Congressional Democrats have released a series of emails from the late financier Jeffrey Epstein that appear to contain startling allegations about former President Donald Trump's knowledge of his activities. The messages, made public on Wednesday, are expected to intensify the political and legal scrutiny surrounding the relationship between the two men.
Content of the Released Emails
In a particularly cryptic 2011 email sent to his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein wrote, "I want you to realize that that dog that hasn’t barked is trump." The email did not explicitly state if this referred to the future president. Epstein continued by alleging that one of his victims had "spent hours at my house with him" and noted that "he has never once been mentioned," again without directly naming the individual in question.
Maxwell, who was convicted for her role in facilitating Epstein's sexual abuse of underage women, is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence. The release of these communications by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee was accompanied by a trove of roughly 20,000 pages of documents obtained from Epstein's estate.
White House Response and Political Fallout
The White House swiftly condemned the release of the emails. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt issued a statement calling it a selective leak designed "to create a fake narrative to smear President Trump." She pointed out that the victim referenced had previously stated that President Trump was not involved in any wrongdoing and had been friendly during their limited interactions.
"These stories are nothing more than bad-faith efforts to distract from President Trump’s historic accomplishments," Leavitt added, framing the revelation as a political distraction. President Trump has consistently maintained that he cut ties with Epstein nearly two decades ago and was unaware of his criminal activities.
Further Context from 2019 Correspondence
Additional context emerged from a separate 2019 email exchange between Epstein and author Michael Wolff. In it, Epstein wrote, "trump said he asked me to resign, never a member ever," which seems to reference being asked to leave the Mar-a-Lago club. More significantly, Epstein added, "of course he knew about the girls as he asked ghislaine to stop."
Earlier correspondence from 2015 shows Wolff and Epstein discussing the potential for Trump to be questioned by CNN during a GOP primary. Wolff suggested that Epstein had leverage over the then-presidential candidate, advising, "I think you should let him hang himself. If he says he hasn’t been on the plane or to the house, then that gives you a valuable PR and political currency."
The email release coincides with House lawmakers preparing to force a vote on legislation that would compel the Department of Justice to release more files related to the investigation into Epstein's activities, ensuring this story remains in the political spotlight.
