Newly disclosed emails released by House Democrats have reignited scrutiny over former U.S. President Donald Trump’s past ties with Jeffrey Epstein, after the disgraced financier allegedly claimed Trump was aware of his sexual abuse and had spent “hours” with one of Epstein’s victims.
Trump has repeatedly denied any involvement or knowledge of Epstein’s sex-trafficking network, accusing Democrats of reviving a “hoax” to distract from their own political troubles. However, members of the House Oversight Committee said the latest batch of emails “raise serious questions about Donald Trump and his knowledge of Epstein’s horrific crimes.”
The controversy deepened Wednesday after House Speaker Mike Johnson announced a vote next week on forcing the Justice Department to release all remaining Epstein files.
In one email from April 2011, Epstein told Ghislaine Maxwell that Trump had spent significant time with a woman later identified as Epstein’s main accuser, Virginia Giuffre. “I want you to realize that that dog that hasn’t barked is Trump,” Epstein wrote, adding that the woman “spent hours at my house with him; he has never once been mentioned.” Maxwell, later convicted of sex trafficking, replied: “I have been thinking about that…”
Another message to journalist Michael Wolff, dated January 31, 2019, showed Epstein writing: “Of course he knew about the girls, as he asked Ghislaine to stop.”
Republicans, responding to the Democratic release, published thousands of additional emails from Epstein’s estate, including one where Epstein described Trump as “dirty.”
The White House swiftly pushed back, accusing Democrats of leaking selective excerpts to “smear President Trump.” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt cited statements from Giuffre, who reportedly said Trump “couldn’t have been friendlier” in their brief encounters.
The renewed focus on Epstein’s case — and Trump’s alleged awareness — comes months after the Justice Department reaffirmed Epstein’s death as a suicide, quelling speculation about foul play. But the decision angered Trump’s MAGA base, many of whom had long claimed a “deep state” conspiracy was protecting Epstein’s powerful Democratic associates.
Despite Trump’s insistence that the scandal is a distraction, the House vote on releasing the full Epstein files is now set for next week, promising to keep the issue — and Trump’s historical links to Epstein — in the political spotlight.
