Mr. Epstein said in an email that he was asked whether he believed reporters were framed by Mr. Trump. Epstein was indicted during President Trump’s first term.
Biggest takeaways from Epstein’s emails and references to Trump
Josh Meyer, USA TODAY’s domestic security correspondent, investigated thousands of Epstein emails. Here are the biggest takeaways about President Trump:
WASHINGTON – Disgraced financier and accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein spent 13 months in prison, but as federal investigators closed in on sex trafficking charges, the question he posed was whether he would have to testify before Congress and whether he would have to wear a tie.
Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from a minor and served 13 months in prison. He was indicted on federal sex trafficking charges in July 2019 and faces a maximum sentence of 45 years in prison. He died a month later by suicide in prison while awaiting trial.
But in May 2019, Epstein said in an email to author Michael Wolff that he was being pursued by journalists who suspected President Donald Trump had framed him during his first term.
Concerns about Epstein’s investigation were revealed in emails among 23,000 pages of documents subpoenaed from his estate and released on November 12 by the House Oversight and Accountability Committee.
Epstein repeatedly referred to President Trump in the email, saying he “spent hours at my house” and “knew the girls.” Mr. Trump attended Mr. Epstein’s parties and flew on Mr. Epstein’s plane in the 1990s, but later expelled Mr. Epstein from his Mar-a-Lago club for recruiting female employees.
President Trump has vehemently denied knowing about Epstein’s wrongdoing and said the release of the emails was part of a Democratic conspiracy to distract from his administration’s accomplishments. White House press secretary Caroline Levitt said the emails mentioning President Trump were not proof of anything.
In an email to Wolf, Epstein claimed that he had “never before been charged with providing sexual massages for money to a woman in his home.” He said all the girls were paid and returned.
But a federal indictment accuses Epstein of abusing dozens of underage girls and trafficking them to celebrities and wealthy men. Epstein was routinely photographed wearing open-necked button-down shirts and polo shirts, whether he was standing next to future President Trump or not.
Epstein wrote on May 30, 2019: “My team is concerned that I will receive a subpoena for a meeting. Do I have to wear a tie?”
Michael Wolff was a freelance USA TODAY contributor from 2012 to early 2017. USA TODAY had no knowledge of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein or any of his activities beyond his publication submissions. We value integrity and transparency in order to uphold our editorial standards and maintain the trust of our readers.
