Everything we know about Jeffrey Epstein emails mentioning Trump
A bombshell piece of information has been released regarding Jeffrey Epstein's relationship with Donald Trump.
The new details come in the form of email exchanges between convicted paedophile Epstein, his former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, and author Michael Wolff, where they appeared to discuss the US president.
The emails, made public by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee today (12 November), add to the questions about the Republican leader's friendship with Epstein and about any knowledge he may have had in what prosecutors call a years-long effort by Epstein to exploit underage girls.
The 66-year-old was found dead by suicide in his New York prison cell on 10 August 2019 as he awaited his trial on sex trafficking charges without the chance of bail.
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Trump, who is reported to have had a friendship with Epstein in the 2000s, has consistently denied any knowledge of his alleged crimes and has said he ended their relationship years ago.
Here's everything we know about the latest developments.
What we know so far about Trump and Epstein's relationship
Trump has recently maintained the stance that he wants to move on from the case and doesn’t understand why people are so interested in it.
The US president has been hounded with claims surrounding the pair's relationship, with some coming up with conspiracy theories that he's in Epstein's 'little black book' of celebrity client names.
Trump and Epstein appeared in a similar social circle and were seemingly pals for a number of years during the early 2000s, before the sex offender’s crimes were unearthed.
Previously released files reveal that the Republican’s details were in Epstein's contact book and flight logs showed he travelled on the financier's plane on multiple occasions.
As per The Guardian, he told New York Magazine in 2002: “I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy. He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it - Jeffrey enjoys his social life.”
Trump says that he and Epstein fell out in the early 2000s, two years before the criminal was first arrested.
More recently, US lawmakers released a copy of a 'birthday book' that was compiled by Epstein’s former girlfriend Maxwell back in 2003 - and it included a note thought to be signed by Trump.
The book was put together around three years before the first damning sex-abuse allegations emerged against the criminal financier.
The words, which the White House said were fabricated and are 'fake news', were written inside the silhouette of a naked woman with Trump's 'signature' scrawled at the bottom, seemingly supposed to look like pubic hair.
Part of the alleged birthday message read: "A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy birthday - and may every day be another wonderful secret."
What the emails about Trump and Epstein said
Now, Trump and Epstein's relationship is back in the spotlight thanks to the 2011 email chain released by the House Democrats.
In one email to Maxwell, who is now in prison for conspiring to engage in sex trafficking, Epstein allegedly wrote: "I want you to realise that that dog that hasn’t barked is Trump."
He added that Trump had 'spent hours at my house' with a person whose name is blacked out of the emails but who House Democrats identified as a 'victim'.
In one message to Wolff, dated 31 January, 2019, Epstein allegedly wrote: "Trump said he asked me to resign, never a member ever... of course he knew about the girls as he asked Ghislaine to stop."
In a December 2015 exchange, Wolff and Epstein reportedly discussed Trump’s first presidential campaign.
Wolff wrote: "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 valuable PR and political currency.
"You can hang him in a way that potentially benefits you - or, if it looks like he could win, you could save him, generating a debt.
"Of course, it’s possible that, when asked, he’ll say Jeffrey is a great guy who’s gotten a raw deal and is a victim of political correctness, which would be outlawed in a Trump regime."
Trump himself did not send or receive any of the emails and has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
Trump's response to the claims
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that one of Epstein's accusers, Virginia Giuffre, had 'repeatedly said President Trump was not involved in any wrongdoing whatsoever and couldn’t have been friendlier to her in their limited interactions'.
She accused the Democrats of having 'selectively leaked emails' to 'create a fake narrative to smear President Trump'.
The statement said: "The fact remains that President Trump kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of his club decades ago for being a creep to his female employees, including Giuffre.
"These stories are nothing more than bad-faith efforts to distract from President Trump’s historic accomplishments, and any American with common sense sees right through this hoax and clear distraction from the government opening back up again."
She also told LADbible Group: "The Democrats selectively leaked emails to the liberal media to create a fake narrative to smear President Trump.
"The 'unnamed victim' referenced in these emails is the late Virginia Giuffre, who repeatedly said President Trump was not involved in any wrongdoing whatsoever and 'couldn’t have been friendlier' to her in their limited interactions."
It's important to note that the name of the victim was redacted in the emails released by Democrats.
Giuffre, who had accused Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and other influential men of sexually exploiting her as a teenager, died by suicide in April. Andrew has rejected Giuffre’s allegations and said he did not recall meeting her.
Topics: Donald Trump, Jeffrey Epstein, Crime, News, US News, World News, Politics
Madison Burgess