WASHINGTON: Newly released U.S. Justice Department records say President Donald Trump flew on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s private jet multiple times in the 1990s, according to an internal email from a New York prosecutor included in a fresh batch of Epstein-related disclosures made public this week.
An email dated January 7, 2020, written by an unidentified prosecutor, states that flight logs showed Trump traveled on Epstein’s aircraft eight times during the 1990s more than had been publicly reported earlier. At least four of those flights reportedly included Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime associate, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role in facilitating the sexual abuse of underage girls.
In a social media post in 2024, Trump denied ever flying on Epstein’s plane or visiting his private island. The prosecutor’s email does not allege that Trump committed any crime. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the newly released material.
According to the documents, one flight listed only three passengers: Epstein, Trump, and a 20-year-old woman whose name was redacted. Two other flights reportedly included women later identified in the records as potential witnesses in the Maxwell prosecution.
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Trump and Epstein were socially acquainted in the 1990s and early 2000s. Trump has said their relationship ended in the mid-2000s and that he had no knowledge of Epstein’s sexual crimes. Epstein was convicted in Florida in 2008 on charges related to soliciting a minor for prostitution and was later charged by federal prosecutors with sex trafficking in 2019. He was found dead in a New York jail later that year; his death was ruled a suicide.
Responding to the document release, the Justice Department said some materials contain “untrue and sensationalist claims” submitted to the FBI shortly before the 2020 election. “To be clear: the claims are unfounded and false,” the department said in a statement, adding that the records were released to comply with transparency requirements while protecting victims’ identities.
The latest disclosure includes roughly 30,000 pages of records and dozens of video clips, many heavily redacted. Among them is a grainy photograph showing Trump seated next to Maxwell at a New York fashion event in 2000, an image that has circulated publicly in the past.
Other records reference Trump only tangentially. These include a questionable card allegedly sent by Epstein to disgraced former sports doctor Larry Nassar, which mentions Trump indirectly. The Justice Department said it is reviewing the authenticity of the card and has sought handwriting analysis. Several anonymous tip-line calls referencing Trump were also released, though investigators did not indicate whether the claims were substantiated.
The document release follows passage of a new transparency law mandating the disclosure of all Epstein-related files. While the Trump administration has said it is complying with the law, extensive redactions have drawn criticism from some Republicans, who argue the disclosures remain incomplete.
Trump has dismissed the renewed focus on Epstein, calling the files a political distraction. However, debate over the scope and handling of the disclosures continues to simmer in Washington, with potential political fallout ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
-Richard Heathrow
