| |
New Epstein Docs Reveal Little News 12/24 06:20
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The U.S. Justice Department has released tens of
thousands more documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, a tranche that included
multiple mentions of President Donald Trump but added little new revelatory
information to the long-anticipated public file on the late financier and
convicted sex offender.
The release is the most voluminous so far and comes after a massive public
campaign for transparency into the U.S. government's Epstein investigations.
Many of the mentions of Trump in the file came from news clippings, though
it includes an email from a prosecutor pointing out the flights that Trump took
on Epstein's private jet during the 1990s.
The two men were friends for years before a falling out. Trump has not been
accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein. The Justice Department issued
a statement Tuesday that some documents contain "untrue and sensationalist
claims" about Trump made shortly before the 2020 election -- and said one
document, purported to be a letter from Epstein to Larry Nassar, a sports
doctor convicted of sexually abusing Olympic athletes, had been deemed fake.
Here are some takeaways:
Prosecutor flagged Trump's travel on Epstein's jet
Among the mentions of Trump in the latest batch of the Epstein files is a
note from a federal prosecutor from January 2020 that said Trump had flown on
the financier's private plane more often than had been previously known.
An assistant U.S. attorney from the Southern District of New York said in an
email that flight records the office received on Jan. 6, 2020, showed that
Trump was on Epstein's jet "many more times than previously has been reported
(or that we were aware)."
The prosecutor who flagged the Trump mentions in the flight logs said they
did so because lawyers "didn't want any of this to be a surprise down the road."
His travels on Epstein's plane spanned the time that would likely be covered
in any criminal charges against Epstein's co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell.
Trump was listed as a passenger on at least eight flights between 1993 and
1996, and on at least four of those flights, Maxwell was also there, according
to the email.
On one of those eight flights, in 1993, Trump and Epstein were the only two
passengers listed in the flight logs. On another flight, the three passengers
listed in records are Epstein, Trump, and a redacted individual, who was 20
years old at the time. Two other flights included two women -- whose names were
redacted in follow-up emails -- identified as potential witnesses in a Maxwell
case.
Several additional Trump trips on Epstein's plane had been previously
disclosed during Maxwell's criminal proceedings.
Asked for comment about the email, the White House pointed to a Justice
Department statement saying Monday's release contained "unfounded and false"
claims against the president submitted to the FBI shortly before the 2020
election, but they were nevertheless being released for full transparency.
Later Tuesday, the department said on social media that the FBI had
confirmed the purported Nassar letter "is FAKE" based on the handwriting,
Virginia postmark and return address, which did not include Epstein's jail or
inmate number, both required for outgoing mail.
"This fake letter serves as a reminder that just because a document is
released by the Department of Justice does not make the allegations or claims
within the document factual," the department said in a post on X.
The latest release also showed that Mar-a-Lago, Trump's southern Florida
club, was served with a subpoena in 2021 for its employment records. The
disclosure came as part of an email chain in which lawyers for the Southern
District of New York and an attorney in touch with representatives for the
Trump Organization discussed the employment status of someone whose name was
redacted.
Trump has called the files a distraction
Trump complained that the files were a distraction from the work he and
other Republicans are doing for the country.
Speaking during an unrelated event at his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach,
Florida, on Monday, the president blamed Democrats and some Republicans for the
controversy.
"What this whole thing is with Epstein is a way of trying to deflect from
the tremendous success that the Republican Party has," Trump said.
He also expressed frustration about the famous people shown with Epstein in
photos released by the Justice Department -- people who he said may not have
known him but ended up in the shot anyway.
"You probably have pictures being exposed of other people that innocently
met Jeffrey Epstein years ago, many years ago. And they're, you know, highly
respected bankers and lawyers and others," Trump said.
Other high-profile people are showing up in the files
Well-known people shown in the files include former President Bill Clinton,
the late pop star Michael Jackson and singer Diana Ross. The mere inclusion of
someone's name or images in files from the investigation does not imply
wrongdoing.
The latest release also includes files that put the U.K.'s former Prince
Andrew back in the headlines.
Among those documents is correspondence between Maxwell and someone who
signs off with the initial "A."
The email exchange includes other references that suggest Maxwell's
correspondent may be Andrew. He did not immediately respond to a request for
comment.
The August 2001 email from someone identified only as "The Invisible Man,"
said he is "up here at Balmoral Summer Camp for the Royal Family," an apparent
reference to the Scottish estate where the royal family has traditionally taken
their late summer holidays.
"A" writes: "How's LA? Have you found me some new inappropriate friends?"
The writer says he has left "the RN" and refers to the challenges of looking
after "the Girls." Andrew retired from the Royal Navy in 2001 and has two
daughters.
Andrew, one of King Charles III's younger brothers, was stripped of the
right to be called a prince and his other royal titles and honors in October,
amid continued publicity about his links to Epstein and concerns about the
potential damage to the rest of the royal family. He is now known as Andrew
Mountbatten-Windsor.
Andrew has repeatedly denied committing any crimes, including having sex
with Virginia Giuffre, who alleged that she was trafficked by Epstein and had
sex with Andrew when she was 17.
The documents also reveal months of sometimes testy negotiations as U.S.
federal prosecutors tried but ultimately failed to secure Mountbatten-Windsor's
testimony. Talks foundered amid complaints that each side had made misleading
statements to the press and a seeming inability to bridge the differences
between the U.S. and British legal systems.
Biggest information dump yet
Trump tried for months to keep the records sealed before relenting to
political pressure, including from some fellow Republicans, though he
eventually signed a bill mandating the release of most of the Justice
Department's files on Epstein.
Monday's overnight release was the biggest dump yet, including nearly 30,000
more pages.
It includes news clippings, varied tips to law enforcement and surveillance
videos from the New York jail where Epstein was held before taking his own life
in 2019. Much was already in the public domain.
The law called for the files to be released within 30 days, but the Justice
Department has instead released them in stages starting Friday. Officials have
said they're going slowly to protect victims, though some women assaulted by
Epstein have spoken out publicly to call for greater transparency.
And the administration is facing fierce accusations that it is withholding
too much information. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the
tens of thousands of files released still left "more questions than answers."
He pointed to a 2019 FBI email that mentions 10 people under investigation as
possible co-conspirators but contains few additional details.
|
|
