TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Several new files released on Tuesday contain numerous references to the President of the United States (US), Donald Trump. According to Al Jazeera, these include documents detailing his flights on Epstein's private jet.
Trump, 79, flew on Jeffrey Epstein's private jet, a convicted sex offender, "many more times than previously has been reported." This is according to an email from a New York prosecutor as part of a new collection of Epstein documents.
In an email dated January 7, 2020, an unnamed prosecutor wrote that flight records show Trump had flown on Epstein's private jet eight times during the 1990s. Among these flights, at least four included Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's associate.
Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence for aiding the late Epstein in sexually abusing underage girls. Maxwell, Epstein's former girlfriend, remains the only person convicted in connection with his crimes.
In a social media post in 2024, Trump stated that he had "was never on Epstein’s Plane, or at his ‘stupid’ Island."
The email from the prosecutor does not accuse Trump of any wrongdoing. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the email.
The US Department of Justice issued a statement on Tuesday, stating that some documents contain “untrue and sensationalist claims” about Trump. These documents were handed over to the FBI after the 2020 presidential election, which was won by Trump, but did not provide further details.
“To be clear: the claims are unfounded and false, and if they had a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponised against President Trump already,” the Department of Justice said in a social media post.
The Trump administration has opposed the release of documents related to Epstein and has been accused of violating a law passed last November when a number of documents released last week included many redacted portions.
The latest release includes about 8,000 files, including video and audio recordings as well as 30,000 pages of documents.
Many names and details in the latest release are redacted. Some redactions appear to obscure the names of prosecutors and government officials, going beyond exceptions in the Epstein file law that allows limited redactions to protect details about Epstein's victims.
“On two other flights, two of the passengers, respectively, were women who would be possible witnesses in a Maxwell case,” the document stated.
In one flight, there were only three passengers, namely Trump, Epstein, and a 20-year-old woman whose name was kept secret.
Epstein's Cell Where He Died
Some videos are said to show the inside of the federal detention center where Epstein died in 2019. His death was ruled a suicide, but speculation about the circumstances of his death continues.
Trump has downplayed the significance of the Epstein files, stating on Monday that the files were being used by his political rivals to 'distract from the tremendous success' of his administration.
As reported by France24, a number of heavily redacted Epstein files were first made public last Friday. These files sparked criticism that the US Department of Justice intentionally delayed publication and excluded references to Trump.
Trump stated on Monday that he did not approve the release of the files and expressed concerns that people who "innocently met" Epstein over the years were at risk of damaging their reputations.
''Everybody was friendly with this guy,'' he said.
He did not immediately react to the latest release on Tuesday, and instead posted on Truth Social about the economy and other topics.
Trump was friends with Epstein for years and has given various versions of how he ended their relationship.
He said they had a falling out when Epstein "stole" young women who worked at his Florida golf club spa and also that he barred him from the club because he was "a creep".
However, the latest documents add evidence to Trump's closeness to Epstein, despite his claims contradicting that.
A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll showed that 52 percent of Americans disagree with Trump's handling of the Epstein files, while 23 percent agree.
Approximately 70 percent said they believe the government is hiding details about Epstein's relationships with influential associates who might have been involved in the sex trafficking of teenage girls.
Democratic lawmakers and some Republican members continue to push for further release of material. Trump's right-wing base is split on his handling of the Epstein-related documents, which were promised by his administration to be released before entering the White House.
Republican Congressman Thomas Massie on Monday accused Attorney General Pam Bondi of 'working hard to redact, remove, and delete Epstein files that she is legally obligated to release under our bill'.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche blamed the slow release of the files on the need to redact the identities of over 1,000 Epstein victims from the records.
Read: US Denies Changing Epstein Files to Redact Trump
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