The saga of the Epstein files continues. On Tuesday, the US Justice Department released its latest tranche of documents related to the late disgraced financier and his acquaintances. The 11,000-plus documents include many more references to US President Donald Trump.
Trump, who was friends with Epstein for years and has said they had a falling-out because Epstein was a “creep,” has denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.
Earlier, the Epstein files focused heavily on former US President Bill Clinton, and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former British prince.
Below are some takeaways from the latest release.
When ‘A’ from Balmoral asked for ‘inappropriate friends’
Among the thousands of pages released from the Epstein files, a series of emails between an individual identified as ‘A’ and Epstein’s co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell, in 2001 stands out.
On August 16, 2001, an email from an address labelled “The Invisible Man” to Maxwell reads, “I am up here at Balmoral Summer Camp for the Royal Family,” an apparent reference to Balmoral Castle, the royal family’s estate in Scotland.
“How’s LA? Have you found me some new inappropriate friends? Let me know when you are coming over as I am free from 25th August until 2nd Sept and want to go somewhere hot and sunny with some fun people before having to put my nose firmly to the grindstone for the Fall,” continues the email, which concludes, “See ya A xxx.”
Maxwell responded: “I have only been able to find appropriate friends. Will let you know about some church meetings on those dates. Kisses Gx.”
Then “A” responded “Distraught!” and wrote that they had just lost their valet, who had been with them since they were two years old. “I am a little off balance as not only has my office been restructured, I have left the RN and now my whole life is in turmoil as I have no one to look after me. He was a real rock and almost a part of the family. If you have any good ideas as to how to get my mind back on track I’d be grateful for advice.”
While it isn’t confirmed who is A in the mails, many speculate that it is
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. The 65-year-old British royal has made frequent appearances in the Epstein files. One widely distributed black-and-white image shows the
then-prince sprawled across the laps of five women whose faces are blacked out, while Maxwell leers down from above while standing next to a sixth woman whose face is also obscured.
Trump’s travel on Epstein’s plane
The
latest tranche of documents released also cements how deep was the friendship between US President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein. The Epstein files reveal that the US president flew on Epstein’s plane “more times than previously had been reported”, including one journey involving the late paedophile and a 20-year-old woman.
A New York federal prosecutor in 2020 wrote in one email that Trump travelled on Epstein’s private jet many more times than previously has been reported (or that we were aware)”. Trump was listed as a passenger on “at least eight flights between 1993 and 1996”, and Ghislaine Maxwell was present on at least four of those flights, the prosecutor wrote. Trump was also “listed as having travelled with, among others and at various times, Marla Maples, his daughter Tiffany, and his son Eric”.
It also describes one flight where the only passengers were Epstein, Trump and an unidentified 20-year-old whose name is redacted, plus two other flights involving women described as possible Maxwell-case witnesses.
Epstein’s alleged letter to letter to Larry Nassar
One piece of information that has received a lot of attention since the release of these documents is an alleged letter that Epstein sent to
Larry Nassar, the former USA gymnastics doctor who is serving decades in prison for sexually abusing young female athletes.
The letter reads, “As you know by now I have taken the ‘short route’ home.”
It further tells Nassar, “we shared one thing … our love and caring for young ladies and the hope they reach their full potential, adding, “Our president also shares our love of young, nubile girls,” and it complains that he and Nassar have been locked up. “Life is unfair,” the note concludes.
The letter has become contentious with the US Justice Department calling it fake, noting several irregularities. On social media, it noted that the postmark on the envelope is Virginia, not New York, where Epstein was jailed at the time. Also, the return address listed the wrong jail where Epstein was held and did not include his inmate number, which is required for outgoing mail.
Furthermore, the “writing does not appear to match Epstein’s.”
There’s also the fact that the postcard on which the letter is written is postmarked August 13, 2019. Notably, the date is three days after Epstein died in prison, which has raised questions about the letter’s authenticity.
FBI and the 10 co-conspirators to Epstein
The new batch of documents from the Epstein files includes a series of apparent FBI emails from July 2019 citing “10 co-conspirators.”
“When you get a chance can you give me an update on the status of the 10 co-conspirators?” reads one July 7, 2019, email from a sender with “FBI New York” in their signature. Another email from two days later requests “an update on the 10 co-conspirators by COB today.”
Of the 10 names, only three weren’t redacted in the files — Ghislaine Maxwell; Jean-Luc Brunel, a former French modelling agent, who was found dead in his Paris jail cell in 2022 and was suspected of scouting girls for Epstein; and Leslie Wexner, the retail magnate behind Victoria’s Secret.
A legal representative for Wexner has said that he was not a target of the federal investigation or considered a co-conspirator. He provided federal prosecutors with background information on Epstein and was never contacted again, the representative said.
FBI and Trump ‘rape claim’
One document in the now released Epstein files contains a rape claim against Donald Trump. A limousine driver, as per the file, claimed that he overheard Trump discussing “abusing some girl” in 1995, while mentioning the name “Jeffrey”. This claim was made to the FBI in late October 2020.
However, the US Justice Department published a statement claiming some of the documents released on Tuesday contain “untrue and sensationalist claims made against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election”.
Its statement reads: “To be clear: the claims are unfounded and false, and if they had a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponised against President Trump already.
“Nevertheless, out of our commitment to the law and transparency, the DOJ is releasing these documents with the legally required protections for Epstein’s victims.”
With inputs from agencies
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