Donald Trump has been thrust back into the Epstein controversy after House Democrats released a batch of emails on Wednesday suggesting the former president knew about Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse of young women and chose to stay silent.
The newly revealed exchanges, part of a trove of 23,000 documents obtained from Epstein’s estate, include messages between Epstein, his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, and journalist Michael Wolff.
The emails, spanning from 2011 to 2019, were made public by the Democratic members of the House Oversight Committee.
In one 2011 email to Maxwell, Epstein cryptically referred to Trump as “that dog that hasn’t barked,” writing: “I want you to realize that that dog that hasn’t barked is trump.. [Victim] spent hours at my house with him ,, he has never once been mentioned.” Maxwell replied, “I have been thinking about that.”
A more pointed accusation came in a 2019 email to Wolff, where Epstein wrote: “Of course he knew about the girls as he asked ghislaine to stop.” He also pushed back on Trump’s previous claim that he had banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago, stating, “never a member ever.”
Another email from December 2015 showed Epstein and Wolff strategizing over how Trump might respond to questions from CNN about his ties to Epstein.
When Epstein asked, “if we were able to craft an answer for him, what do you think it should be?” Wolff responded, “If he says he hasn’t been on the plane or to the house, then that gives you a valuable PR and political currency.”
Wolff added, “You can hang him in a way that potentially generates a positive benefit for you, or, if it really looks like he could win, you could save him, generating a debt.”
Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, said the emails raise serious concerns.
“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 revelations come as Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking, is reportedly seeking clemency from Trump’s administration. House Judiciary Democrats have already called on the former president to reject any pardon request.
Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, said the disclosures support his bipartisan push with Rep. Thomas Massie to force a House vote on making the full Epstein files public.
“The public deserves transparency and the survivors deserve justice,” Khanna said.
Meanwhile, Hakeem Jeffries, House Minority Leader, accused Republicans of shielding Epstein’s network. “They are running a pedophile protection program,” Jeffries said.
The White House has not commented on the email release. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is expected to address the issue during Wednesday’s briefing.
Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges.
His network allegedly trafficked underage girls to high-profile figures across multiple states and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The emails are part of a broader push by House Democrats to force the release of the so-called “Epstein Files,” which include names and details tied to his criminal operation.
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