Evening Update: What the Epstein Files Say, and What They Don’t
New Epstein documents revive old names, deepen unanswered questions.
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Hey Small Biters,
A newly released tranche of Justice Department documents related to Jeffrey Epstein has added fresh fuel to a long-smoldering controversy, introducing multiple references to Donald Trump alongside other powerful figures whose names have hovered around the case for years. The disclosures arrive amid mounting pressure on federal authorities to release records in full, rather than in staggered and heavily contextualized batches.
Among the most striking revelations is a claim contained in an internal email from a senior federal prosecutor suggesting that Trump flew aboard Epstein’s private jet several times during the 1990s. One flight, according to the document, included Epstein, Trump, and a then–20-year-old woman whose name is redacted. The files do not allege criminal conduct, nor do they establish that the woman was a victim of any crime.
The email, dated January 7, 2020, was sent by the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York and circulated under the subject line “Epstein flight records.” It asserts that Trump appeared on flight manifests more frequently than previously reported and during periods prosecutors believed could be relevant to the case against Epstein’s associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.
The message notes at least eight flights between 1993 and 1996, some of them overlapping with Maxwell’s presence. It also lists Marla Maples and Trump’s children, Tiffany and Eric, among those recorded on various flights. Two women on separate trips were described as potential witnesses in a Maxwell prosecution.
