WASHINGTON, Nov 13: A 2011 email written by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has resurfaced, claiming that then-businessman Donald Trump “spent hours” with one of Epstein’s victims, Al Jazeera reported.
The email, revealed by Democrats on the US House Oversight Committee, was sent to Epstein’s former partner Ghislaine Maxwell, now serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking. In the email, Epstein suggested Trump had been close to one of the victims but had not been mentioned publicly.
Maxwell replied that she had been “thinking about that.” The email was written two years after Epstein’s first conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor. In another message from 2019, Epstein allegedly wrote that Trump “knew about the girls,” according to Al Jazeera.
Trump quickly rejected the allegations, calling them a “hoax.” He said Democrats were trying to distract from their failures on issues like the government shutdown. On social media, he urged Republicans not to engage in discussions about Epstein, insisting they should focus on “reopening the country and fixing the damage caused by Democrats.”
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The White House echoed that defense. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the emails were “selectively released” and referenced Virginia Giuffre, a well-known Epstein victim who has publicly stated that Trump was never involved in any wrongdoing and had been “friendly” in their few encounters. Leavitt added that Trump expelled Epstein from his Mar-a-Lago club years ago for inappropriate behavior toward female employees, Al Jazeera reported.
Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna condemned what he called the “abuse culture” among wealthy elites connected to Epstein, accusing both political parties of turning a blind eye.
Speaking on the Breaking Points podcast, Khanna said the emails highlight the moral divide between “ordinary Americans” and what he called “the Epstein class,” a group of influential people who tolerated or enabled exploitation. He said the scandal was about more than individual crimes, but about the silence of powerful people who knew what was happening and failed to act, according to Al Jazeera.
Trump’s personal connection to Epstein has long drawn attention. Epstein, a financier tied to political, financial, and academic elites, served a short sentence in 2008 for soliciting prostitution from a minor. His lenient deal, later described as a “sweetheart plea bargain,” drew national criticism.
Following a 2018 investigation by the Miami Herald, federal authorities reopened the case and charged Epstein with sex trafficking minors in 2019. Two months later, he was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell in what officials ruled a suicide. His circle included figures such as former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, the UK’s Prince Andrew, and former US President Bill Clinton. The suspicious nature of his death has fueled widespread conspiracy theories, as reported by Al Jazeera.
Public pressure to release Epstein-related government files has persisted for years. Advocates, including some of Trump’s own supporters, argue that full transparency is necessary. Yet the Trump administration refused to disclose those records, citing victim privacy.
The Justice Department and FBI have since rejected claims that Epstein used his trafficking network for blackmail, reaffirming that he died by suicide. They said releasing certain materials would violate child protection laws and harm victims further, according to Al Jazeera.
Despite Trump’s efforts to dismiss the controversy, fresh allegations and leaked materials continue to raise questions about his past ties to Epstein. Earlier this year, The Wall Street Journal reported on a sexually suggestive birthday card allegedly sent by Trump to Epstein, featuring a drawing of a naked woman.
Trump denied the claim and filed a lawsuit against the publication. Meanwhile, billionaire Elon Musk, once aligned with Trump, suggested the president was reluctant to release Epstein-related documents because he might be named in them. These claims have added to growing public scrutiny and renewed debate about the intersection of money, power, and abuse, Al Jazeera reported.
