Were sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and US President Donald Trump "best friends"? As claims and counterclaims floated over the years, the US Department of Justice released thousands of files onm Friday, December 18 — as part of the "Epstein files".
The documents, which were heavily redacted, have so far revealed shocking photos of Epstein with several top political leaders, well-known celebrities and corporate moguls. Among the ones that gained widespread traction is a photo of former President Bill Clinton relaxing in a hot tub.
But, is there any mention of US President Trump in the files released by the DOJ on Friday? If yes, how many times?
Meanwhile, the New York Times preliminary analysis revealed that Trump's name was rarely mentioned in the batch of Jeffrey Epstein files that his Justice Department released recently.
According to Bloomberg, at least one photo of Trump and First Lady Melania Trump with Epstein’s longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell was part of the disclosure, though an initial review of the files revealed relatively few mentions of the current president.
Besides, written references to Trump came up in Epstein’s address book and flight logs, as well as a message book in which Epstein’s assistants let him know about missed phone calls. Versions of those documents were already public, the New York Times reported.
Trump’s name also came up in interviews with Maxwell, transcripts that the Justice Department had previously made public and rereleased on Friday.
In a 2016 deposition, Alan Dershowitz, who served as one of Epstein’s criminal defence lawyers, said that he had seen Trump at Epstein’s home. He didn’t provide specifics.
Other celebrities and business leaders including Richard Branson, Kevin Spacey and Bill Gates appear in images within the collection. A Bank of America statement for private equity titan Leon Black and his wife Debra, appears in the tranche.
Trump, 79, was once friends with Epstein but maintains he cut ties with him around two decades ago and that he was not aware of his sex offenses.
As a candidate, Trump pledged to release files related to Epstein.
In February, the Justice Department put out a first tranche of documents that were largely public already.
The additional releases and heavy redactions this time pose a risk for Trump, who could continue to battle questions about his involvement with Epstein as the calendar turns to 2026 and the midterm elections near.
Jeffrey Epstein net worth has been estimated at $578 million at the time of his death, according to his estate cited by Forbes. This also includes $380 million in cash and investments, apart from other assets.
Epstein excelled in math and graduated from school earlier than peers, briefly attending Cooper Union and New York University as per media reports published over the years as well as court filings.
