What the latest Epstein document release contains, and why it matters

Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump

The latest batch of documents related to investigations of Jeffrey Epstein contains nearly 30,000 files and includes hundreds of references to US President Donald Trump. The release also includes two subpoenas sent to Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s residence in Florida, seeking employment records as part of the federal criminal case against Ghislaine Maxwell. Alongside that are different versions of Epstein’s will, blacked-out pages of Maxwell’s tax returns, and internal communications from the Manhattan jail where Epstein died, the New York Times reported.

On Wednesday, the Justice Department said the FBI and the US attorney’s office in the Southern District of New York had uncovered more than a million additional documents potentially related to the Epstein case. The department did not say how long review would take. It also said some of the newly released material contained false accusations, without specifying which claims it believed were untrue.

The documents contain references to Trump, including two subpoenas to Mar-a-Lago connected to the Maxwell case. The release also includes an email from an unidentified federal prosecutor in 2020 that said Trump had flown on Epstein’s private jet “many more times than previously has been reported (or that we were aware),” while noting that those trips have since become public knowledge. The prosecutor described the message as being sent for “situational awareness.” The text also states that Trump has not been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein or Maxwell.

Among the disclosures are letters and emails Maxwell received from a sender she referred to as “Andrew,” containing details that match Prince Andrew, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. In the messages, the sender, identifying himself only as “A,” asked for “new inappropriate friends,” then inquired about “girls” ahead of a trip to Peru. Maxwell responded apologising for disappointing him after finding only “appropriate friends.” The sender replied, “Distraught!” The text notes that Prince Andrew made an official visit to Peru in March 2002 and that the sender also referenced staying at Balmoral Castle. The documents also indicate that his ties to Epstein and related allegations led to public scandal and that he became a person of interest for federal prosecutors investigating Maxwell in 2021.

The release includes versions of Epstein’s last will and testament, reflecting an evolving list of individuals associated with him. One version names Jimmy Cayne, the chief executive of Bear Stearns, as an executor; another lists James Staley, a top executive at JP Morgan Chase. A 2012 version names Andrew Farkas as an alternate executor, and a 2014 version names former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers as a backup executor. The text describes Epstein’s wealth as the result of a decades-long rise from a high school math teacher to a financial confidant of the ultra wealthy, and notes that some high-profile figures stepped back from public life after relationships with him became known.

The new release includes a redacted email exchange that indicates that, a day after Epstein’s 2019 arrest on sex-trafficking charges, federal agents were trying to contact around 10 people described as potential “co-conspirators.” Because of redactions, it is not clear who sent the emails. The list included three names not redacted: Leslie Wexner, Jean-Luc Brunel and Maxwell. A legal representative for Wexner told The New York Times he was not a target of the federal investigation or considered a co-conspirator.

The text describes a shift in tone from the administration compared with an earlier release that highlighted former President Bill Clinton’s presence in already-released files. This time, the department wrote on social media that some documents included untrue and sensational claims against Trump submitted to the FBI shortly before the 2020 election, describing them as unfounded and false, and arguing that if they had credibility they would have been weaponized already.