(AFP) – A new batch of Jeffrey Epstein files released Tuesday contains numerous references to President Donald Trump, including documents detailing flights he took on his then friend’s private jet, and other claims that his Justice Department described as “untrue and sensationalist.”
The latest release contains reams of previously unseen material from the investigation into Epstein, a wealthy US financier who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking underage girls. A first collection of heavily redacted files made public last Friday sparked criticism that the Justice Department was deliberately excluding references to Trump. Trump figures prominently, however, in the thousands of documents published on Tuesday, underlining his close ties to the disgraced financier who was already a convicted sex offender when the more serious trafficking case began.
The Justice Department issued a statement defending the 79-year-old Republican shortly after the files dropped, saying some documents “contain untrue and sensationalist claims made against President Trump.” Trump, who is not accused of any wrongdoing, fought for months to prevent release of the vast trove of documents about Epstein. But a rebellion inside Trump’s Republican Party forced him to sign off on a law mandating release of all the documents. The extraordinary move reflected intense political pressure to address what many Americans, including Trump’s own supporters, have long suspected to be a cover-up to protect rich and powerful men in Epstein’s orbit.
– Private jet trips – Trump said Monday he did not approve of the file dumps, expressing concern that people who “innocently met” Epstein over the years risked having their reputations smeared. “Everybody was friendly with this guy,” he said. He did not immediately react to Tuesday’s release.
Despite attempts to distance himself, Trump was friends for years with Epstein and has given different accounts of how he ended their relationship. Most recently, he said he threw him out of his Florida golf club for being “a creep.” However, he has also said they fell out when Epstein “stole” young women working in the spa at his club. The latest documents add to evidence that Trump was close to Epstein. They include a January 2020 note from New York federal prosecutors who were investigating Epstein’s associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, detailing Trump’s repeated travel — eight trips between 1993 and 1996 — on the financier’s private jet. “Records we received yesterday reflect that Donald Trump traveled on Epstein’s private jet many more times than previously has been reported (or that we were aware),” it says. One flight reportedly had just three passengers: Epstein, Trump, and an unidentified 20-year-old.
– Delays – One Trump reference was swiftly disputed by the Department of Justice. A handwritten letter released in Tuesday’s tranche was purportedly written by Epstein, while in jail, to Larry Nassar, the former US gymnastics doctor who was imprisoned over rampant abuse of female athletes. Epstein is shown complaining to Nassar that they are incarcerated while the “president shares our love of young, nubile girls. When a young beauty walked by he loved to ‘grab snatch.'” In a statement, the DOJ said the FBI “has confirmed this alleged letter from Jeffrey Epstein to Larry Nassar is FAKE,” saying it was postmarked three days after Epstein’s death and entered the mail system in Virginia, despite him being jailed in New York.
Trump critics say the government continues to slow-walk the release of embarrassing material. At least two emails in the cache mention 10 unidentified “co-conspirators” of Epstein, and Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called for the Justice Department to look into potential Epstein accomplices. “The Department of Justice needs to shed more light on who was on the list, how they were involved, and why they chose not to prosecute,” the senator said. Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend, remains the only person convicted in connection with his crimes.
– Sebastian Smith and Chris Lefkow
© 2024 AFP
