The Epstein files: What do 20,000 pages of newly released documents reveal about Trump, Prince Andrew and the scandal?
The files, released by opposing political factions in the United States, contain emails that have triggered fresh controversy around Donald Trump, Prince Andrew and writer Michael Wolff.
NURSYAHMINA ZAINAL
SHAH ALAM – The publication of more than 20,000 pages of documents from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate has revived global scrutiny of his ties to influential public figures.
The files, released by opposing political factions in the United States, contain emails that have triggered fresh controversy around Donald Trump, Prince Andrew and writer Michael Wolff.
How the Documents Resurfaced
A trove of over 20,000 pages linked to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was convicted of sex offences and died in custody in 2019, has been made public, intensifying debate about his relationships with prominent individuals.
Democratic lawmakers first unveiled three emails they said implicated President Donald Trump, arguing that the messages suggested he may have held more knowledge of Epstein’s crimes than he had previously acknowledged.
Trump’s representatives pushed back, claiming the Democrats had selectively released material.
Republican members of Congress followed by publishing a far larger set of files, leading to cross-party accusations and renewed public interest.
Epstein Claimed Trump Was Aware of “The Girls”
According to Democratic members of the House oversight committee, the emails they released “raise serious questions about Donald Trump and his knowledge of Epstein’s horrific crimes.”
One message dated January 2019, sent by Epstein to author Michael Wolff, states: “Of course, he knew about the girls as he asked Ghislaine to stop.”
Trump has previously contended that Epstein had “stolen” young female staffers from his Mar-a-Lago luxury resort club. Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former associate who facilitated access to young victims, is currently serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking.
Epstein Described Trump as a “Dog That Hasn’t Barked”
In another email from 2011, Epstein told Maxwell that Trump had spent time with one of his victims but had never commented publicly on it. The message reads: “I want you to realise that that dog that hasn’t barked is Trump.”
Maxwell replied: “I have been thinking about that.”
The White House later asserted that the “victim” referenced was Virginia Giuffre, who died in April at age 41. The email provides no explanation as to why Trump would have spent hours with her.
Trump responded through his social platform, Truth Social, calling the renewed focus an attempt by Democrats to revive “the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax again” amid a prolonged government shutdown.
Emails Show Epstein Held a Harsh View of Trump
By 2017, Epstein had written scathing personal remarks about Trump. In one email, he wrote: “I have met some very bad people. None as bad as Trump. Not one decent cell in his body.”
In other exchanges, Epstein referred to Trump as a “maniac” and alleged he showed signs of “early dementia.”
Prince Andrew Stayed Connected to Epstein for a Longer Period
The newly disclosed files also challenge statements made by Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, about the timeline of his association with Epstein.
Despite publicly claiming he cut ties in 2010, an email from March 2011 shows Andrew writing to Epstein and Maxwell after responding to allegations from the Mail on Sunday: “I can’t take any more of this.”
Another message from Epstein the same year appeared to validate the authenticity of the well-known photograph of Andrew with Giuffre, taken in 2001 when she was 17.
“Yes, she was on my plane and yes, she had her photo taken with Andrew, as many of my employees have,” Epstein wrote.
Andrew has long denied wrongdoing and suggested in a 2019 BBC Newsnight interview that the image may have been altered, adding that he had “absolutely no memory” of it.
Giuffre, who died this year, had claimed in her memoir that she was forced to have sex with Andrew on three occasions.
Spotlight Turns to Trump Biographer Michael Wolff
American journalist Michael Wolff, known for chronicling Trump’s political rise, is also mentioned several times in the documents.
He has previously acknowledged that Epstein was a source for his reporting and that he holds hours of interview tapes in which Epstein discusses Trump.
Two of the three emails released first by Democrats involved exchanges with Wolff, including the 2019 email where Epstein wrote that Trump “knew about the girls.”
In a December 2015 email to Epstein, Wolff speculated that Trump might “hang himself” in an upcoming CNN interview about his past connection to Epstein.
“I think you should let him hang himself. If he says he hasn’t been on the plane or to the house, then that gives you a valuable PR and political currency. You can hang him in a way that potentially generates a positive benefit for you,” Wolff wrote.
He followed with a second possibility, adding: “Of course, it is possible that, when asked, he’ll say Jeffrey is a great guy and has gotten a raw deal and is a victim of political correctness, which is to be outlawed in a Trump regime.”
Why These Emails Matter
The vast release has revived unresolved questions regarding the extent of Epstein’s influence and the willingness of political and public figures to distance themselves from him.
The cross-party dispute over which documents are shared and how they are presented has raised the political stakes, keeping the scandal at the centre of public debate despite Epstein’s death in 2019.
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