The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) made a major disclosure on Tuesday by releasing a vast collection of documents pertaining to the case of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Approximately 30,000 pages of documents and several video clips have been made public, among which the name of former U.S. President Donald Trump surfaces connected to Epstein’s private jet flight records. Notably, authorities have not accused Trump of any criminal involvement.
The files released by the DOJ contain a substantial amount of redacted confidential information. Many of the videos are reportedly from inside the jail. It's noteworthy to mention that Jeffrey Epstein died under suspicious circumstances in a New York jail in 2019, officially ruled as suicide.
Included in the documents is an email dated January 7, 2020, asserting Donald Trump traveled on Epstein’s private jet at least 8 times between 1993 and 1996. This email, titled “RE: Epstein flight records,” keeps the sender and recipient's identities confidential but references an Assistant U.S. Attorney in New York’s Southern District.
According to the email, Ghislaine Maxwell, known as Epstein's girlfriend and later convicted in human trafficking cases, was aboard four of these flights. The documents also mention that Trump's then-wife Marla Maples, daughter Tiffany Trump, and son Eric Trump accompanied him on some trips.
Highlighting a specific flight, one record shows only Trump and Epstein were travelers in 1993, while another flight included Epstein, Trump, and a 20-year-old male (whose name is confidential). Two other flights listed a few women who could potentially be witnesses in the Maxwell case.
Moments after the release of the documents, the DOJ took to social media platform X to clarify that some claims within these files, particularly those concerning Donald Trump, were 'false and sensational.' The department stated that these claims had been submitted to the FBI just before the 2020 presidential election.
The DOJ firmly stated, “These allegations are unfounded and false. Had there been any truth to them, they would have already been used as a weapon against President Trump.”
This document revelation occurs as all Epstein-related files are mandated for release under a new transparency law recently passed by Congress. Previously, Trump attempted to keep these files sealed.
Earlier releases on Friday and Saturday were also heavily redacted, causing dissatisfaction particularly within the Republican Party. Those files included never-before-seen photos of former President Bill Clinton with Epstein and details of a 1996 criminal complaint.
On Monday, Trump remarked to the media that these files are being used to divert attention from his and his party's so-called successes.
