The New York Times found more than 38,000 references to US President Donald Trump in the newly released Epstein files — more than double the number of times the name “Harry” appears in all seven Harry Potter books (18,956), according to Ladbible.
A newly released tranche of Justice Department documents linked to Jeffrey Epstein contains tens of thousands of references to President Donald Trump, according to a New York Times review, even as the Trump administration insists that federal investigators have found no credible information to justify prosecuting the president’s sexual misconduct allegations.
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Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday that the Justice Department had looked into the allegations involving Epstein — a convicted sex offender who died in 2019 — but found no evidence to warrant further investigation.
“The Department of Justice looked into allegations of sexual misconduct by President Trump involving sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, but found no credible information to warrant further investigation,” Blanche said.
A Justice Department official says the review found no credible basis for further investigation
Blanche spoke on CNN’s “State of the Union,” less than 48 hours after the administration released roughly three million pages of documents amassed over years of federal scrutiny of Epstein’s network.
The release reignited a controversy that has dogged Trump for months, especially after several of his allies promised to release the Epstein files during the 2024 campaign — before the administration later slowed and scaled back its releases.
The president has repeatedly denied wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.
New York Times: 5,300 files contain 38,000 Trump-related links
Using what it described as a proprietary search engine, The New York Times said it identified more than 5,300 files containing more than 38,000 references to Trump, his wife’s Mar-a-Lago and other related words and phrases in the latest batch of documents.
The newspaper said earlier releases last year included an additional 130 files with Trump-related links.
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The Times noted that many of Trump’s references in the newly released material appear in news articles and other publicly available documents that arrived in Epstein’s email inbox. She said none of the files included direct communications between Trump and Epstein and that few records date from the early 2000s — when the men were known to be socially close.
FBI tips in the files contain “salacious information” but remain unverified
The newly released files contain a summary of FBI tips received through the bureau’s National Threat Operations Center that contained allegations involving Trump and Epstein.
The Times reported that Trump is named in unverified tips received by the FBI and that he was one of several prominent men mentioned in an email written by an FBI official in material described as “salacious information.”
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The summary did not include corroborating evidence, and The Times said it would not detail the claims. The names of some tipsters have not been redacted.
Interview notes with the victim mention the Mar-a-Lago meeting but do not allege wrongdoing
The files also include handwritten notes and interview transcripts from federal investigators who spoke with Epstein’s victims.
One set of notes from September 2019 — about a month after Epstein died in a Manhattan jail — records the victim recalling being driven in a dark green car to Mar-a-Lago.
“This is good, huh?” the victim recalls Mr. Epstein telling Mr. Trump.
But the remarks do not indicate wrongdoing by Trump.
Another file includes a report that Juan Alessi, who worked for Epstein, told investigators that Trump — along with other prominent figures — visited Epstein’s home.
The White House declines to comment on specific documents
A White House spokesman declined to answer questions about individual documents, instead pointing to Trump’s remarks to reporters on Saturday in which he claimed the files “exonerated” me of wrongdoing.
The administration says there are no conflicts of interest between Trump’s public role and his personal legal or political exposure related to the Epstein revelations.
Newly published documents recycle previously announced material
Much of what appears in the latest version reinforces information that is already publicly available, according to The Times.
Investigators, journalists and lawyers have long sought to map Epstein’s relationships with powerful figures, including Trump, and many of the new links are said to duplicate earlier disclosures.
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The files also show that even after Trump and Epstein’s relationship ended, Epstein continued to focus on his former friend, watching his rise and looking for ways to exploit him.
In one example cited by The Times, Epstein’s accountant sent him a link to a Reuters article in 2018 about a congressional investigation involving Trump and Deutsche Bank — a lender central to Trump’s finances and also Epstein’s main bank at the time.
An email from a woman named “Melania” to Ghislaine Maxwell surfaces
Among the most notable news items is an email exchange involving a sender named Melania and Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime associate who is now serving 20 years in prison for her role in his sex-trafficking operation.
“Dear G!” begins an email from October 2002. “Nice story about JE in NY mag. You look great in the picture. I know you are very busy flying around the world. … Have a great time!” The sender signs off, “Love, Melanie.”
The email address has been redacted, and it remains unclear whether the sender was Melania Knavs — now Melania Trump — who married Trump about three years later.
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Maxwell appeared to reply in January 2003: “Sweat pea – thanks for your message,” she wrote. She added that she wouldn’t have time to meet, but said, “I’ll try to call,” and signed off, “Have a good time.”
Evidence of sensitivity to Trump’s presence in the files
The documents also reveal what The Times described as an apparent sensitivity in the Trump administration regarding the president’s appearance in the controversy.
One file contains text messages between Epstein and Stephen K. Bannon, Trump’s former adviser, from 2019. One of the messages contained a photo of Trump giving a speech — but his face was obscured by a black redacted frame. Bannon declined to comment, according to the report.
The Justice Department also reportedly released and then removed a photo of Epstein’s Manhattan mansion in December that showed a picture of Trump with several women in a drawer. The department later released the image, saying it had been temporarily removed to protect Epstein’s victims.
Epstein’s email suggests he considered contacting Trump in 2011
One newly released email suggests Epstein considered contacting Trump in 2011 about Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s most high-profile victims, who died by suicide last year.
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In an email to the private investigator, Epstein said he wanted to talk to Trump about Giuffre and asked if there were alternatives before doing so. It remains unclear whether Epstein ever contacted Trump.
Giuffre said she was drawn into Epstein’s orbit while working at Mar-a-Lago. Trump said he ended his relationship with Epstein at least in part because Epstein “stole” Giuffre from the Florida club, noting she never accused him of wrongdoing.
