Democrats release Epstein emails alleging Trump ‘knew about the girls’
The convicted sex offender said in a message to Ghislaine Maxwell that Trump had ‘spent hours’ with one of the victims at his house
Jeffrey Epstein suggested Donald Trump knew about the disgraced financier’s abuse and “spent hours” with one of the victims at his house, according to emails released by Democrats on Wednesday that raised awkward new questions for the US president.
Trump has repeatedly denied any knowledge of the sex-trafficking activities of his former friend - who died by suicide in 2019 while in prison awaiting trial - and accused Democrats of trying to “deflect” from their own failings.
But the scandal has proved tough for Trump to shake, and Democrats on the House Oversight Committee said the three new emails “raise serious questions about Donald Trump and his knowledge of Epstein’s horrific crimes”.
The pressure on Trump grew later Wednesday, when Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said he would hold a vote next week on a bid to force the Justice Department to release the remaining Epstein files.
In an April 2011 message to long-time associate Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein asserted Trump spent significant time with a woman whom the White House later identified as Epstein’s main accuser, Virginia Giuffre.