What Epstein’s newly released emails reveal about his ties to Trump

Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump (File photo)

US House Democrats and Republicans have released thousands of pages of material from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate, including a large trove of emails. Democrats say some of these messages suggest Donald Trump knew more about Epstein’s conduct than he has admitted. Republicans, in turn, argue that the documents are being selectively used for political gain and prove little about Trump’s own actions, the New York Times reported.

Emails where Epstein says Trump knew about his conduct

Democrats have highlighted three emails in particular. In 2011, Epstein wrote to Ghislaine Maxwell calling Trump “the dog that hasn’t barked,” claiming that a victim had spent hours with Trump at Epstein’s house and noting that Trump had never been publicly mentioned in this context. Republicans say this unnamed victim was Virginia Giuffre and point out that she has previously said she did not see Trump engage in sexual abuse.

In another set of messages from 2015 and 2019, Epstein wrote to journalist Michael Wolff as Trump’s presidential profile was rising. Epstein asked Wolff how Trump should respond if questioned about their relationship, and Wolff suggested letting Trump “hang himself” if he denied visiting Epstein’s properties. Years later, in 2019, Epstein emailed Wolff that Trump “of course” knew about “the girls” and had asked Maxwell to stop, language Democrats now say points to deeper awareness.

Epstein’s circle tracked Trump’s politics and finances

The emails also show Epstein and his advisers following Trump’s political fortunes and public scrutiny. In 2016, Wolff urged Epstein to consider taking an “anti-Trump” line ahead of a book on Epstein’s life, implying such a stance might help his own public image. It is unclear whether Epstein acted on that advice or responded to every suggestion.

In early 2017, after Trump picked Alexander Acosta as labour secretary, Epstein asked his lawyer who would represent Acosta at his confirmation hearings. Acosta had overseen Epstein’s controversial 2008 plea deal, and the nomination clearly concerned Epstein. By 2019, one of Epstein’s advisers, Richard Kahn, was combing through Trump’s financial disclosure, sending Epstein detailed notes on Trump’s assets, loans and income, and describing the filing as “100 pages of nonsense.”

A clearer paper trail, but not a clear verdict

Taken together, the documents paint a picture of Epstein as someone who closely monitored Trump’s public life, worried about his own legal exposure and saw potential leverage in their past association. They also show intermediaries, like Wolff and other advisers, treating Trump as both a risk and an opportunity in media and politics.

What the emails do not do is definitively prove criminal conduct by Trump. Some passages rely on Epstein’s own claims, some are filtered through political and media strategists, and some lack full context or follow-up. That is why Democrats argue the messages raise serious questions about Trump’s knowledge of Epstein’s abuse, while Republicans insist they amount to little more than gossip and spin from a disgraced figure whose actions are already under intense scrutiny.