House Democrats released emails on Wednesday suggesting President Donald Trump knew of Jeffrey Epstein's sex crimes but did not report them. Republicans countered with over 20,000 pages of documents, while the White House dismissed the release as a Democratic distraction. Trump responded by directing the DOJ to investigate Epstein's ties to prominent Democrats.
On Wednesday, November 13, 2025, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee published a batch of previously unreleased emails from Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender. The messages, sent to associates including Ghislaine Maxwell, indicated that Trump was aware of Epstein's abuses. One email to Maxwell stated Trump "knew of" the investigation into Epstein's crimes "and came to my house many times during that period." Epstein told journalist Michael Wolff that "of course" Trump "knew about the girls." Another message described Trump as "the dog that hasn’t barked" after spending "hours" at Epstein’s house with one of his victims.
House Republicans quickly responded by releasing more than 20,000 pages of Epstein files, accusing Democrats of cherry-picking emails to portray Trump negatively. The White House called the documents a distraction, maintaining that Trump had no real relationship with Epstein and did nothing wrong. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt noted that the referenced victim was Virginia Giuffre, who had said Trump was not involved in any wrongdoing and "couldn’t have been friendlier" to her.
The emails also contradicted Maxwell's July 2025 testimony to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, where she claimed Trump and Epstein were not close and Trump knew nothing of the crimes. Maxwell was transferred to a minimum-security prison shortly after, receiving privileges like customized meals. Blanche, Trump's former defense attorney, has faced criticism for the interview.
On Friday, Trump directed Attorney General Pam Bondi and the DOJ to investigate Epstein's connections to Democrats, including Bill Clinton, Larry Summers, and Reid Hoffman. In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote: "Now that the Democrats are using the Epstein Hoax... I will be asking A.G. Pam Bondi... to investigate Jeffrey Epstein’s involvement and relationship with Bill Clinton, Larry Summers, Reid Hoffman, J.P. Morgan, Chase..." He added that records show these men spent significant time with Epstein, including on his island.
Clinton's ties include flights on Epstein's plane and a 2002 photo receiving a massage from accuser Chauntae Davies, though she accused only Epstein of wrongdoing. Summers sought Epstein's advice on a relationship post-Epstein's guilty plea, and Hoffman expressed regret for aiding Epstein's reputation. J.P. Morgan Chase settled with victims for $290 million in 2023 after handling over $1 billion for Epstein.