Epstein repeatedly referenced Trump in private emails: House Democrats

Washington [US], November 12 : Newly released emails from convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, made public by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, reveal multiple references to US President Donald Trump in private correspondence spanning over 15 years, CNN reported.

According to CNN, the emails sent between Epstein, his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, and author Michael Wolff include claims that Trump "spent hours at my house" with a woman identified by the committee as one of Epstein's sex trafficking victims.

In another exchange, Epstein asserted that Trump "knew about the girls", a reference to Trump's past remarks claiming he had barred Epstein from his Mar-a-Lago resort.

In one email dated April 2, 2011, Epstein wrote to Maxwell, "I want you to realise that that dog that hasn't barked is Trump.. (REDACTED) spent hours at my house with him, but he has never once been mentioned. Police chief. etc. I'm 75 % there." CNN noted that the context of this message was unclear.

At the time, Epstein had recently served a 13-month sentence after pleading guilty in 2008 to state charges of solicitation of prostitution and solicitation involving a minor under 18. His plea deal later came under intense media and public scrutiny for its leniency.

CNN reported that Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence for her role in Epstein's trafficking network, told Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche earlier this year that she "never witnessed the President in any inappropriate setting in any way" and that she "didn't recall ever seeing Trump at Epstein's house."

Maxwell added, "The President was never inappropriate with anybody. In the times that I was with him, he was a gentleman in all respects."

The name of the woman mentioned in Epstein's email was redacted by the committee to protect her identity. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee said the documents, more than 23,000 in total, were obtained after subpoenaing Epstein's estate earlier this year.

CNN reported that Epstein's association with Trump has resurfaced amid political debate over the release of government-held Epstein files.

Earlier this year, Trump's administration reaffirmed that it stood by the conclusion that Epstein's 2019 death in prison was a suicide and declined to release further information, reigniting calls in Congress for greater transparency.

The batch of documents also includes a January 2019 email between Epstein and Wolff, written about seven months before Epstein's death.

In it, Epstein disputed Trump's claim that he had been expelled from Mar-a-Lago, writing, "trump said he asked me to resign, never a member ever. . of course he knew about the girls as he asked to Ghislaine to stop."

CNN added that the White House has previously said Trump banned Epstein from his club "for being a creep," while Trump has claimed Epstein "stole" young women who worked at Mar-a-Lago. Maxwell, however, denied that any recruitment occurred there.

Another email released by the committee, dated December 15, 2015, shows Wolff warning Epstein ahead of a CNN Republican primary debate, saying, "I hear CNN planning to ask Trump tonight about his relationship with you-either on air or in scrum afterwards."

Epstein replied, "if we were able to craft an answer for him, what do you think it should be?"

Wolff responded, "I think you should let him hang himself... 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."

According to CNN, Wolff has previously confirmed interviewing Epstein, and The Daily Beast reported that recordings of those interviews include Epstein describing Trump as a "close friend."

Trump's team has dismissed such claims as "false smears."

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