Trump allegations revealed in DOJ’s latest Epstein document release

A postcard sent to disgraced doctor Larry Nassar and multiple references to President Donald Trump highlighted the Justice Department’s latest release of investigative files about the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The second batch of documents disclosed under the Epstein Files Transparency Act continue to dominate headlines and online conversations.

Emails exchanged among prosecutors, a tip submitted to the FBI and an account from a limousine driver were among the documents included in the documents published overnight Monday. Of note is an email in which prosecutors noted the frequency of Trump’s flights on Epstein’s private jet and a description of Trump by the limo driver interviewed by the FBI.

The files come from multiple investigations of Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, his onetime girlfriend and longtime associate. Epstein died in jail in 2019 from what federal authorities called a suicide while awaiting a federal trial on sex trafficking charges. Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence for conspiracy.

“For your situational awareness,” a federal prosecutor wrote in early 2020, “wanted to let you know that the flight records we received yesterday reflect that Donald Trump traveled on Epstein’s private jet many more times than previously has been reported (or that we were aware), including during the period we would expect to charge in a Maxwell case.”

Trump said Monday that the release of the files is “a way of trying to deflect from the tremendous success that the Republican Party has,” The Associated Press reported.

Epstein’s alleged letter to Larry Nassar

Although most of the documents have been released without added context, the Justice Department discredited a photocopied postcard that Epstein allegedly sent to Larry Nassar’s Arizona prison cell. Nassar is serving a 60-year federal conviction for possession of child sexually abusive material. He was also sentenced to a minimum of 80 years in Michigan on 10 counts of sexual assault related to his work as a doctor for the U.S. women’s national gymnastics team.

“Our president also shares our love of young, nubile girls,” Epstein allegedly wrote. “When a young beauty walked by he loved to ‘grab snatch,’ whereas we ended up snatching grub in the mess hall of the system.”

The Associated Press reported in 2023 that it reviewed more than 4,000 pages of documents relating to Epstein’s 2019 jail death. The purported letter to Nassar was discovered in the jail’s mail room after the financier’s death. The publication did not receive a copy of the letter.

The FBI determined the letter to be fake, the Justice Department wrote on X Tuesday. The agency claimed that the writing doesn’t match Epstein’s, was sent out of Virginia when Epstein was in New York and doesn’t list Epstein’s jail address, as is required for all outgoing inmate mail.

“This fake letter serves as a reminder that just because a document is released by the Department of Justice does not make the allegations or claims within the document factual,” the department wrote. “Nevertheless, the DOJ will continue to release all material required by law.”

More details on Trump’s relationship with Epstein

The newly released documents provided additional detail as to how close Trump and Epstein were at one time. Trump appeared in photographs taken at Epstein’s properties, socializing with people and sometimes minors. None of the images indicated Trump committed any crimes, however.

A federal prosecutor said in a Jan. 8, 2020, email that Trump flew on Epstein’s jet at least eight times between 1993 and 1996, along with his daughter Tiffany and son Eric. Maxwell was also a passenger on four of those flights.

“On two other flights, two of the passengers, respectively, were women who would be possible witnesses in a Maxwell case,” the prosecutor wrote. “We’ve just finished reviewing the full records (more than 100 pages of very small script) and didn’t want any of this to be a surprise down the road.”

It’s unclear who received the email from the prosecutor. Nor is the context known, although the email was written early during Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign.

In another set of emails, prosecutors said they uncovered photos of Trump with Maxwell and received a voicemail about a woman claiming to be a victim who invoked the names of  Epstein, Trump, Lisa Marie Presley and members of the British royal family.

The documents also included an FBI intake form in which a person — whose name is redacted — reported that a California real estate agent described a party at Mar-a-Lago in 2000 as an event for prostitutes.

The other document stirring up chatter online relates an investigator’s interview with a limo driver about Trump. The investigator wrote that during a 1995 trip to the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, the driver overheard Trump refer to “abusing some girl.”

The document is heavily redacted, but it says a person allegedly said that “Donald J. Trump had raped her along with Jeffrey Epstein.” No other details on the allegation have been made public.
The Justice Department said early Tuesday that there were references to Trump, but that they were “unfounded and false.”

A major overnight release

The Justice Department said the latest drop includes court records, its own investigative documents, emails, photos, videos and other material tied to Epstein and Maxwell. The new files were added to the DOJ’s public database early Tuesday as part of what officials describe as a rolling release.

The department has said the sheer volume of material and the need to protect survivors require phased disclosures rather than a single, comprehensive release as required by law. Critics say the piecemeal approach violates both the letter and intent of the law.

The initial batches released late last week included thousands of personal photographs, grand jury materials and investigative inventories. The newest release appears broader, spanning internal communications, prison-related records and other materials reviewed by federal investigators.

Schumer escalates pressure on DOJ

Hours before the latest documents were posted, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., announced he would introduce a resolution to push the Senate toward legal action against the Justice Department.

Schumer accuses the DOJ of breaking the Epstein Files Transparency Act by releasing heavily redacted records instead of the full set of documents Congress ordered made public.

“The law Congress passed is crystal clear: release the Epstein files in full so Americans can see the truth,” Schumer wrote. “Instead, the Trump Department of Justice dumped redactions and withheld the evidence — that breaks the law.”

Schumer called the Justice Department’s initial release a “blatant cover-up” and said the Senate has a responsibility to act. He is expected to force consideration of his resolution when the Senate returns from recess in January.

Bipartisan pressure builds in Congress

Schumer’s move comes one day after Reps. Ro Khanna, D-N.Y., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., announced plans to pursue inherent contempt proceedings against Attorney General Pam Bondi, a rarely used congressional power that could authorize fines or detention until compliance.

Massie has said inherent contempt is the fastest way to force action, while Khanna argues the DOJ’s handling of the files is a “slap in the face” to survivors.
DANIEL HEUER/AFP via Getty Images

Deputy AG, Trump push back

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has rejected claims that the department is defying the law, saying it is prioritizing victim protections while working through a massive volume of material. Asked Sunday about potential legal or contempt actions, Blanche responded on NBC, “Bring it on.”

Trump on Monday dismissed the scrutiny as politically motivated.

“What this whole thing is with Epstein is a way of trying to deflect from the tremendous success that the Republican Party has,” Trump said.