Epstein email shocker: Did Trump know about the girls? What newly released documents reveal

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released three emails from a larger batch of 23,000 documents. One, written by Epstein in 2011 to confidant Ghislaine Maxwell, stated that Donald Trump had “spent hours” at Epstein’s house with a sex trafficking victim. Another, sent by Epstein in 2019 to a journalist, claimed that Trump “knew about the girls”, according to documents made public Wednesday.

Trump in a social media post claimed that Democrats were using the so-called Epstein “hoax” as a distraction from the government shutdown that ended a few hours ago. Meanwhile, House Republicans argued that the emails released by House Democrats provided minimal new information.

What did the key emails say?

In spring 2011, Epstein was emerging from legal troubles and seeking to avoid further fallout. The tabloids had recently spotted him trying to rejoin his former social circles. Concerned about his reputation, he emailed employees about negative media coverage. At the same time, Trump, then a star on “The Apprentice,” was publicly discussing a presidential run, according to The New York Times.

House Oversight Committee Republicans on Wednesday said on X that the victim mentioned in the email exchange was Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who was 16 when Ghislaine Maxwell recruited her while she worked as a spa attendant at Mar-a-Lago in 2000.

When Epstein sent the email in April 2011, Giuffre had just gone public for the first time, telling a British tabloid that he had abused and trafficked her and sharing the now-famous photo of herself, Prince Andrew and Maxwell.

Shortly before Trump’s 2016 election victory, Wolff emailed Epstein with the subject line “Now could be the time”, implying he could damage Trump’s campaign by speaking out. It is unclear what Wolff expected Epstein to reveal or if Epstein replied.

The emails suggest Wolff acted as an adviser, urging Epstein to speak publicly against Trump. In another 2016 exchange, Wolff recommended that Epstein adopt an “anti-Trump position” to get ahead of the forthcoming book Filthy Rich about his life and crimes.

After Trump announced in February 2017 that he would nominate Acosta as labour secretary, Epstein emailed his lawyer, Roy Black, asking, “Who will represent Acosta at hearings?”

Acosta, who had been the US attorney in Southern Florida when Epstein secured a lenient 2008 plea deal avoiding federal sex-trafficking charges, was expected to appear alone, Black replied, “with perhaps a trump administration to assist and accompany him.”

The deal resurfaced during Acosta’s confirmation hearing, where he defended it as appropriate based on the evidence available at the time. He was confirmed but resigned in 2019 after Epstein was charged in New York, reigniting scrutiny of his role in the 2008 agreement.

Shortly before Epstein’s July 2019 arrest on federal sex-trafficking charges, his adviser Richard Kahn emailed him about Trump. Kahn said he had reviewed Trump’s federal financial disclosure form and shared nine observations about his loans, income, and foundation, calling the document “100 pages of nonsense”.

It is unknown why Kahn was examining Trump’s finances or whether Epstein replied. The email was among several in which Epstein’s associates shared information with him about Trump.

(With inputs from The New York Times)