Daijiworld Media Network – New York
New York, Dec 24: Newly released documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein indicate that former US President Donald Trump flew on Epstein’s private jet more frequently in the 1990s than previously known, according to an internal email from a New York prosecutor disclosed by the US Justice Department.
An email dated January 7, 2020, states that flight records showed Trump travelled on Epstein’s aircraft eight times during the 1990s. At least four of these flights reportedly included Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s close associate who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for helping him sexually abuse underage girls. The email does not accuse Trump of any criminal conduct.
In a social media post in 2024, Trump had asserted that he was “never on Epstein’s plane, or at his ‘stupid’ island.” The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment following the release of the documents.
According to the newly disclosed records, one flight listed only three passengers — Epstein, Trump and a 20-year-old woman whose name was redacted. Two other flights reportedly included women described as potential witnesses in the Maxwell case. Trump is known to have had a social relationship with Epstein during the 1990s and early 2000s but has said their association ended in the mid-2000s and that he was unaware of Epstein’s sexual crimes.
Epstein was convicted in Florida in 2008 for procuring a minor for prostitution and was later charged with sex trafficking by federal prosecutors in 2019. He was found dead in a New York jail later that year, with his death ruled a suicide.
Responding to the release, the Justice Department said on social media that some documents contain “untrue and sensationalist claims” about Trump submitted shortly before the 2020 election, adding that the allegations were unfounded. The DOJ said it was releasing the material in compliance with the law while protecting Epstein’s victims.
The latest tranche includes about 30,000 pages of documents, many heavily redacted, and several video clips. Among the disclosures is a grainy photograph of Trump seated next to Maxwell at a New York fashion show in 2000, as well as references to an image allegedly found on the cellphone of former Trump aide Steve Bannon.
The files also contain multiple FBI tip-line reports referencing Trump, though the government did not indicate whether investigators found them credible. One caller claimed to have overheard Trump making a phone call in 1995 mentioning abuse, but no verification was provided.
The releases come under a new transparency law passed overwhelmingly by Congress last month, mandating the disclosure of all Epstein-related files. While the Trump administration has published large volumes of material, extensive redactions have drawn criticism from lawmakers across party lines.
Republican Representative Thomas Massie, a key proponent of the disclosure law, criticised Trump for opposing the release, alleging efforts to shield powerful figures from scrutiny. Trump has dismissed the Epstein files as a political distraction, saying they are being used to undermine Republican achievements.
The Justice Department said it will continue to release Epstein-related documents as required by law.