By LINDSAY WHITEHURST and SEUNG MIN KIM, Related Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Justice Division has launched tens of hundreds extra paperwork associated to Jeffrey Epstein, a tranche that included a number of mentions of President Donald Trump however added little new revelatory data to the long-anticipated public file on the late financier and convicted intercourse offender.
The discharge is essentially the most voluminous thus far and comes after an enormous public marketing campaign for transparency into the U.S. authorities’s Epstein investigations.
Lots of the mentions of Trump within the file got here from information clippings, although it contains an electronic mail from a prosecutor stating the flights that Trump took on Epstein’s non-public jet in the course of the Nineties.
The 2 males have been buddies for years earlier than a falling out. Trump has not been accused of wrongdoing in reference to Epstein. The Justice Division issued an announcement that some paperwork comprise “unfaithful and sensationalist claims” about Trump made shortly earlier than the 2020 election.
Listed below are some takeaways:
Prosecutor flagged Trump’s journey on Epstein’s jet
Among the many mentions of Trump within the newest batch of the Epstein recordsdata is a be aware from a federal prosecutor from January 2020 that mentioned Trump had flown on the financier’s non-public aircraft extra usually than had been beforehand identified.
An assistant U.S. legal professional from the Southern District of New York mentioned in an electronic mail that flight data the workplace obtained on Jan. 6, 2020, confirmed that Trump was on Epstein’s jet “many extra occasions than beforehand has been reported (or that we have been conscious).”
The prosecutor who flagged the Trump mentions within the flight logs mentioned they did so as a result of attorneys “didn’t need any of this to be a shock down the highway.”
His travels on Epstein’s aircraft spanned the time that may probably be coated in any felony costs towards Epstein’s co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell. Trump was listed as a passenger on no less than eight flights between 1993 and 1996, and on no less than 4 of these flights, Maxwell was additionally there, in line with the e-mail.
On a kind of eight flights, in 1993, Trump and Epstein have been the one two passengers listed within the flight logs. On one other flight, the three passengers listed in data are Epstein, Trump, and a redacted particular person, who was 20 years outdated on the time. Two different flights included two girls — whose names have been redacted in follow-up emails — recognized as potential witnesses in a Maxwell case.
A number of extra Trump journeys on Epstein’s aircraft had been beforehand disclosed throughout Maxwell’s felony proceedings.
Requested for remark concerning the electronic mail, the White Home pointed to a Justice Division assertion saying Monday’s launch contained “unfounded and false” claims towards the president submitted to the FBI shortly earlier than the 2020 election, however they have been however being launched for full transparency.
The Justice Division particularly raised questions concerning the validity of a doc mentioning Trump that was styled as a letter from Epstein to Nassar, who’s in jail after being convicted of sexually abusing Olympic athletes. Later Tuesday, the division mentioned on social media that the FBI had confirmed the letter “is FAKE” based mostly on the handwriting, Virginia postmark and return deal with — which didn’t embody Epstein’s jail or inmate quantity, each required for outgoing mail.
“This faux letter serves as a reminder that simply because a doc is launched by the Division of Justice doesn’t make the allegations or claims inside the doc factual,” the division mentioned in a publish on X.
The most recent launch additionally confirmed that Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s southern Florida membership, was served with a subpoena in 2021 for its employment data. The disclosure got here as a part of an electronic mail chain through which attorneys for the Southern District of New York and an legal professional in contact with representatives for the Trump Group mentioned the employment standing of somebody whose title was redacted.
Trump calls the recordsdata a distraction
Trump complained that the recordsdata have been a distraction from the work he and different Republicans are doing for the nation.
Talking throughout an unrelated occasion at his Mar-a-Lago dwelling in Palm Seaside, Florida, on Monday, the president blamed Democrats and a few Republicans for the controversy.
“What this complete factor is with Epstein is a means of attempting to deflect from the super success that the Republican Occasion has,” Trump mentioned.
He additionally expressed frustration concerning the well-known folks proven with Epstein in images launched by the Justice Division — individuals who he mentioned could not have identified him however ended up within the shot anyway.
“You in all probability have footage being uncovered of different those that innocently met Jeffrey Epstein years in the past, a few years in the past. They usually’re, you already know, extremely revered bankers and attorneys and others,” Trump mentioned.
Different high-profile persons are exhibiting up within the recordsdata
Properly-known folks proven within the recordsdata embody former President Invoice Clinton, the late pop star Michael Jackson and singer Diana Ross. The mere inclusion of somebody’s title or photographs in recordsdata from the investigation doesn’t indicate wrongdoing.
The most recent launch additionally contains recordsdata that put the U.Ok.’s former Prince Andrew again within the headlines.
Amongst these paperwork is correspondence between Maxwell and somebody who indicators off with the preliminary “A.”
The e-mail trade contains different references that counsel Maxwell’s correspondent could also be Andrew. He didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
The August 2001 electronic mail from somebody recognized solely as “The Invisible Man,” mentioned he’s “up right here at Balmoral Summer season Camp for the Royal Household,” an obvious reference to the Scottish property the place the royal household have historically taken their late summer season holidays.
“A” writes: “How’s LA? Have you ever discovered me some new inappropriate buddies?”
The author says he has left “the RN” and refers back to the challenges of taking care of “the Women.” Andrew retired from the Royal Navy in 2001 and has two daughters.
Andrew, certainly one of King Charles III’s youthful brothers, was stripped of the fitting to be referred to as a prince and his different royal titles and honors in October, amid continued publicity about his hyperlinks to Epstein and issues concerning the potential harm to the remainder of the royal household. He’s now referred to as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
Andrew has repeatedly denied committing any crimes, together with having intercourse with Virginia Giuffre, who alleged that she was trafficked by Epstein and had intercourse with Andrew when she was 17.
Largest data dump but
Trump tried for months to maintain the data sealed earlier than relenting to political stress, together with from some fellow Republicans, although he ultimately signed a invoice mandating the discharge of many of the Justice Division’s recordsdata on Epstein.
Monday’s launch was the largest dump but, together with practically 30,000 extra pages. The info launched by the regulation’s Friday deadline contained a fraction of that quantity, largely pictures taken throughout FBI searches of Epstein’s houses.
The brand new cache contains information clippings, emails and surveillance movies from the New York jail the place Epstein was held earlier than taking his personal life in 2019, a lot of which was already within the public area.
The regulation referred to as for the recordsdata to be launched inside 30 days, however the Justice Division has as an alternative launched them in levels beginning Friday. Officers have mentioned they’re going slowly to guard victims, although some girls assaulted by Epstein have spoken out publicly to name for higher transparency.
And the administration is dealing with fierce accusations that it’s withholding an excessive amount of data. Senate Minority Chief Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., mentioned the tens of hundreds of recordsdata launched nonetheless left “extra questions than solutions.” He pointed to a 2019 FBI electronic mail that mentions 10 folks beneath investigation as attainable co-conspirators however accommodates few extra particulars.
Related Press author Darlene Superville in Washington and Danica Kirka in London contributed to this report.
