The House voted nearly unanimously on Nov. 18 to force the Department of Justice to release “all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials” related to the investigation and prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein. After resisting the release for months, President Donald Trump threw his late support to the bill, which he signed shortly after the Senate also passed it by unanimous consent.
Epstein, a financier, was arrested on charges of sex trafficking of minors in July 2019 and died in prison a month later. His death was ruled a suicide by the Department of Justice. Federal prosecutors alleged Epstein had “sexually exploited and abused dozens of underage girls” from 2002 to 2005.
A week before the vote, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released several emails that they said called into question Trump’s relationship with Epstein and whether he had knowledge of Epstein’s crimes. The same day, Republicans on the committee released 20,000 pages of documents from Epstein’s estate.
In the days before and after the bill passed, lawmakers from both parties hurled accusations against political opponents related to Epstein and the contents of some of the released documents. Here, we’ll sort out what’s behind some of those claims.
Stansbury’s Unsupported Claims Involving Trump
Democratic Rep. Melanie Stansbury claimed during a Nov. 17 appearance on CNN that the recently released Epstein documents “name multiple cases involving sexual assault conversations Epstein had that involved the president and his time at his house, and the evidence that Donald Trump absolutely knew that Ghislaine Maxwell was recruiting and grooming young women from Mar-a-Lago and bringing them to Epstein’s house.”
Both parts of that claim overstate what the documents have revealed so far. Stansbury’s comments leave the false impression that evidence has been released showing that Trump “absolutely knew” about recruitment and sexual abuse of underage girls. Her office referred us to emails that only show Epstein making comments that could be interpreted that way but don’t show evidence of Trump knowing about criminal acts. Maxwell was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in jail in 2022 for helping Epstein to recruit and groom victims under 18 years of age.
When we asked Stansbury’s office for the evidence to support the claim, a spokeswoman provided four email exchanges from the recent release.
Some of them show that Epstein had said that Trump knew about his recruitment of girls from Mar-a-Lago through Maxwell. The messages don’t specify if Epstein was talking about underage girls.
Some of them show that Epstein had said that Trump had been at his house with girls, although they don’t explicitly say anything about sexual assault.
First, we’ll assess the claim that “Donald Trump absolutely knew that Ghislaine Maxwell was recruiting and grooming young women from Mar-a-Lago.”
On Nov. 12, Democrats released three emails from a total of about 23,000 documents belonging to Epstein. One of those emails, from Epstein to the author Michael Wolff, referred to Mar-a-Lago and Trump and said, “of course he knew about the girls as he asked ghislaine to stop.”
When a reporter asked Trump two days later, on Nov. 14, “what did Jeffrey Epstein mean in his emails when he said you knew about the girls?” Trump responded, “I know nothing about that.”
Over the summer, Trump said he knew that Epstein had been hiring female employees from Mar-a-Lago, but the president’s comments didn’t pertain to any knowledge of Epstein abusing girls. The president was receiving questions at the time about a birthday message to Epstein that featured a drawing of a naked woman and appeared to have Trump’s signature — although Trump has denied that he wrote the message.
“I have a great spa, one of the best spas in the world at Mar-a-Lago and people were taken out of the spa, hired by him. In other words, gone. And other people would come and complain this guy is taking people from the spa. I didn’t know that. And then when I heard about it, I told him, I said, listen, we don’t want you taking our people,” Trump said on July 29, referring to Epstein. “Whether it was spa or not spa, I don’t want them taking people and he was fine and then not too long after that, he did it again and I said, ‘out of here.’”
In a follow-up question, a reporter asked if one of the workers recruited from Mar-a-Lago was Virginia Giuffre, who was one of the women who came forward to publicly accuse Epstein of abusing her while she was underage. She died by suicide in April. Giuffre has explained that Maxwell first approached her when she was working at Mar-a-Lago at the age of 16.
“I think that was one of the people. Yeah. He stole her,” Trump said.
Second, we’ll assess the claim that the documents show “multiple cases involving sexual assault conversations Epstein had that involved the president and his time at his house.”
The emails highlighted by Stansbury show that, in 2015, Epstein had corresponded with Landon Thomas, who wrote the 2002 New York Magazine story famously quoting Trump saying of Epstein, “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. No doubt about it — Jeffrey enjoys his social life.”
In one email to Thomas, Epstein wrote, “would you like photso [sic] of donald and girls in bikinis in my kitchen,” although it’s unclear whether or not he had such photos.
Another email exchange highlighted by Stansbury was between Epstein and Maxwell in 2011. There, Epstein wrote, “I want you to realize that that dog that hasn’t barked is trump.. [victim’s name was redacted] spent hours at my house with him.”
In an email that Epstein had sent to himself in 2019, he recounted parts of the 2008 plea agreement under which he admitted to soliciting minors for prostitution, which was a state charge in Florida. He wrote in that email that Trump “came to my house many times during that period.”
There have been various accounts over the years about when Trump stopped socializing with Epstein — most of them put the time frame in the early 2000s, before Epstein’s first arrest in 2006. Recently Trump has characterized the time he spent with Epstein as minimal, saying on Nov. 18, while he hosted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, “I have nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein. I threw him out of my club many years ago because I thought he was a sick pervert.”
When asked about the emails at a Nov. 12 briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “These emails prove absolutely nothing other than the fact that President Trump did nothing wrong.”
Epstein’s Communications with House Delegate Plaskett
In the released files, Virgin Islands Delegate to the House of Representatives Stacey Plaskett, a Democrat, was confirmed to have had text exchanges with Epstein. On Nov. 18, House Republicans introduced a resolution to censure Plaskett for “colluding with convicted felony sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during a congressional hearing.” The censure attempt failed, but a few days later, Republican Rep. James Comer claimed during a Fox News interview that Plaskett was colluding with Epstein to take Trump “down.”
“A few months after that communication between Plaskett and Epstein, Jamie Raskin named Stacey Plaskett as an impeachment manager,” Comer said. “So she was an impeachment manager in Congress, and she was communicating and colluding with Jeffrey Epstein to try to take Donald Trump down.”
Colluding is a subjective word, but we’ll break down the communication between Plaskett and Epstein. (As a delegate, Plaskett can participate in House debates, but she does not get a vote in House floor sessions.)
The text messages, which were first reported by the Washington Post, show Plaskett and Epstein exchanging several texts before and during a congressional hearing in February 2019 involving Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen — 11 years after Epstein pleaded guilty to solicitation of prostitution and to solicitation of prostitution with a minor under the age of 18 in 2008. (A few months after the hearing, in early July 2019, Epstein was arrested on charges of sex trafficking of minors.)
Cohen was testifying about Trump’s alleged misconduct in falsifying business records in order to pay “hush money” to silence a porn star shortly before the 2016 election. Trump was found guilty in a New York court in 2024 of falsifying business records as part of an illegal scheme to influence the 2016 election; he recently appealed the conviction.
The Washington Post reported that Plaskett exchanged several texts before and during the hearing, with Epstein appearing to have influenced Plaskett’s line of questioning with Cohen.
At 12:25 p.m., Epstein texted Plaskett, “Hes opened the door to questions re who are the other hechmen at trump org.”
Plaskett responded, “Yup. Very aware and waiting my turn.”
Later in the hearing, Plaskett asked Cohen about other associates in the Trump Organization whom the House “should be meeting with.”
In another exchange, the Washington Post reported that Epstein texted Plaskett that “Cohen brought up RONA – keeper of the secrets.”
Plaskett responded: “RONA?? Quick I’m up next is that an acronym?”
Epstein was referring to Rhona Graff, a former personal assistant to Trump and senior vice president of the Trump Organization. Following this exchange, Plaskett asked about Graff later in her questioning of Cohen.
Epstein and Plaskett also exchanged personal messages, according to the Post. Earlier in the hearing, Epstein texted Plaskett: “Great outfit” and “You look great” to which Plaskett responded, “Thanks!”
Plaskett has since denied any wrongdoing. After the Washington Post article was published on Nov. 14, Plaskett’s office released a statement distancing the congresswoman from Epstein.
“During the hearing, Congresswoman Plaskett received texts from staff, constituents and the public at large offering advice, support and in some cases partisan vitriol, including from Epstein,” her office wrote. “As a former prosecutor she welcomes information that helps her get at the truth and took on the GOP that was trying to bury the truth. The congresswoman has previously made clear her long record combating sexual assault and human trafficking, her disgust over Epstein’s deviant behavior and her support for his victims.”
Five days later during a Nov. 19 CNN interview, in response to a question asking about her relationship with Epstein, Plaskett responded, “Jeffrey Epstein was a constituent.” (Epstein owned a pair of islands in the Virgin Islands.)
In response to another question asking why she was in contact with Epstein despite his known status as a sex offender, Plaskett responded, “I’ve been a prosecutor for many years. And there are a lot of people who have information that are not your friends that you use to get information for to get at the truth.” She later went on to say, “As a prosecutor, you get information from people where you can. I’ve interviewed confidential informants. I’ve interviewed narcotics, drug traffickers and others, and that doesn’t mean that I’m their friend. … It means that they have information that I need. And that I’m trying to get at the truth, and that’s what I did.”
Plaskett has previously been involved in other controversies surrounding political donations from Epstein. An ABC News report found that in the 2016 and 2018 election cycles, Plaskett received $8,100 from Epstein, which she later pledged to donate to organizations working with women and children.
Crockett Misses Mark with Accusations About Epstein Donations
Defending Plaskett from the House floor on Nov. 18, Rep. Jasmine Crockett said Republicans could spare her “with your moral high grounds.”
“Folks who also took money from somebody named Jeffrey Epstein, as I had my team dig in very quickly: Mitt Romney, the NRCC, Lee Zeldin, George Bush, Win Red, McCain-Palin, Rick Lazio,” Crockett said. “I just want to be clear, if this is the standard we are going to make, just know, we’re going to expose it all. And just know, that the FEC filings, they are there for everybody to review.”
But as Zeldin, now the EPA administrator, later pointed out on X, the Jeffrey Epstein who contributed to his House reelection campaign is not THE Jeffrey Epstein. As the Federal Election Commission records note, the Jeffrey Epstein who contributed a total of $1,000 to Zeldin in 2020 is a Long Island, New York, physician. Another Jeffrey Epstein from New Jersey who contributed $500 to Zeldin in February 2020 is the owner of a beverage company, FEC records indicate.
Moreover, all of the contributions were made in 2020, and Epstein, the convicted sex offender, died in August 2019.
“Yes Crockett, a physician named Dr. Jeffrey Epstein (who is a totally different person than the other Jeffrey Epstein) donated to a prior campaign of mine,” Zeldin posted on X. “NO FREAKIN RELATION YOU GENIUS!!!”
Three $250 contributions to Romney’s presidential campaign in 2012 were also made by a Jeffrey Epstein who is listed as a physician living in Long Island, the same physician who donated $500 in 2008 to the McCain-Palin campaign.
In an interview on Nov. 19, CNN anchor Kaitlin Collins asked Crockett if she wanted to set the record straight.
“Listen, I never said that it was that Jeffrey Epstein,” Crockett said. “Just so that people understand, when you make a donation, your picture is not there. And because they decided to spring this on us, in real-time, I wanted the Republicans to think about what could potentially happen, because I knew that they didn’t even try to go through the FEC. So my team, what they did is they Googled, and that is specifically why I said a Jeffrey Epstein. Unlike Republicans, I at least don’t go out and just tell lies. Because it was not the same one? That’s fine. But when Lee Zeldin had something to say, all he had to say was, it was a different Jeffrey Epstein. He admitted that he did receive donations from a Jeffrey Epstein. So, at least I wasn’t trying to mislead people.”
Zeldin posted a video of Crockett’s comments and responded, via X: “When you find yourself in a hole, it’s best to stop digging.”
In another X post, Zeldin wrote, “It’s such a foolish bet to double down on stupid. I’ll always be ready to push back with receipts. … [T]he right move for Crockett would have been to just confess her mistake, and ditch the spin job.”
Business Insider, citing the Center for Responsive Politics, reported that Epstein, the convicted sex abuser, made a single $1,000 donation to George H.W. Bush’s unsuccessful 1992 reelection campaign. Former Rep. Rick Lazio, a Republican who represented New York’s 2nd district, got $2,000 worth of donations from Epstein in 1996.
But as the Center for Responsive Politics reported in 2018, while Epstein donated to various Republican candidates and groups over the years, the vast majority of his donations were to Democratic candidates and groups, including former President Bill Clinton and Sens. John Kerry and Chris Dodd.
Communications from Jeffries’ Campaign
Comer, who chairs the House Oversight Committee, also linked campaign fundraising efforts on behalf of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to Epstein, citing a solicitation email sent to Epstein in 2013 seeking his support. Jeffries denied any knowledge of the email and called Comer “a stone cold liar.”
Speaking on the House floor on Nov. 18, Comer said the email “shows Democrat fundraisers invited Epstein to an event or to meet privately with Hakeem Jeffries as part of their 2013 effort to win a majority. Hakeem Jeffries’ campaign solicited money from Jeffrey Epstein. That is what we found in the last document batch.”
Documents released by Republicans on the Oversight Committee include a May 7, 2013, campaign solicitation to Epstein distributed by the fundraising firm Dynamic SRG, seeking participation in a Democratic fundraising dinner and offering “an opportunity to get to know Hakeem better.”
Comer shared the email from Dynamic SRG in a post on X. The email reads, in part: “Dear Jeffrey — We are thrilled to announce that we are working with Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, one of the rising stars in the New York Congressional delegation. Sometimes referred to as ‘Brooklyn’s Barack’, he is a staunch supporter of President Obama and a progressive voice for the people of New York City. … Hakeem is committed to electing a Democratic majority in 2014 and is encouraging his friends to participate in the DCCC/DSCC fundraising dinner with President Obama this coming Monday night. Shoot us an email or give us a call … if you would like to get involved with the dinner, or would like to get an opportunity to get to know Hakeem better.”
Jeffries responded to Comer at a press briefing on Nov. 20, saying, “I have no idea what James Comer is talking about in terms of anything that any prior consultant may have sent. I had no idea about that either, but James Comer apparently made the representation on the floor of the House that I sat down with Jeffrey Epstein, had dinner with Jeffrey Epstein, have contributions from Jeffrey Epstein. He’s a stone cold liar, and James Comer knows it.”
Jeffries also told CNN, “I have no recollection of the email” referred to by Comer. “I’ve never had a conversation with [Epstein], never met him, know nothing about him other than the extreme things that he’s been convicted of doing,” Jeffries said, and added that he had never received a political donation from Epstein.
Comer responded to Jeffries’ “liar” comment by posting the email, which Comer’s office has said “speaks for itself.”
We reached out to Dynamic SRG for comment on Jeffries’ knowledge of the email solicitation and to whom it was sent, but we did not receive a response.
We could find no record of political donations from Epstein to Jeffries.
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