Epstein files: NYT finds 38,000 Donald Trump-related references after DOJ says claims lack credibility

The New York Times found more than 38,000 references to US president Donald Trump across the newly released Epstein files — a figure that Ladbible suggests is more than double the number of times the name “Harry” appears across all seven Harry Potter books (18,956).

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 federal investigators found no credible information to justify pursuing sexual misconduct allegations involving the president.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Sunday that the Justice Department had examined allegations connected to Epstein — the convicted sex offender who died in 2019 — but did not identify evidence warranting further investigation.

“The Justice Department looked into sexual misconduct allegations against President Trump in connection with the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein but did not find credible information to merit further investigation,” Blanche said.

The release has reignited a controversy that has trailed Trump for months, particularly after several of his allies promised during the 2024 campaign to make the Epstein files public — before the administration later slowed and narrowed its disclosures.

The president has repeatedly denied wrongdoing in connection to Epstein.

The paper said earlier releases last year included another 130 files with Trump-related references.

The Times noted that many of the Trump mentions in the newly released material appear in news articles and other publicly available documents that had arrived in Epstein’s email inbox. It said none of those files included direct communications between Trump and Epstein, and that few records dated back to the early 2000s — when the men were known to be socially close.

The Times reported that Trump is named in unverified tips received by the FBI and that he was one of several prominent men referenced in material described as “salacious information” in an email written by an FBI official.

The summary did not include corroborating evidence, and The Times said it would not describe details of the claims. Some tipsters’ names were not redacted.

One set of notes from September 2019 — around a month after Epstein died in a Manhattan jail — records a victim recalling being transported in a dark green car to Mar-a-Lago.

“This is a good one, huh?” the victim recalls Mr. Epstein saying to Mr. Trump.

The notes, however, do not suggest misconduct by Trump.

Another file includes a report that Juan Alessi, who worked for Epstein, told investigators that Trump — alongside other prominent individuals — had visited Epstein’s home.

The administration has maintained that there are no conflicts of interest between Trump’s public role and his personal legal or political exposure connected to the Epstein disclosures.

Investigators, journalists and lawyers have long sought to map Epstein’s relationships with powerful figures, including Trump, and many of the new references are said to duplicate earlier disclosures.

The files also show that, even after Trump and Epstein’s relationship ended, Epstein remained focused on his former friend, tracking his rise and seeking ways to leverage it.

In one example cited by The Times, Epstein’s accountant sent him a link in 2018 to a Reuters article about congressional investigations involving Trump and Deutsche Bank — a lender central to Trump’s finances and also, at the time, Epstein’s main bank.

“Dear G!,” the October 2002 email begins. “Nice story about JE in NY mag. You look great on the picture. I know you are very busy flying all over the world. … Have a great time!” The sender signs off: “Love, Melania.”

The email address was redacted, and it remains unclear whether the sender was Melania Knavs — now Melania Trump — who married Trump roughly three years later.

Maxwell appears to respond in January 2003: “Sweat pea — thanks for your message,” she wrote. She added she would not have time to meet but said: “I will try and call though,” and signed off: “Keep well.”

One file contains text messages between Epstein and Stephen K. Bannon, Trump’s former adviser, from 2019. One of the messages included a photo of Trump delivering a speech — but his face was covered by a black redaction box. Bannon declined to comment, according to the report.

The Justice Department also reportedly posted, then removed, a photo of Epstein’s Manhattan mansion in December in which an image of Trump with several women was visible inside a drawer. The department later reposted the image and said it had been temporarily removed to protect Epstein’s victims.

In the email to a private investigator, Epstein said he wanted to speak to Trump about Giuffre and asked whether there were alternatives before doing so. It remains unclear whether Epstein ever contacted Trump.

Giuffre said she was drawn into Epstein’s orbit when she worked at Mar-a-Lago. Trump has said he ended his relationship with Epstein at least in part because Epstein “stole” Giuffre from the Florida club, while noting she never accused him of wrongdoing.