Epstein Files Live Updates: Trump Referenced in Some Newly Released Documents
The Justice Department released another batch of documents from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation — a wide mix of emails, tips and records from his death.
Devlin Barrett
Devlin BarrettJustice Department and F.B.I. reporter
Here’s the latest on the newest Epstein files.
Tens of thousands of newly released documents from the Justice Department’s investigations of the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein mix mundane exchanges with tantalizing hints suggesting investigators considered looking closer at his circle of powerful friends. The documents also include hundreds of mentions of President Trump, who was for years a friend of Mr. Epstein’s.
The majority of the mentions of Mr. Trump contained in the documents released late Monday were from news reports or other material, but some deal directly with the relationship between the two men. One email, from an unidentified federal prosecutor in 2020, during Mr. Trump’s first term, alerted the recipient that Mr. Trump had taken more trips on Mr. Epstein’s plane than had been known at the time. The message, the sender wrote, was intended to avoid a “surprise.”
The documents also contain two subpoenas sent to Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump’s residence and private club in Florida and where, Mr. Trump once said, Mr. Epstein “hired away” an employee. The partly redacted subpoenas sought employment records as part of the federal criminal case against Ghislaine Maxwell, a longtime confidante of Mr. Epstein’s who was later convicted of aiding his sex-trafficking operation.
The new documents — nearly 30,000 in all — also include different versions of Mr. Epstein’s will, blacked-out pages of Ms. Maxwell’s tax returns, and internal communications at the Manhattan jail where Mr. Epstein died. New York Times reporters are sifting through the material and providing updates and analysis of the records, which the administration has begun to release after Congress passed a law requiring their disclosure.
Mr. Trump has not been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Mr. Epstein or Ms. Maxwell. The White House referred reporters to a Justice Department statement that said some of the newly released material contained false accusations, without specifying which claims it believed to be untrue.
“Some of these documents contain untrue and sensationalist claims made against President Trump that were submitted to the F.B.I. right before the 2020 election,” the department wrote on social media. The statement struck a far different tone than administration officials have taken when noting the presence of former President Bill Clinton in files that have already been released.
Here’s what to know about the files:
Epstein’s jet: The batch of documents included the email from the unidentified Manhattan federal prosecutor, dated January 2020, saying that Mr. Trump had flown on Mr. Epstein’s private jet “many more times than previously has been reported (or that we were aware)” — although those trips have since become public knowledge. The names of the sender and the recipient are redacted, but the prosecutor wrote that they were sending the email for “situational awareness” and “didn’t want any of this to be a surprise down the road.” Read more ›
Epstein’s money: Upon his death, Mr. Epstein left behind a significant fortune that he amassed during a decades-long rise from high school math teacher to financial confidant of the ultra wealthy. The new documents include copies of Mr. Epstein’s will. Read more ›
Investigative documents: A day after federal agents arrested Mr. Epstein on sex-trafficking charges in 2019, they were also apparently trying to contact a number of people they called potential “co-conspirators,” according to an email exchange in the new release. Only three names weren’t redacted. Read more ›
Personal correspondence: An email to Ms. Maxwell included in the latest documents came from a sender identified only as “A,” who asked her about “inappropriate friends.” The writer claimed to be staying at a British royal residence. Read more ›
More to come: Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, previously said the Justice Department was sifting through the nearly 1 million pages that it had related to the investigations into Mr. Epstein. The releases are the result of legislation Congress almost unanimously passed in November requiring the administration to make public by Dec. 19 virtually all investigative records related to Mr. Epstein. That came after months of resistance from Republican leaders and Mr. Trump, who reversed course amid pressure from his supporters.
Trump distances himself: During an appearance at Mar-a-Lago earlier Monday, Mr. Trump tried to distance himself from Mr. Epstein, and said the issue was meant as a political distraction.
Earlier releases: Thousands of documents that were made public Friday and over the weekend included photos of Mr. Clinton with Mr. Epstein, and testimony from the grand jury proceedings in the cases against Mr. Epstein and Ms. Maxwell. Read more ›
Kirsten Danis, Mike Baker, Debra Kamin, Steve Eder, Matthew Goldstein, David Enrich, Benjamin Weiser, Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Julie Tate contributed reporting.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/12/23 ... iles-trump
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