A second series of emails took place in December 2015, six months after Trump entered the presidential race. Wolff, who later authored four books on the Trump presidency, wrote to Epstein that CNN was expected to question Trump about their relationship. Epstein asked Wolff how a response should be framed. Wolff suggested allowing Trump to “hang himself” if he denied having flown on Epstein’s plane or visiting his residence, noting that any denial could create leverage for Epstein or, if Trump appeared likely to win, a potential “debt” Trump might owe.
The final exchange is dated January 2019, during Trump’s third year in office. Epstein wrote that Trump had claimed to have forced his resignation from Mar-a-Lago membership years earlier, adding, “Of course he knew about the girls as he asked ghislaine to stop.” The committee did not release additional context surrounding the remarks.
Democratic push for broader disclosure
Wednesday’s release coincides with the imminent swearing-in of Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva, an Arizona Democrat elected in a recent special contest. Her arrival is expected to supply the final signature on a discharge petition that would compel a floor vote on legislation ordering the Department of Justice (DOJ) to publish its full investigative files on Epstein. Under House rules, the earliest the measure could reach the floor is the first week of December after the Thanksgiving recess.
Representative Robert Garcia of California, the ranking Democrat on the Oversight panel, said the emails heighten questions about what information remains undisclosed. Garcia reiterated calls for the DOJ to release all Epstein-related records immediately.
Long-running dispute with the Justice Department
The Oversight Committee issued a bipartisan subpoena in August seeking every document the DOJ collected during multiple investigations into Epstein and Maxwell. To date, lawmakers say only a small fraction of material has been provided. The department, in an unsigned statement earlier this year, said no credible evidence had surfaced of a “client list” or of Epstein blackmailing prominent individuals. It also indicated that most records would remain sealed.
An overview of the federal government’s policies on public access to investigative files is available on the U.S. Department of Justice website.
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Trump’s response and prior statements
Trump has frequently distanced himself from Epstein. After Epstein’s 2019 arrest, the then-president said he had not spoken to Epstein in 15 years. Earlier this year, he stated that he severed ties in the early 2000s upon learning that Epstein and Maxwell were allegedly recruiting staff from Mar-a-Lago.
In July, Trump described Democratic efforts to obtain and publicize Epstein documents as a “scam” and a “hoax” in a social-media post that also criticized supporters who embraced the issue.
Background on the principal figures
Epstein died by suicide in a federal detention center in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. Maxwell, convicted in 2021 of child sex trafficking and related offenses, is serving a 20-year sentence at a federal facility in Texas.
Wolff, whose correspondence appears in two of the released threads, has published multiple books detailing the Trump presidency, including “Fire and Fury” and “Landslide.”
The committee did not specify whether the emails produced by the Epstein Estate are also in the DOJ’s possession.
Crédito da imagem: Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
