Mark Epstein has responded to new emails released by House Democrats allegedly sent by his brother, the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, about President Donald Trump in a statement to Newsweek.
Mark Epstein said in the correspondence that he would not be “surprised” if there were more emails about Trump, but he could not confirm or deny their existence.
Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment via email.
Why It Matters
Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide in a New York federal jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking. There have long been rumors of an Epstein “client list,” though it has never been made public. Trump indicated on the campaign trail that he would support the release of documents related to Epstein, but his administration has faced bipartisan criticism for not following through.
The new emails released by House Democrats on Wednesday have fueled questions about whether Trump knew anything about Jeffrey Epstein’s activities. Trump has always denied any personal wrongdoing or knowledge of Epstein’s crimes before his conviction. Trump has said he threw Jeffrey Epstein out of his Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida over his behavior.
What To Know
The newly released emails are dated 2011, 2015 and 2019. They involve correspondents between Epstein, his associate Ghislaine Maxwell and journalist Michael Wolff. In a 2011 email, Jeffrey Epstein referred to Trump as a “dog that hasn’t barked,” and said that a victim spent “hours at my house with him.”
In a December 2015 email, Jeffrey Epstein and Wolff discussed how Trump should answer questions about their relationship. In January 2019, Jeffrey Epstein mentioned Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club, and that Trump “said he asked me to resign, never a member ever.” He also wrote, “of course he knew about the girls as he asked ghislaine to stop.”
In a text exchange with Newsweek, Mark Epstein said he would not be “surprised” if there were more emails with damaging information about Trump, but he could not confirm or deny their existence. He also said he had “no opinion” about the comments from Wolff.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to the release of the emails during a press conference on Wednesday.
“These emails prove absolutely nothing other than the fact that President Trump did nothing wrong. What President Trump has always said is that he was from Palm Beach, and so was Jeffrey Epstein. Jeffrey Epstein was a member at Mar-a-Lago until President Trump kicked him out, because Jeffrey Epstein was a pedophile and he was a creep,” Leavitt said.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that Democrats are using the emails “to try and deflect from their massive failures, in particular, their most recent one — THE SHUTDOWN!”
The renewed Epstein discussion comes as Trump continues to face pressure to release the files.
Democratic Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva is set to be sworn in on Wednesday and is expected to be the 218th signature on a petition to force a vote for the release of the Justice Department’s files into their Epstein investigation.
Mark Epstein has also previously discussed his brother.
In July, he told the BBC, “In the 2016 election, we were talking about the election and Jeffrey told me that if he said what he knew about the candidates, they would have to cancel the election.” Mark Epstein has also cast doubt about whether his brother actually died by suicide.
What People Are Saying
House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Robert Garcia, a California Democrat, wrote in a statement: “The more Donald Trump tries to cover up the Epstein files, the more we uncover. These latest emails and correspondence raise glaring questions about what else the White House is hiding and the nature of the relationship between Epstein and the President.”
The House Oversight Committee GOP wrote in a post to X: “Why did Democrats cover up the name when the Estate didn’t redact it in the redacted documents provided to the committee? It’s because this victim, Virginia Giuffre, publicly said that she never witnessed wrongdoing by President Trump. Democrats are trying to create a fake narrative to slander President Trump. Shame on them.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat and potential 2028 White House contender, wrote to X: “Color me shocked. Any comment, @JDVance?”
Representative Nancy Mace, a South Carolina Republican, wrote to X: “How pathetic that Democrats are using Epstein’s victims to bury headlines on their vote against reopening the government.”
What Happens Next
The House will vote Wednesday evening on a bill to end the ongoing government shutdown.
Once that bill is completed, Republican Representative Thomas Massie’s petition would compel a vote on the Epstein files, so long as all members currently on the petition remain on it. Trump has met with Representative Lauren Boebert, a Colorado Republican who has joined the petition, about the matter, according to a report in The New York Times.
