Freshly released emails from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate have sparked renewed controversy, as Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee face criticism for “selectively leaking” documents in what the White House and conservative observers are calling a political smear campaign against President Donald Trump.
The messages, dating from 2011 and 2019 and obtained from the estate, allegedly show Epstein claiming that Trump “knew about the girls” and confronted Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime associate, urging her to halt the trafficking.
Critics say Democrats emphasized certain passages while leaving out key context, including that the unredacted emails reveal the unnamed victim is Virginia Giuffre, who has repeatedly stated Trump was not involved in wrongdoing.
In one 2019 email, Epstein wrote, “Trump said he asked me to resign, never a member ever… [O]f course he knew about the girls as he asked Ghislaine to stop.”
Another, from 2011, referred to Trump as “a dog that hasn’t barked,” criticizing him for not publicly addressing Epstein’s crimes, The Post Millennial reports.
Conservatives on social media and in commentary pointed out that these excerpts were framed to cast Trump in a negative light, while crucial clarifications—including Giuffre’s statements and Trump’s longstanding ban on Epstein from Mar-a-Lago—were left out of Democratic messaging.
Maxwell, Epstein’s convicted accomplice, is serving a 20-year prison sentence for aiding his trafficking of minors.
The release comes amid preparations for a potential showdown over long-secret Justice Department files related to Epstein.
A bipartisan discharge petition, led by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA), has gathered enough support to force action, with high-profile GOP figures—including Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Nancy Mace (R-SC)—signing on despite pressure from party leadership.
Once certified, the measure triggers a seven-legislative-day countdown, followed by a two-day window for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to schedule a House floor vote, according to Trending Politics.
Critics say Democrats are using the pending vote to amplify a politically motivated narrative while key details remain unreported.
Oversight Chair James Comer (R-KY) has subpoenaed additional records, including Epstein’s “birthday book,” which reportedly contains a note celebrating Epstein’s 50th birthday, allegedly signed by Trump.
The president denies authoring the note and has filed a lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal over its report.
Former Attorney General Bill Barr testified he never saw evidence linking Trump to Epstein’s crimes, noting the Biden administration likely would have released any such material.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called the email release a “bad-faith effort to smear President Trump,” highlighting that the unredacted files confirm Giuffre’s statements that Trump was not involved and emphasizing that Epstein had been banned from Mar-a-Lago for misconduct.
Conservative analysts argue the selective leak underscores how Democrats are weaponizing federal records to craft misleading narratives for political gain.
As Congress prepares for a December vote, the focus remains on both the emails and the Democrats’ handling of the release, highlighting tensions between oversight responsibilities, political messaging and public demand for transparency.
The unfolding controversy has placed Democrats under scrutiny for their role in shaping the public perception of the Epstein files, while also keeping Trump at the center of the debate.
