Newly released documents from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate are offering a more complicated picture of his relationship with President Donald Trump — and setting off fresh partisan clashes on Capitol Hill.
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee unveiled three previously unseen Epstein emails linked to Trump and his circle, prompting Republicans hit back with their own cache of messages, further escalating a partisan tug-of-war over what the documents really show.
Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the emails altogether, calling them a “clear distraction.” Trump, who reportedly had a falling out with Epstein in the mid-2000s, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing or knowledge of Epstein’s crimes, saying he “knew him like everybody in Palm Beach knew him” but was “not a fan.”
We took a closer look at the latest revelations — and whether the full Epstein files will ever be released.
Democrats release new Epstein emails
The emails released by Democrats offer a glimpse into Epstein’s communications with prominent figures, including Trump and Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime associate who was later convicted of sex trafficking.
In one exchange from April 2011, Epstein wrote to Maxwell implying that Trump was aware of his encounters with young women. Referring to Trump as “that dog that hasn’t barked,” Epstein noted that a woman who later accused him of abuse had “spent hours at my house with [Trump]” but “never once been mentioned.” Maxwell replied, “I have been thinking about that.”
Those emails repeatedly referenced a victim whose name was initially redacted. Republicans on the committee later identified her as Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide in April. Giuffre had publicly stated that she never saw Trump engage in sexual misconduct at Epstein’s home. Republicans subsequently released unredacted versions of the emails that clearly name her.
Another exchange from January 2019 shows Epstein emailing journalist Michael Wolff, claiming: “Of course [Trump] knew about the girls as he asked Ghislaine to stop.” (It’s unclear what asking Maxwell to “stop” referred to.) Wolff also appeared in a separate thread from December 15, 2015 — the night of a Republican presidential debate — warning Epstein that CNN planned to ask Trump about his relationship with him.
Epstein asked, “If we were able to craft an answer for him, what do you think it should be?” Wolff urged him to stay out of it: “I think you should let him hang himself. If he says he hasn’t been on the plane or to the house, that gives you valuable P.R. and political currency” that could later be used to “hang him” or “save him, generating a debt.”
Trump was never asked about Epstein during that debate, according to transcripts, and it’s unclear whether the topic came up afterward.
Republicans release their own trove
Hours after those emails hit the internet, Republicans on the Oversight Committee released a far larger batch of documents — roughly 20,000 pages, including spreadsheets and correspondence with various associates. They accused Democrats of politicizing the investigation. “Democrats continue to carelessly cherry-pick documents to generate clickbait that is not grounded in the facts,” a committee spokeswoman said.
Among the newly surfaced correspondence was a series of emails between Epstein and former Treasury Secretary Lawrence H. Summers that suggest a far cozier relationship than was previously known. The exchanges — which took place in 2017, 2018, and 2019 — show the two men bantering, sometimes multiple times a day. Much of their discussion centered on President Trump, whom Epstein described as “borderline insane” in December 2018.
One newly revealed text exchange from that same month shows Epstein corresponding with an unnamed individual, whose name was redacted in the documents. “It will all blow over! They’re really just trying to take down Trump and doing whatever they can to do that…!” the person wrote. Epstein replied: “yes thx. its wild. because i am the one able to take him down.”
The exchange lacks context but occurred during Trump’s first term and roughly six months before FBI agents arrested Epstein in New Jersey on federal sex trafficking charges.
Another standout thread, which dates back to August 2018, includes communications between Epstein and former Obama White House lawyer Kathy Ruemmler. She had sent him a New York Times op-ed about Trump’s fixer, Michael Cohen, who had just pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations over hush-money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Epstein replied pointedly: “you see, I know how dirty donald is. My guess is that non lawyers ny biz people have no idea. What it means to have your fixer flip.”
A push for transparency
The Republican document release coincided with another major development on Capitol Hill: House Speaker Mike Johnson swore in Rep. Adelita Grijalva more than seven weeks after she won a special election to represent Arizona’s 7th Congressional District.
Grijalva’s arrival immediately shifted the dynamics around the ongoing fight over Epstein-related records. Shortly after officially taking office, she signed onto a discharge petition to force a vote on legislation requiring the release of all unclassified government files connected to Epstein and his network. Her signature brings the total to 218 — the threshold needed to compel a full House vote.
Addressing Congress for the first time as a lawmaker, Grijalva noted that two survivors of Epstein’s sex abuse operation, Elizabeth Stein and Jessica Michaels, were in the gallery to witness her swearing-in. “Justice cannot wait another day,” she said as she closed her remarks. Moments later, she signed the petition.
Still, the path forward remains uncertain. Members are allowed to withdraw their signatures before the petition is formally filed, and allies of the president are reportedly urging key Republicans, including North Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace, to reconsider their support. “There should be no deflections to Epstein or anything else, and any Republicans involved should be focused only on opening up our Country, and fixing the massive damage caused by the Democrats!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
If the petition holds, the House could vote on the measure as soon as December, though GOP leadership still has procedural tools to delay or block it altogether.
For some expert analysis…
There’s obviously a ton to unpack here, so Katie went deeper into these developments during Wednesday’s episode of Katie Couric Live, her weekly Substack series. Check it out below to see her conversations about the latest Epstein releases (and much more) with experts including former Rep. Adam Kinzinger and CNN host Abby Phillip.
