New Epstein files released reveal Trump flew on convicted sex offender’s private jet multiple times

The US Justice Department on Tuesday (December 23) released a new trove of documents from its investigation into late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including emails that reference President Donald Trump’s past travel aboard Epstein’s private jet.

The release includes around 30,000 pages of documents, many of them heavily redacted, along with dozens of video clips, some purportedly recorded inside a federal detention center.

Epstein was found dead in a New York jail in 2019, a death that was officially ruled a suicide.

Prosecutor email cites Trump jet travel

Among the documents is an email dated January 7, 2020, in which an unidentified New York-based prosecutor wrote that flight records showed Trump had traveled aboard Epstein’s private jet eight times during the 1990s, more than investigators had previously understood.

The email said that at least four of those flights also included Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for helping Epstein sexually abuse underage girls.

Redacted passengers mentioned in flight records

According to the email, one flight included only three passengers—Epstein, Trump and a 20-year-old woman, whose name was redacted.

“On two other flights, two of the passengers, respectively, were women who would be possible witnesses in a Maxwell case,” the document stated.

Reference to photo of Trump and Maxwell

Another email, dated 2021, said an unidentified individual had reviewed data obtained from Steve Bannon’s cellphone and discovered an “image of Trump and Ghislaine Maxwell.” The government redacted the image from the released files.

DOJ rejects credibility of claims against Trump

In a statement posted on X, the Justice Department said the documents include allegations against Trump that it described as false and politically motivated.

“Some of these documents contain untrue and sensationalist claims made against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election,” the department said.

“To be clear: the claims are unfounded and false, and if they had a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponized against President Trump already,” it added.

The department said the release reflects its commitment to transparency while maintaining protections for Epstein’s victims.

Files released under new transparency law

The latest batch follows the Trump administration’s release of a large cache of Epstein-related documents last week, aimed at complying with a new transparency law mandating disclosure of all Epstein files.

That law was overwhelmingly passed by Congress last month, despite months of resistance from Trump to keeping the materials sealed.

(With Reuters inputs)

Key takeaways

Trump allegedly traveled on Epstein’s private jet eight times in the 1990s.

Ghislaine Maxwell was present on at least four of those flights.

Some passenger names and a photo of Trump with Maxwell were redacted.

DOJ describes claims against Trump in the documents as unfounded and false.