The controversy surrounding President Donald Trump’s past association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein intensified on Wednesday after House Democrats released emails they claim raise “new questions” about what the President knew regarding Epstein’s abuse of underage girls. The disclosure coincided with a pivotal moment in Congress that could force the full release of all unclassified Epstein-related records.
The Disclosed Emails and Allegations
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released several emails involving Epstein and others, including author Michael Wolff and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell.
- 2019 Email to Michael Wolff: Epstein wrote that Trump “knew about the girls,” though the context and meaning of the phrase are not fully clear. In a related part of that message, Epstein wrote that Trump “asked Ghislaine to stop.”
- 2011 Email to Ghislaine Maxwell: Epstein described Trump as “that dog that hasn’t barked,” adding that one of his victims (whose name is redacted) “spent hours at my house with him.” The victim is identified by the White House and other sources as the late Virginia Giuffre, who had previously stated Trump was friendly to her and did not accuse him of wrongdoing.
Trump and White House Response
President Trump has consistently and vehemently denied any knowledge of Epstein’s sex trafficking. He acknowledged that he and Epstein were once friends before having a falling out.
On Wednesday, Trump reacted to the emails on his Truth Social platform, accusing Democrats of releasing the information to distract from the 43-day government shutdown:
“The Democrats are trying to bring up the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax again because they’ll do anything at all to deflect on how badly they’ve done on the Shutdown, and so many other subjects,” Trump wrote.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the release, accusing Democrats of “selectively leak[ing] emails” to create a “fake narrative.” She argued that the redacted victim was Virginia Giuffre, who, in her posthumous memoir, described Trump as friendly and professional. Leavitt insisted, “These emails prove absolutely nothing other than the fact that President Trump did nothing wrong.”
Congress Forces a Vote on Full File Release
The political fight over the files gained significant momentum with the swearing-in of Democratic Representative Adelita Grijalva of Arizona, seven weeks after she won a special election.
- Pivotal Signature: Moments after being sworn in, Grijalva signed a discharge petition sponsored by Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky and others.
- Forcing a Vote: Grijalva’s signature gave the petition the necessary majority (218 signatures) to compel a House vote to release all unclassified records related to Jeffrey Epstein.
Grijalva stated, “It’s past time for Congress to restore its role as a check and balance on this administration,” committing to the full release of the files.
The push for transparency comes amid unusually strong criticism from Trump’s own political base, with a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll showing only four in ten Republicans approving of his handling of the Epstein files. Republican Representatives Lauren Boebert and Nancy Mace have kept their names on the petition, despite the White House attempting to discourage them.