Today's News: Democrats Release Epstein Emails Mentioning Donald Trump

The White House and House Republicans swiftly denounced the release as a politically motivated “hoax” and “cherry-picking” of documents, simultaneously releasing tens of thousands of additional pages.

Terrence Dorsey

Nov 12, 2025

Photo: Davidoff Studios

Date: November 12, 2025
Summary: House Democrats released a selection of Jeffrey Epstein’s private emails that mention Donald Trump, alleging Trump had knowledge of Epstein’s sex trafficking activities and spent time with a victim. These emails, sent between 2011 and 2019 to Ghislaine Maxwell and Michael Wolff, sparked immediate controversy. The White House and House Republicans swiftly denounced the release as a politically motivated “hoax” and “cherry-picking” of documents, simultaneously releasing tens of thousands of additional pages from Epstein’s estate. The revelations have intensified bipartisan calls for the full disclosure of all government files related to Epstein’s case, with a key vote on the matter anticipated in Congress.

Sources

Key Points

House Democrats released a selection of Jeffrey Epstein’s emails (dating from 2011 to 2019) to Ghislaine Maxwell and Michael Wolff, asserting that Donald Trump had knowledge of Epstein’s sex trafficking and spent time with a victim.
Specific emails released include Epstein writing to Maxwell in 2011 that Trump was “the dog that hasn’t barked” and an unnamed victim “spent hours at my house with him.” Another 2019 email to Wolff stated, “Of course he knew about the girls as he asked Ghislaine to stop.”
A 2015 email exchange between Epstein and Wolff discussed how to “craft an answer” for Trump regarding potential CNN questions about their relationship, with Wolff advising Epstein to “let him hang himself” for “valuable PR and political currency.”
The White House and House Republicans immediately dismissed the Democrats’ release as politically motivated “cherry-picking” and a “hoax” designed to smear President Trump and distract from the government shutdown.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and House Republicans identified the unnamed victim mentioned in the emails as Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide in April. They emphasized that Giuffre had not accused Trump of wrongdoing and had stated he was “friendly” or “professional” in their interactions.
All articles mention Trump’s consistent denial of knowledge or involvement in Epstein’s crimes, asserting that he ended their relationship years ago due to Epstein being a “creep” or poaching Mar-a-Lago staff.
The releases intensified bipartisan efforts in Congress to force a House vote on compelling the Justice Department to release all of its investigative materials related to Jeffrey Epstein, with Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva expected to provide the 218th signature for a discharge petition.
Shortly after the Democrats’ initial release, House Republicans released tens of thousands of additional pages of documents from Epstein’s estate.

Unique Highlights

The New York Times details the specific timing of the emails, noting they were from after Epstein’s 2008 plea deal and years after his reported falling out with Trump, and that Mr. Epstein pondered how to address questions from the news media about their relationship as Mr. Trump was becoming a national political figure. It also specifies that Mr. Trump never received a question about Epstein in the 2015 debate mentioned in the emails.
CNN provides details from Virginia Giuffre’s book “Nobody’s Girl,” where she writes about meeting Trump at Mar-a-Lago, his friendliness, and his questions about her babysitting. It also reports on the Daily Beast’s claim of obtaining recordings where Epstein spoke at length to Michael Wolff about Trump, which Trump’s camp called “false smears.” CNN additionally reveals Epstein’s critical comments about Trump after Trump became president, including calling him “f**king crazy” in a January 2017 email to a New York Times reporter and “borderline insane” in a December 2018 email to Larry Summers, and messaging Kathryn Ruemmler about Trump’s “dangerous power” in December 2018.
NBC News states that NBC News has not independently verified the emails. It also details Michael Wolff’s explanation to ABC News that he “was in an in-depth conversation with Epstein at that time about his relationship with Donald Trump” and “was pushing Epstein at that point to go public with what he knew about Trump.” The article also mentions Wolff’s ongoing legal battle with Melania Trump over reporting on her alleged ties to Epstein.
The Washington Post notes that Michael Wolff stated Epstein approached him about writing his biography, which Wolff declined, but he subsequently conducted “about 100 hours of interviews” with Epstein, who became a source for his books on Trump. The article also mentions that previous releases included calendars and flight records suggesting contact between Epstein and high-profile figures (including Trump allies like Peter Thiel) after Epstein was a registered sex offender, and details that a company controlled by Epstein invested $40 million in Thiel’s firm.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the Justice Department officials informed Trump in May that his name was in the Epstein files, along with many other high-profile figures, clarifying that being mentioned is not an indication of wrongdoing. It also includes details about a 2019 email exchange between Epstein and Steve Bannon during Trump’s UK state visit, where Epstein wrote, “recall prince andrew accuser came of of mara lago,” and Bannon replied, “Can’t believe nobody is making you the connective tissue.”
Fox News highlights Michael Wolff’s explicit advice to Epstein in a February 2016 email, suggesting he “consider preempting” potential inquiries from the New York Times and Hillary Clinton’s campaign regarding Trump. It also details Wolff’s March 2016 suggestion to Epstein that “becoming an anti-Trump voice gives you a certain political cover” ahead of James Patterson’s book “Filthy Rich,” and mentions other documents released by Republicans, including a short video of a dog and chew toys modeled after Trump and Hillary Clinton, and slides from an adviser aiming to uplift positive search engine results about Epstein.
The Guardian includes a quote from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who accused Republicans of “running a pedophile protection program” and criticized Speaker Mike Johnson for allegedly delaying Rep.-elect Grijalva’s swearing-in for seven weeks to defend Trump.

Contrasting Details

Epstein’s Membership Status at Mar-a-Lago: Trump has consistently claimed he “kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of his club” due to Epstein being a “creep” or poaching staff (The New York Times, CNN, NBC News, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Fox News). However, Epstein himself wrote in a 2019 email to Michael Wolff, “trump said he asked me to resign, never a member ever” (The New York Times, CNN, NBC News, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian), directly contradicting Trump’s assertion of Epstein’s membership.
Virginia Giuffre’s Account of Trump’s Presence: While all articles agree Virginia Giuffre did not accuse Trump of direct sexual abuse, The New York Times cites her 2016 deposition where she stated, “I don’t think Donald Trump participated in anything,” but added, “I’ve heard he has been [in Epstein’s house], but I haven’t seen him myself so I don’t know.” This nuanced statement leaves open the possibility of Trump’s presence at Epstein’s residence without Giuffre witnessing abuse. Other articles, such as CNN, NBC News, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and Fox News, primarily emphasize her direct statements of not witnessing wrongdoing or Trump being “friendly,” without detailing the full context of her deposition regarding his potential presence.
Ghislaine Maxwell’s Recollection of Trump at Epstein’s House: CNN and The Wall Street Journal report that in an interview earlier this year, Ghislaine Maxwell stated she “didn’t recall ever seeing Trump at Epstein’s house” but did witness them in social settings. This appears to subtly differ from Epstein’s 2011 email to Maxwell, as reported by The New York Times, CNN, NBC News, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Fox News, and The Guardian, where Epstein claims an unnamed victim “spent hours at my house with him” and Trump “has never once been mentioned,” implying Trump’s presence at his residence that Maxwell later couldn’t recall.

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