The newly disclosed documents were obtained through a committee subpoena served on the Epstein estate earlier this year. Republican leaders said the full collection was released to ensure transparency after Democratic members circulated three Epstein emails last week. Those earlier messages referred to Trump’s visits to Epstein properties, prompting the White House to accuse Democrats of creating “a fake narrative.” Press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that the emails “prove absolutely nothing” and that “President Trump did nothing wrong.”
Beyond the Thomas correspondence, the files reveal Epstein’s frequent communication with author Michael Wolff during the 2016 presidential race. On Feb. 22, 2016, Wolff informed Epstein that both the New York Times and the Hillary Clinton campaign were “digging deeply” into his past ties with Trump and advised him to “consider pre-empting.” After the release of the “Access Hollywood” tape in October 2016, Wolff wrote under the subject line “Now could be the time,” telling Epstein that “there’s an opportunity to come forward this week and talk about Trump in such a way that could garner you great sympathy and help finish him.” The records do not show any reply from Epstein.
Epstein also sent a link to Thomas highlighting a magazine feature about a woman he described as his girlfriend in 1993, adding that “after two years I gave to Donald.” No documentation within the cache verifies whether the woman later dated Trump, and the committee did not release further information on the claim.
Correspondence from the early months of the Trump administration indicates Epstein’s continuing interest in the president’s performance. In a Feb. 8, 2017 exchange with former Treasury secretary Lawrence Summers, Epstein wrote, “I have met some very bad people — none as bad as Trump. Not one decent cell in his body… so yes, dangerous.” Summers’s response, if any, is not included in the files.
Imagem: Internet
The 2018 messages show Epstein commenting on legal pressures facing the White House. On Aug. 22, 2018, former Obama White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler forwarded a New York Times opinion piece advocating impeachment after Trump’s longtime lawyer Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign-finance violations. Epstein replied, “You see, I know how dirty Donald is. My guess is that non-lawyers, NY business people have no idea what it means to have your fixer flip.”
In a Dec. 3, 2018 iMessage conversation, an unidentified contact told Epstein, “They’re really just trying to take down Trump and doing whatever they can to do that…!” Epstein answered, “Yes, thanks. It’s wild, because I am the one able to take him down.” The context of that assertion is not clarified in the material released by the committee.
Wednesday’s document dump adds to ongoing congressional interest in Epstein’s activities and associations. The committee said its review is focused on whether any public officials received preferential treatment or illicit favors. An overview of the panel’s investigative mandate is available on the official House Oversight Committee website.
Epstein was arrested in July 2019 on federal sex-trafficking charges and died the following month while awaiting trial. Although his criminal case ended with his death, civil litigation involving his estate continues, and lawmakers have signaled that additional records may be released as their inquiry proceeds.
Crédito da imagem: Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
