Monday, November 17, 2025 episode of the podcast The Excerpt: Last week’s newly released cache of 20,000 pages from the Epstein files once again raised questions about his ties to President Donald Trump. USA TODAY White House correspondent Bert Jansen joins The Excerpt to break down the latest news.
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Dana Taylor:
The Epstein file is back in the news, sparking new speculation about how deep President Donald Trump’s involvement may have gone.
Hello. Welcome to this excerpt from USA TODAY. I’m Dana Taylor. Today is Monday, November 17, 2025. 20,000 pages of new documents released last week have everyone talking about how much Trump knew and when he knew it. The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote to release the full version of a document that has reportedly sat on Attorney General Pam Bondi’s desk since she took office.
What did this latest set of Epstein documents reveal? And what are the chances that more will be revealed later this year? We talk to USA TODAY White House correspondent Bert Jansen to find out more. Bart, thank you so much for joining us.
Bert Jansen:
Thank you for having me.
Dana Taylor:
Last Wednesday, we saw a new batch of Epstein documents, including both emails and texts, released by the House Oversight Committee. Let’s start with Trump. What do we learn here?
Bert Jansen:
Democrats specifically highlighted several emails in which he was repeatedly mentioned. One email from April 2011 said he spent hours with one of Epstein’s victims at Epstein’s home. Another email from January 2019 said Trump knew Epstein had been exchanging emails about the women he was talking to the writer about. In both cases, Democrats wanted to emphasize that Mr. Trump was clearly an acquaintance of Mr. Epstein and part of his circle, but Mr. Trump has denied knowing about Mr. Epstein’s wrongdoing. The White House maintains that these emails prove nothing and, in fact, that the victims mentioned in the emails said that President Trump did not have sexual relations with the girls Epstein allegedly abused.
Dana Taylor:
We also learned that Epstein seemed eager to help Russia, one of America’s greatest enemies. What was the intent of that email?
Bert Jansen:
In an email from June 2018, about a month before Mr. Trump’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, it was found that Mr. Epstein essentially offered to a European intermediary to invite Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to learn more about Mr. Trump. “Let me tell you what you need to know going into this summit about Mr. Trump,” Epstein said. It is unclear from these emails whether Mr. Epstein actually contacted Mr. Lavrov or what information he provided.
Dana Taylor:
Bart, did you learn more about the Trump-Epstein relationship?
Bert Jansen:
Well, Trump has admitted to being friends with Epstein in the ’90s. He attended the party with Epstein. He flew with Epstein on his flight, but the two fell out, and President Trump expelled him from Epstein’s Mar-a-Lago club. She was angry that Epstein had recruited women who worked at Mar-a-Lago to work for him instead, and said Epstein had a creepy attitude toward women. There was this omission. He has said he had no knowledge of the wrongdoing with which Mr. Epstein was subsequently charged.
One of the more interesting emails revealed last week mentioned that Epstein told an acquaintance that Trump was among the guests at the 2017 Thanksgiving, which was supposed to be the first Thanksgiving of Trump’s first term as president. The White House did not directly respond to questions about whether Epstein attended Thanksgiving at his home. This was after a falling out, so we don’t know if he actually attended, but again, the White House says the emails don’t prove anything. And even if you attend the dinner, you are not participating in any illegal activity.
Dana Taylor:
Staying with Trump for a moment here, some have suggested that for some ardent MAGA supporters, the release of documents proving Trump’s deeper ties to Jeffrey Epstein, including his full knowledge of the sex trafficking of underage girls, is a line some just won’t cross. What do you think about that?
Bert Jansen:
Well, there’s obviously a little bit of a rift within the Republican Party as to how much of these records should be made public. The vast 23,000 pages of records released last week by the House Oversight Committee come from subpoenas of Epstein’s estate. The committee asked the foundation to turn over all kinds of documents, essentially flight logs, emails, and texts uncovered, including communications involving the president and vice president.
Lawmakers are still pushing for the release of Justice Department documents related to the Epstein investigation. Epstein was sentenced to 13 months in prison for soliciting prostitution from a minor during a 2006-2008 Florida investigation. As part of that plea agreement, the federal investigation against him was halted. Fast forward to 2019, and he was indicted federally on charges of conspiracy to traffic in minors.
Lawmakers and other advocates say all records of the ensuing investigation should be made public to reveal who Epstein knew, who was part of the trafficking ring and who helped keep it secret. That’s where the question becomes most troubling for President Trump, given his past relationships with Epstein and other highly public figures. Of course, other boldface names also appear in these records, such as the birthday book compiled on Epstein’s 50th birthday, which includes the names of people like former President Bill Clinton and Harvard Law Professor Emeritus Alan Dershowitz.
Lawmakers and other advocates are calling on the Justice Department to release all records related to its investigation. Attorney General Pam Bondi has already released all that can be released, but has refused to release any more records, saying pornographic videos and recordings that mention the victim’s name should not be released. Things were there in July when President Trump started saying, “Okay, it’s over. It’s over. No one needs to ask about this anymore.” He has tried to block further questions on the matter, but lawmakers continue to press for the release of the entire Justice Department file. That’s a vote expected this week on a bill that would force the Justice Department to release more than it has already released.
Dana Taylor:
But what are the chances of it passing?
Bert Jansen:
Now, to force a vote on this bill, a petition signed by a majority of House members from both parties was needed. Estimates are that the bill will be approved this week and sent to the Senate, but the outcome is uncertain. And, of course, the bill would need President Trump’s signature to take effect. President Trump opposes this bill. It’s unclear what the final outcome of the bill will be, as he doesn’t even want it to be voted on, but a vote in the House should pass.
This, of course, is key to all Democrats plus four Republicans demanding this vote. Four Republicans made the vote possible: Thomas Massey of Kentucky, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, and Lauren Boebert of Colorado. Boebert received a presentation in the White House Situation Room that was essentially aimed at dissuading her from voting or withdrawing her support, which Boebert has so far refused. At least four Republicans are expected to join Democrats in approving the bill.
Dana Taylor:
Mr. Burt, it was recently reported that Ghislaine Maxwell, a convicted Epstein co-conspirator currently serving a 20-year sentence in a minimum security prison, is asking the president to commute her sentence. How does that complicate the president’s delicate position on Epstein?
Bert Jansen:
Now, for his critics and those skeptical of his denials, it appears that the Justice Department is giving this convicted Epstein co-conspirator favorable treatment in prison, and granting her clemency will only heighten that criticism. But President Trump has said he is not yet considering pardoning Maxwell, a denial the White House reiterated last week. Of course, the president can change his mind and do whatever he wants with pardons and pay cuts, so we’ll have to keep looking at that. But so far he has denied that he is considering pardoning Maxwell.
Dana Taylor:
Bart, if you had to pick one takeaway from last week’s batch of new Epstein documents, what would it be?
Bert Jansen:
Well, I think this suggests that this Epstein scandal and the possibility of further document releases could haunt the Trump administration for the remainder of its second term. He has said there is no need to release more, but his critics and those skeptical about how much information has been released continue to demand that everything be made public. We’re at a bit of an impasse with the Department of Justice records right now. The records also include interview notes taken by the FBI from witnesses in the case. There may be a wealth of additional information available. It’s unclear whether it will be made public, but the continued demands for it could confuse the administration for months and even years.
Dana Taylor:
Bert Jansen is USA TODAY’s White House correspondent. Bart, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us today.
Bert Jansen:
Thank you for having me.
Dana Taylor:
We would like to thank Senior Producer Kaely Monahan for production assistance. Executive producer is Laura Beatty. Let us know what you think about this episode by sending a note to podcasts@usatoday.com. Thank you for your attention. I’m Dana Taylor. Tomorrow morning, we’ll be back with another episode of USA TODAY Excerpts.
