraction by Democrats, asserting that he "cut ties" with the disgraced financier long before Epstein's arrest in 2019.
Meanwhile, the DOJ has faced consistent pressure from Democratic lawmakers for not releasing the full bulk of Epstein-related files sooner. Supporters of the transparency act argue that the public has a right to access government records, even when they contain unverified or salacious claims. This latest batch follows criticism of an earlier release, where some files were temporarily removed over concerns about protecting victims' identities before being restored.
The unfolding of these documents continues to cast a long shadow, highlighting the complex interplay between legal transparency, unproven allegations, and the intense political climate in the United States.
