Epstein scandal reignites: Democrats release emails claiming Trump ‘knew about the girls’; White House says ‘fake narrative’

In a major political flashpoint, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday released a set of emails linked to Jeffrey Epstein, claiming they raise “serious questions” about U.S. President Donald Trump’s knowledge of Epstein’s alleged sexual abuse and trafficking of minors.

The release comes four months after the Trump administration closed its review of the Epstein case, saying there was no further information to disclose.

Among the messages disclosed were exchanges between Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and author Michael Wolff.

In one April 2011 email, Epstein wrote: “I want you to realise that that dog that hasn’t barked is Trump.”

He then added that a victim “spent hours at my house with him … he has never once been mentioned,” to which Maxwell replied, “I have been thinking about that…”

Another email, sent to Wolff on January 31, 2019, read: “Trump said he asked me to resign, never a member ever… of course he knew about the girls as he asked Ghislaine to stop.”

Democrats argue these messages “raise serious questions about Donald Trump and his knowledge of Epstein’s horrific crimes.”

White House response

The White House dismissed the claims, accusing Democrats of political theatre ahead of the 2026 election cycle.

“The Democrats selectively leaked emails to the liberal media to create a fake narrative to smear President Trump,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

Trump, who once counted Epstein as a social acquaintance, has repeatedly denied any involvement or prior knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activities. He has not been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein or Maxwell.

The email release comes as Democrats continue to push for a House vote compelling the publication of the full Epstein case files, which remain partially sealed.

While legal experts caution that the emails alone do not constitute evidence of criminal conduct, their disclosure is likely to fuel political tensions and reignite debate over Epstein’s connections with powerful figures across politics, business, and media.

Who was Jeffrey Epstein and what are the Epstein files?

The Epstein files are a huge collection of documents related to the criminal activities of Jeffrey Epstein, who was a child sex offender and trafficker.

Epstein was accused of raping young girls, trafficking minor girls for the sexual gratification of top politicians and celebrities.

In 2005, the Florida Police started probing into the conduct of Epstein, who started his career as a teacher and turned to banking and finance, after a parent accused him of sexually abusing her 14-year-old daughter.

Police found Epstein sexually abused as many as 36 young girls. He pleaded guilty to two counts and was convicted in 2008.

Though he was controversially released from prison early, Epstein was arrested again in 2019 for sex trafficking minors in New York and Florida.

The Epstein Files contains documents, contact lists, call records, and names of Epstein’s associates.

The US Department of Justice had, in February 2025, revealed that Trump was among many other influential people found in Epstein’s contact list.

The US government has, however, so far released only select records of the Epstein Files.