The United States Department of Justice on Tuesday local time released nearly 30,000 additional pages of documents linked to Jeffrey Epstein, stating that some of the material contains untrue claims made against President Donald Trump.
In a post on X, the DOJ said the allegations against Trump were false and would have been weaponised if they had any credibility. The department said the documents include unfounded and sensationalist claims submitted to the FBI shortly before the 2020 election. It added that the claims are baseless and that the DOJ is releasing the material as part of its legal obligation and commitment to transparency, while ensuring required protections for Epstein’s victims.
"Some of these documents contain untrue and sensationalist claims made against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election. To be clear: the claims are unfounded and false, and if they had a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponized against President Trump already.," it said.
Among the documents is a 2021 subpoena issued to the Mar a Lago Club, founded by Trump in 1995, according to CNN. The subpoena is linked to an investigation into Epstein’s former girlfriend and convicted accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell.
The release also includes a letter signed “J Epstein” that was sent to convicted sex offender Larry Nassar in the same month Epstein died by suicide in 2019. CNN reported that the letter refers to Trump indirectly using the phrase “our president,” without naming him.
However, the DOJ said the FBI has confirmed the letter is fake. The department stated that the handwriting does not match Epstein’s, the letter was postmarked 3 days after his death from Northern Virginia while Epstein was jailed in New York, and the return address did not include the jail or Epstein’s inmate number, both of which are required for outgoing mail.
In its statement on X, the DOJ said the fake letter highlights that the release of documents does not mean the claims within them are factual. The department added that it will continue to release all material required by law.
The Epstein Files refer to a collection of documents containing names, photographs, letters and records of interactions linked to Jeffrey Epstein, who was charged with sex trafficking of minors.
