US President Donald Trump’s relationship with the late, convicted intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein has as soon as once more come underneath scrutiny, after US lawmakers launched greater than 20,000 pages of paperwork from Epstein’s property on Wednesday, together with some that point out Trump’s title.
US Democrats within the Home Oversight Committee – a federal physique that oversees authorities capabilities – launched e-mail exchanges between Epstein and a few of his associates through which the previous financier appeared to counsel that Trump knew about his conduct in direction of younger ladies.
Really useful Tales
record of three gadgetsfinish of record
Hours later, US Republicans launched 20,000 paperwork from Epstein’s property in a bid to counter the Democrats’ e-mail releases, claiming the Democrats had “cherry-picked” paperwork to color a false narrative in opposition to Trump. The Republicans’ paperwork additionally point out Trump’s title, however these references are primarily regarding the US president’s political profession.
Trump, who had a 15-year-long friendship with Epstein, denies all wrongdoing and has repeatedly said that he was by no means concerned in – and even knew about – Epstein’s sexual crimes.
Epstein died by suicide in jail in 2019 after being arrested on costs of intercourse trafficking of minors. He had beforehand been imprisoned in 2008 after pleading responsible at a court docket in Florida to partaking in prostitution of minors, however was launched from jail in 2009 after finishing his sentence.
Whereas some paperwork regarding the prosecution of Epstein have been made public, the US Justice Division has repeatedly refused to launch others, elevating eyebrows – not least amongst Trump’s personal “Make America Nice Once more” (MAGA) base.
In June 2025, Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk claimed on his social media platform X that “Trump is within the Epstein recordsdata” and mentioned that was “the true motive they [the files] haven’t been made public”. However the Justice Division has mentioned the true motive for not releasing the recordsdata is to guard the privateness of the victims.
Subsequent week, the US Home of Representatives will vote on releasing all remaining sealed court docket recordsdata pertaining to Epstein.
Right here’s what we all know:
What do the emails launched by Democrats reveal?
A minimum of three emails had been made public by Democrats on the Home Oversight Committee on Wednesday.
Epstein and Maxwell: One e-mail is an April 2011 alternate between Epstein and his former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of intercourse trafficking in December 2021 and is at the moment serving a 20-year jail sentence. Within the e-mail, Epstein informed her that Trump had “spent hours” at his home with one sufferer.
Epstein wrote: “i would like you to comprehend that that canine that hasn’t barked is trump. [redacted name of victim] spent hours at my home with him .. he has by no means as soon as been talked about.”
Maxwell responded, “I’ve been occupied with that…”
The title of the sufferer was not launched by the Democrats, however within the cache of paperwork launched on Wednesday by the Home Oversight Committee, the title is proven as Virginia Giuffre, who sued disgraced Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (previously Prince Andrew of the UK, earlier than he was stripped of his royal titles final month) for rape and sexual assault earlier than she died by suicide in April this yr.
In a assertion despatched to US media on Wednesday, the White Home additionally confirmed that the sufferer was Giuffre.
“The ‘unnamed sufferer’ referenced in these emails is the late Virginia Giuffre, who repeatedly mentioned President Trump was not concerned in any wrongdoing by any means and ‘couldn’t have been friendlier’ to her of their restricted interactions,” White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt informed reporters on Wednesday.
“The very fact stays that President Trump kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of his membership many years in the past for being a creep to his feminine staff, together with Giuffre,” she added.
Epstein and Wolff: Epstein and US journalist Michael Wolff, who has written 4 books about Trump, additionally exchanged emails that included particulars of their strategising in opposition to Trump, in line with the paperwork launched by the Democrats.
In December 2015, seven years after Epstein had pleaded responsible to his crimes – which included partaking in prostitution with a minor underneath the age of 18 – Wolff wrote to Epstein: “I hear CNN is planning to ask Trump tonight about his relationship with you – both on air or in scrum afterwards.”
Epstein replied: “If we had been to craft a solution for him, what do you assume it needs to be?”
Wolff responded: “I believe you must let him grasp himself. If he says he hasn’t been on the aircraft or to the home, then that offers you a priceless PR and political forex. You possibly can grasp him in a approach that doubtlessly generates a optimistic profit for you, or, if it actually seems like he might win, you would save him, producing a debt. After all, it’s doable that, when requested, he’ll say Jeffrey is a superb man and has gotten a uncooked deal and is a sufferer of political correctness, which is to be outlawed in a Trump regime.”
In a separate e-mail in October 2016, Wolff tried to steer Epstein to offer an interview, writing: “There’s a possibility to return ahead this week and speak about Trump in such a approach that would garner you nice sympathy and assist end him. ?” The e-mail was written simply earlier than Trump’s presidential election win in November 2016. It isn’t clear if Epstein responded.
In one other e-mail in 2019, Epstein wrote to Wolff that Trump “knew concerning the ladies as he requested Ghislaine to cease”, referring to Maxwell.
Responding to the emails launched by the Democrats on Wednesday, Wolff informed the Every day Beast podcast Inside Trump’s Head late on Wednesday that he was “good” to Epstein to attempt to perceive him higher and get “a wholly completely different view” of Trump.
Wolff’s books about Trump embody the 2018 bestseller Hearth and Fury: Contained in the Trump White Home, which revealed backstories of discord inside his administration throughout his first time period as president.
“I’m the one who sees this, this elemental story, Donald Trump,” Wolff informed The Every day Beast. “I’ve gone by way of this with Epstein deep into the background. Donald Trump is the perfect pal of, you recognize, evil. He’s the perfect pal of a deeply, deeply diabolical particular person.”
Wolff mentioned that he additionally hoped to steer Epstein to return ahead and communicate up about what he knew about Trump. “‘Why don’t you go public with these footage? Why don’t you go public? Let me show you how to go public in telling your story about Donald Trump’,” Wolff claimed he informed Epstein.
However he mentioned he believed Epstein was afraid of Trump. “Epstein was fearful about what would occur to him if Donald Trump grew to become the president of the US,” Wolff informed the Every day Beast.
The creator added that the rationale he was attempting to persuade Epstein to return ahead was as a result of he “noticed then” and continues to “see and see daily now, that Donald Trump was unfit to be the president of the US”.
Individually, on October 23 this yr, the creator claimed in a lawsuit he filed on the New York Supreme Court docket in Manhattan in opposition to First Woman Melania Trump that she had threatened to sue him for greater than $1bn if he didn’t retract his statements linking Epstein to her.
Wolff had claimed that Melania Trump was “very concerned” in Epstein’s social circle, by way of which she met her future husband, Donald Trump.
Wolff added that the president and his spouse “have made a apply of threatening those that communicate in opposition to them”.
What have the responses to the emails been?
Trump instantly dismissed the emails as a “hoax” in a social media submit.
“The Democrats try to deliver up the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax once more as a result of they’ll do something in any respect to deflect on how badly they’ve finished on the Shutdown, and so many different topics,” he wrote on his Fact Social platform on Wednesday afternoon.
Trump’s press secretary Leavitt additionally informed journalists on the White Home on Wednesday that “these emails show completely nothing apart from the truth that President Trump did nothing fallacious”.
US Democrat Ro Khanna, nevertheless, informed the Breaking Factors podcast that “this complete Epstein class must go”.
“The problem in American politics from left or proper is: Are you for working, bizarre Individuals? Or are you for this Epstein class? And that is what’s so vital about these emails. It’s not simply wealthy and highly effective males who could have abused and raped younger ladies; it’s plenty of wealthy and highly effective individuals who knew that the abuse was occurring and did nothing about it.”
The e-mail launch additionally befell on the day that Democratic Consultant Adelita Grijalva was sworn in by Home of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson.
“It’s previous time for Congress to revive its position as a verify and stability on this administration,” Grijalva informed native media.
What are Republicans saying?
Trump has warned members of the Republican Get together in opposition to focusing consideration on the Democrats’ emails.
“There needs to be no deflections to Epstein or the rest, and any Republicans concerned needs to be centered solely on opening up our Nation, and fixing the huge harm attributable to the Democrats!” Trump mentioned on Fact Social on Wednesday.
US Republican members of the Home Oversight Committee, nevertheless, responded to the discharge of the emails with the discharge of round 20,000 Epstein-related paperwork obtained from his property, simply hours later.
These paperwork reveal e-mail exchanges between Epstein and his associates through which they focus on Trump’s presidential profession and his whereabouts.
In a single e-mail from December 2018 to former Treasury Secretary Lawrence H Summers, Epstein referred to as Trump “borderline insane” after which spoke about lawyer Alan Dershowitz, his defence lawyer on the time. “dersh, just a few toes farther from the border however not by a lot”. It’s unclear what these feedback are associated to.
Summers replied: “Will trump crack into madness?”
Epstein responded: “This isn’t a brand new phenomenon for him. up to now he was informed to not come out of his apt. thats how he obtained by way of close to private chapter. is energy is exceptional. he’s pounded 24/7.”
“I hope somebody near him will get indicted, however unsure, in any other case the stress of the unknown will power him to do loopy issues,” he added.
White Home spokesperson Abigail Jackson informed reporters in Washington, DC on Wednesday: “These emails show actually nothing.”
However some Republicans need the US authorities to launch all current Epstein recordsdata, as soon as and for all.
Consultant Don Bacon, a Republican from Nebraska, informed US broadcaster MSNBC on Wednesday that he’d vote in favour of a invoice demanding Trump’s Justice Division launch all of the recordsdata.
Referring to the discharge of the paperwork by the Home Oversight Committee, he mentioned: “It’s nonetheless set to work its approach by way of the Senate and the president. However we’re already getting plenty of outcomes.”
In accordance with studies from Axios and different US media, Trump and different administration officers have reached out to some Republican representatives akin to Lauren Boebert and Nancy Mace to attempt to persuade them to take away their names from a petition that might power a vote within the Home on releasing all the Epstein recordsdata.
However Boebert informed reporters on Wednesday in DC that there was “no stress” and mentioned she remained a supporter of the petition.
In a submit on X, she wrote that “the Epstein petition is deeply private”, as she can also be a “survivor of sexual and home violence”.
“I signed the discharge petition. I used to be one among 4 Republicans to take action. I stand with all survivors,” she wrote.
“When it looks like the world is in opposition to you. When the press hates your guts. When your pals desert you. Your ache is my ache. Your combat is my combat. Your justice is our justice.”
The Epstein petition is deeply private. Once I was 14 I used to be molested by a pal of one among my coaches and sexually assaulted at 16. I used to be violently mugged months later. I dropped out of highschool at 17 as a result of I had nothing left to offer. However God helped me flip issues round.…
— Rep. Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace) November 12, 2025
In the meantime, Tennessee Republican Tim Burchett informed reporters on Wednesday that he was “bored with messing round” with the difficulty.
“The Democrats have had the Epstein recordsdata for 4 years, and now we’ve obtained it for 9 months, and it’s going to be dragged right into a bunch of nonsense. Let’s simply take it to the ground. Let’s vote on it. Let’s get on with it,” he mentioned.
When will the US Home vote on a invoice to launch recordsdata?
The discharge of the Home Oversight Committee’s paperwork on Wednesday got here because the Home voted to finish its 43-day-long shutdown of the federal authorities, which started on October 1 this yr.
Home Speaker Johnson informed reporters on Wednesday that he’ll maintain a vote subsequent week to determine if all Epstein recordsdata needs to be launched.
Johnson added that he wished to “remind everyone” that the GOP-led Home Oversight Committee had been “working across the clock” by itself investigation into the case.
Even when the Home votes in favour of the invoice, the Senate should agree, and Trump should signal the invoice ordering the recordsdata to be launched. US presidents do have the ability of veto, and might reject payments. Nevertheless, they’re required to offer a motive for the rejection. The invoice would then be despatched again to the Home to vote on once more.
On Wednesday, the White Home’s Leavitt defended the Trump administration and mentioned it has “finished extra with respect to transparency with regards to Jeffrey Epstein than any administration ever”.
