The House Oversight Committee's Democratic members have released three additional emails from the estate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. These emails contain references to former President Donald Trump, leading to further inquiry regarding their past interactions.
Email Contents
One email from 2015, exchanged between Epstein and author Michael Wolff, discusses a potential question for a forthcoming CNN interview with Trump. The question concerned Trump and Epstein's personal ties. Wolff advised Epstein, "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. You can hang him in a way that potentially generates a positive benefit for you, or, if it really looks like he could win, you could save him, generating a debt."
Another email, sent by Epstein in 2011 to Ghislane Maxwell, who was convicted on trafficking charges, described Trump as the "dog that hasn't barked" and stated that Trump spent "hours at my house" with one of the alleged sex trafficking victims.
A third email from 2019, also between Epstein and Wolff, includes Epstein's written statement that "of course [Trump] knew about the girls as he asked Ghislane to stop." This email did not provide further elaboration.
The veracity of these correspondences has not been independently confirmed.
Congressional Context and Related Disclosures
According to Oversight Ranking Member Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), these emails are part of 23,000 additional documents from the Epstein estate currently under committee review. Rep. Garcia stated that these correspondences "raise questions about what else the White House is hiding and the nature of the relationship between Epstein and the President."
In September, House Democrats previously released over 200 pages of a birthday book for Epstein, created more than two decades prior, which included a drawing and a letter appearing to be signed by Trump.
Former President Trump has consistently denied any significant connection to Epstein and has disputed the authenticity of the birthday book. In July, he informed reporters that his relationship with Epstein concluded when Epstein reportedly hired away young female employees from the spa at Mar-a-Lago.
Legislative Developments
The release of these Epstein files coincided with the House of Representatives reconvening for votes related to reopening the federal government. A bipartisan group, including House Democrats and four Republicans, has advocated for a vote to release further documents pertaining to the Epstein case.
House Speaker Mike Johnson delayed a vote on this matter by keeping the chamber out of session for seven weeks and, more recently, by postponing the swearing-in of Democratic Rep. Adelita Grijalva of Arizona. Rep. Grijalva was expected to be sworn in on Wednesday afternoon. Observers from various political perspectives interpreted Johnson's actions as an attempt to avoid a vote on compelling the Department of Justice to release the Epstein documents.
During her campaign, Rep. Grijalva, who won a special election on September 23, pledged to support a bipartisan petition led by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.). Her signature fulfilled the requirement of 218 signatures needed to force a House vote on the Epstein matter.
The Epstein files continue to generate political discussion, particularly given Trump's previous campaign promises to expose powerful individuals.