As the U.S. Department of Justice released additional investigative materials on Jeffrey Epstein, reports said numerous documents also mentioned U.S. President Donald Trump. The department drew a line, saying some documents mixed in "sensational claims that are not factual."
According to CNN, on the 23rd (local time) the department released an email written Jan. 8, 2020, by a prosecutor at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. The email says President Trump took eight flights on Epstein's private jet between 1993 and 1996.
The email also says Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former partner who was identified as an accomplice and tried, was on board some of the flights. There are further notes about the passenger lists for certain flights, but the document itself does not indicate inappropriate relationships, CNN reported.
CNN reported that President Trump had known Epstein for a long time even before Epstein's crimes became widely known, but law enforcement has never brought charges against President Trump in connection with the Epstein case. The investigative files mention multiple people together, and the mere appearance of a name does not prove criminal allegations, the report added.
The Washington Post reported that the newly released materials include a 2021 subpoena sent by law enforcement to Mar-a-Lago, President Trump's residence, to obtain records related to the Maxwell case. It also said prosecutors sought to secure past hiring records at President Trump's club for individuals connected to the Maxwell case.
The released documents also reportedly include information that the FBI received tips in the early 2000s about the relationship between President Trump and Epstein. However, based on the documents alone, it is not clear whether there was any follow-up investigation or whether the tips were credible, the Washington Post reported.
On the same day, the Department of Justice said on X that "some of the documents include sensational claims about President Trump that are not factual, and those claims were submitted to the FBI just before the 2020 election." It added that the assertions were "baseless false claims," arguing that if they had been credible, they would already have been used politically.
The Department of Justice has been releasing the related materials in stages since the 19th under the "Epstein Files Transparency Act." With each additional release, past interactions between President Trump and Epstein are drawing renewed attention and creating political headwinds.