WASHINGTON — Newly released documents from the US Justice Department indicate that former president Donald Trump flew on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s private jet multiple times during the 1990s, according to an internal email written by a New York prosecutor. The records were made public on Tuesday, December 23, as part of a broader release of files related to Epstein.
An email dated January 7, 2020, and written by an unidentified prosecutor, stated that flight records showed Trump had flown on Epstein’s jet eight times in the 1990s. This figure is higher than what had been previously reported in public discussions about Epstein’s network of high-profile acquaintances. The email noted that on at least four of those flights, Ghislaine Maxwell, a longtime associate of Epstein, was also on board.
Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence after being convicted for her role in helping Epstein sexually abuse underage girls. Epstein, a wealthy financier with powerful social connections, died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. His death was officially ruled a suicide.
The prosecutor’s email did not accuse Trump of any criminal conduct. It focused solely on flight records and the presence of various passengers. On one flight detailed in the documents, the only passengers listed were Epstein, Trump, and a 20-year-old woman whose name was redacted. The email also stated that on two other flights, women who were later considered possible witnesses in the Maxwell case were among the passengers.
In a social media post made in 2024, Trump denied ever flying on Epstein’s plane or visiting his private island, calling it “stupid.” The newly released email appears to contradict that public statement, though Trump has consistently said he was unaware of Epstein’s criminal behavior and has denied any involvement in wrongdoing. Trump has acknowledged knowing Epstein socially in the 1990s and early 2000s but has said their relationship ended in the mid-2000s.
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the contents of the email. Meanwhile, the Department of Justice issued a statement on X addressing the document release. The DOJ said some of the materials include “untrue and sensationalist claims” about Trump that were submitted to the FBI shortly before the 2020 election. According to the department, those claims were investigated and deemed unfounded.
The DOJ emphasized that the documents were released in the interest of transparency and in compliance with legal requirements, while still protecting the identities of Epstein’s victims. The latest release reportedly includes around 30,000 pages of documents, many of them heavily redacted, along with dozens of video clips, some said to have been recorded inside a federal detention center.
The disclosure has renewed public debate over Epstein’s connections to influential figures and the extent to which those relationships were scrutinized. While the documents provide new details about past travel, officials stressed that flight records alone do not imply criminal activity, and no new charges have been announced in connection with the release.
