Donald Trump has long insisted that he did not know about and had no involvement in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking operation. Indeed, as the political controversy surrounding the president and his former friend has intensified over the course of the year, Trump began condemning the scandal as a “scam” and a “hoax” concocted by his Democratic critics.
But despite the Republican’s efforts to make the story go away, the slow-moving avalanche of revelations continues to create new problems for the president and his White House.
On Wednesday morning, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released a package of emails, obtained by the Epstein estate, in which the convicted sex offender wrote, among other things, that Trump had “spent hours” at Epstein’s house with one of Epstein’s victims. In a separate message, Epstein said the future president “knew about the girls.”
In April 2011, for example, as Trump took on a higher political profile, Epstein sent an email to longtime confidante Ghislaine Maxwell, which read: “i want you to realize that that dog that hasn’t barked is trump.. (REDACTED) spent hours at my house with him ,, he has never once been mentioned. police chief. etc. im 75 % there.”
The fact that Trump and the late millionaire pedophile had a relationship is not new. Not only have we all seen the video footage of the two men hanging out, but as my MSNBC colleague James Downie noted, Trump told New York magazine in 2002: “I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy. He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”
But knowing that the two men were one-time friends is one thing; seeing an email in which Epstein wrote that Trump had “spent hours at my house” with one of Epstein’s victims is something else altogether.
There’s also this email in which Epstein wrote that Trump “of course ... knew about the girls.”
Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the ranking member on the House Oversight Committee, said in a statement: “The more Donald Trump tries to cover-up the Epstein files, the more we uncover. These latest emails and correspondence raise glaring questions about what else the White House is hiding and the nature of the relationship between Epstein and the President. The Department of Justice must fully release the Epstein files to the public immediately. The Oversight Committee will continue pushing for answers and will not stop until we get justice for the victims.”
The revelations of the emails, which include allegations MSNBC has not independently confirmed, come just hours before Democratic Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva is scheduled to be sworn in as Congress’ newest member. The Arizonan is expected to quickly sign a discharge petition related to disclosing the Epstein files, giving the bipartisan resolution the support it needs to receive a floor vote.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.