Newly released emails reveal Epstein kept close eye on Trump | Jeffrey Epstein

A series of documents released Wednesday by the House Oversight Committee revealed that Jeffrey Epstein’s team kept him informed of Donald Trump’s decisions. plane travel regarding his own transportation – and that the late sex trafficker kept up to date with his former friend years after their relationship deteriorated.

This disclosure of approximately 20,000 pages from Republican committee members linked to Epstein comes as Trump continues to grapple with the political fallout related to their past friendship — and the failure of his Justice Department to release the documents as he long promised on the campaign trail.

Most of the discussions reviewed by the Guardian regarding Trump’s location appear to concern flight logistics, as he and Epstein often used the same airports.

On November 25, 2016, just weeks after Trump’s presidential election victory, Epstein’s pilot, Larry Visoski, wrote: “Trump is still scheduled to leave Sunday between 4 and 6 p.m. Let me know if we are firm for a Saturday 6pm departure? Epstein responded, “I’ll let you know in the morning.”

But other emails tracked Trump’s movements more generally. Epstein received a warning on December 2, 2017: “Trump in our neighborhood today. Looks like he’s going to 740 Park for a fundraiser.” The sender’s name was redacted in the email, but it was signed by Richard Kahn, Epstein’s accountant.

A visitor waiting outside Epstein’s house made a joke about Trump while waiting to enter. “[I’m] at the door but I will bide my time. . I don’t want to come early to find Trump at your house,” they wrote, adding two smiley face emojis. Their names were redacted in the email.

The cache of documents also indicates that Epstein associates passed on numerous Trump-related news articles, including reports involving controversies surrounding the president. Media coverage included a January 2019 article about the arrest of Trump ally Roger Stone and an article about Michael Cohen’s discussions with prosecutors.

Email exchanges with friends and associates showed Epstein disparaging Trump. In December 2018 correspondence, Epstein told former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers that “Trump – borderline crazy…dersh, a few feet further from the border but not by much” – apparently referring to his former lawyer, Alan Dershowitz.

Summers asked: “Will Trump descend into madness? »

“This is not a new phenomenon for him. In the past he was told not to leave his apartment. This is how he survived a near personal bankruptcy. His strength is remarkable. He is beaten 24/7,” Epstein responded. “I hope someone close to him gets charged, but I’m not sure, otherwise the pressure of the unknown will force him to do crazy things.”

In another exchange in March 2018, Landon Thomas Jr., then a New York Times reporter, sent Epstein a Daily Beast article that questioned whether Trump was close to a “psychiatric breakdown.” Epstein responded: “He’s lonely and he’s crazy!!!, I told everyone from day one. evil beyond belief crazy, and most thought I was speaking metaphorically, obviously he could snap. Stormy Daniels. ? lies after lies after lies.”

Asked to comment on the emails, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said: “These emails prove literally nothing. » A representative for Summers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Epstein received several updates from his pilot about Trump’s movements over the years covered in the release. “President-elect’s updated schedule: The Trump plane will arrive in Orlando at 5 p.m. Friday for the event, then arrive in Palm Beach at 10 p.m. He is usually late, so 11 p.m. could be a realistic time for his PBI arrival,” Visoski wrote in December 2016, also noting that the airport would close for 20 minutes before and after Trump’s arrival.

“I will keep you posted if the time changes,” he also said. Visoksi’s emails regarding Trump’s flights appeared to be a response to Epstein’s “won’t leave until 8 p.m. tomorrow” email.

Visoski had more information on Trump on September 30, 2017. “I heard President Trump is arriving in St. Thomas on Tuesday for information,” he wrote.

In November of that year, Epstein discussed an apparently planned trip to Little St James, an island in the US Virgin Islands, where he allegedly abused teenage girls.

“For now, we will go to [Little St James] early Sunday the 26th, then to New York where I will stay for the week,” Epstein told his pilot, Visoski. “Trump is in town that week.” Nothing in the email suggests Epstein planned to meet with Trump.

Visoski responded with Trump’s arrival and departure times and said in a subsequent email that it “shouldn’t be too bad if we leave early and Trump is not expected to leave until 3 p.m. Sunday,” adding: “The departure will be similar to a DCA departure with customs.” »

In another email that month, Visoski wrote: “As long as Trump is in PBI, TSA only allows arrivals and departures between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. for general aviation. »

A few months later, in March 2018, Visoski gave Epstein another update on Trump regarding air travel. “Thanks 3 p.m. Wednesday Teterboro confirmed, Friday Trump arrives at PBI, I will confirm time, thank you.”

Later that year, in December, in another email, Visoski wrote: “Since President Trump has not yet come to PBI” – apparently referring to Palm Beach International Airport – “for your departure to Ls3 on December 26th, should Darren and Dave pick you up from PBI? Or would you prefer Boca for departure, at this time no problem from TSA to PBI.”

Several months before his arrest on sex trafficking charges, Epstein provided information to his team. “President Trump is going to visit our neighbors on Thursday, so don’t be surprised if the Secret Service checks in.” The employee responded, “Thanks for the warning, sir.” »

Trump wasn’t the only high-profile figure whose travels Epstein discussed. The documents also show that in September 2012, an Epstein aide was tasked with informing Epstein that “Vice President Joe Biden is in West Palm Beach and is scheduled to leave today between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m..”

“He also parks on the Galaxy ramp in Palm Beach,” the email adds. “The airport will be closed between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. We will have to board at 4 p.m. or 2 p.m..”

The newly released documents came shortly after House Democrats on the Oversight Committee released three previously unpublished email exchanges sent by Epstein in 2011, 2015 and 2019, in which the disgraced financier described Trump as the “dog that didn’t bark” and alleged that Trump had “spent hours” at Epstein’s home with one of Epstein’s victims, and claimed that “of course » Trump “knew about the girls”.

The release of these email exchanges reignited the controversy over Epstein that has plagued Trump for months and reignited public scrutiny of his past ties to Epstein.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump accused Democrats of “trying to revisit the Jeffrey Epstein hoax because they would do anything to distract from their poor record on shutdowns and so many other issues.”

In a statement, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Democrats had “selectively leaked emails to liberal media outlets to create a false narrative aimed at defaming President Trump.” She added that the anonymous victim mentioned in the emails was the late Virginia Giuffre, who she said “repeatedly stated that President Trump was not involved in any wrongdoing.”

“Trump kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of his club decades ago because he was a creep to his female employees, including Giuffre,” Leavitt said, adding, “These stories are nothing more than bad faith efforts to distract from President Trump’s historic accomplishments, and any American with common sense sees through this hoax and clear distraction from reopening government.”