Newly released Justice Department records reveal federal prosecutors learned in 2020 that President Trump flew on Jeffrey Epstein's private jet more often in the 1990s than they had previously known.
The big picture: The revelation is found in nearly 30,000 pages of new documents released after the DOJ was slammed for an earlier, heavily redacted rollout.
- Over a dozen Epstein survivors lambasted the DOJ on Monday for last week's partial release that they said was "riddled with abnormal and extreme redactions with no explanation."
- The department said more documents are coming, but it has hundreds of thousands of pages to review — "an arduous process."
The Epstein files are available on the DOJ website.
- The DOJ said in an X post announcing the data drop that some documents "contain untrue and sensationalist claims made against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election."
- The White House wouldn't comment when reached by Axios.
- Trump has not been accused of wrongdoing.
Driving the news: A 2020 email from a federal prosecutor states that Trump was listed as a passenger on Epstein's jet at least eight times between 1993 and 1996.
- The attorney said flights included one trip where the only three passengers were Trump, Epstein and a 20-year-old whose name was redacted.
- He was also listed on other flights as traveling with his ex-wife, Marla Maples, and two of his children, Tiffany and Eric, per the email.
- "On two other flights, two of the passengers, respectively, were women who would be possible witnesses" in a case against Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, the message read.
What's inside: The drop also revealed that Trump's Mar-a-Lago club was subpoenaed in 2021 to produce documents in the case against Maxwell.
- It was instructed to bring "Any and all employment records relating to" a redacted name.
Zoom out: The files also include a letter signed "J. Epstein" to sexual abuser Larry Nassar before Epstein's 2019 suicide. The handwritten note says that the two men "shared one thing … our love & caring for young ladies and the hope they reach their full potential."
- The letter reads, "Our president also shares our love of young, nubile girls. When a young beauty walked by he loved to 'grab snatch,' whereas we ended up snatching grub in the mess halls of the system."
What they're saying: The DOJ said in a Tuesday statement that it is looking into the validity of the letter.
- The department states that "The postmark on the envelope is Virginia, not New York, where Jeffrey Epstein was jailed at the time," the return address "listed the wrong jail where Epstein was held," and that "the envelope was processed three days AFTER Epstein's death."
- What appears to be the envelope for the letter, postmarked with a date three days after Epstein's death, is included in the files, with a return-to-sender stamp.
- A separate file shows that the FBI requested a handwriting analysis to "conclude if the individual who wrote the letter was Epstein or another unknown person." It was unclear if the analysis was conducted or what it determined.
References to others
The dataset also includes mentions of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who was stripped of his royal and nobility titles earlier this year.
- One document shows a tense exchange between federal prosecutors and the former Prince Andrew's lawyer after the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York said the then-prince provided "zero cooperation" with the Epstein investigation.
In 2001, someone going by "The Invisible Man" with the sign-off "A" sent an email to Maxwell, asking, "Have you found me some new inappropriate friends?"
- In a message seemingly in response, Maxwell replies, "So sorry to dissapoint [sic] you, however the truth must be told. I have only been able to find appropriate friends."
- A separate email address attributed to the "Duke of York" in the files also sent emails under the alias "The Invisible Man."
- Mountbatten-Windsor previously said he did not "see, witness or suspect any behaviour of the sort that subsequently led to his [Epstein's] arrest and conviction," per the BBC.
In 2021, an assistant U.S. attorney said in a message that there were "a number of text messages between Steve Bannon and Jeffrey Epstein on Bannon's iPhone 7."
- Later that year, another individual who appeared to be probing the "We Build the Wall" scheme wrote that they found an image of Trump and Maxwell.
What else is inside
The new files also include messages among prison officials about Epstein's psychological assessments ahead of his death while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
- "We have supporting memorandums from the responding officers who indicated they observed inmate Epstein with a makeshift noose around his neck," one email stated.
Also included are references to memos on possible co-conspirators.
- But prosecutors ultimately only charged Epstein and Maxwell.
Catch up quick: The release of the files is mandated by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which passed Congress near-unanimously.
- The initial release included transcripts of Maxwell's July interviews with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, flight logs from Epstein's private jet and photos of the disgraced financier's prior acquaintances, including former President Bill Clinton.
What he's saying: Asked about the images of Clinton in the files at an event Monday, Trump lamented, "I think it's terrible. … I like Bill Clinton."
- "I hate to see photos come out of him, but this is what the Democrats, mostly Democrats, and a couple of bad Republicans, are asking for," he said, arguing that "everybody was friendly with" Epstein.
- Trump continued, "I don't like the pictures of Bill Clinton being shown. I don't like the pictures of other people being shown," adding that "you probably have pictures being exposed of other people that innocently met Jeffrey Epstein years ago."
Yes, but: On Monday, a Clinton spokesperson called on Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to release any remaining materials referring to the former president.
Axios' April Rubin contributed to this report.
Go deeper: Year of the Epstein files enters final chapter
Editor's note: This story has been updated throughout with additional reporting and context.
