CNN
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A Wall Avenue Journal report late Thursday added new scrutiny to President Donald Trump’s relationship with the late intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The Journal reported that Epstein affiliate Ghislaine Maxwell requested Trump and lots of others to submit letters for an album for Epstein’s fiftieth birthday in 2003.
A letter bearing Trump’s identify included a lewd define of a unadorned lady and an imagined dialog between Trump and Epstein, in keeping with the Journal. Within the dialog, the 2 males mirror on how they share some type of secret data about how there’s “extra to life than having the whole lot.”
“Glad Birthday — and should daily be one other fantastic secret,” Trump concludes on this imagined dialog, in keeping with the Journal.
The president has denied he wrote the letter, and on Friday, he filed a libel lawsuit in opposition to the writer of the Wall Avenue Journal and the reporters who wrote the story.
“This isn’t me. It is a faux factor. It’s a faux Wall Avenue Journal story,” Trump advised the Journal in an interview earlier this week. “I by no means wrote an image in my life. I don’t draw footage of ladies.”
Trump added in a social media post after the story printed: “These will not be my phrases, not the way in which I speak. Additionally, I don’t draw footage.”
It’s been no secret that Trump and Epstein had been pleasant within the interval earlier than Epstein was charged with solicitation of prostitution within the mid 2000s. There are many images of them collectively.
However the brand new report – together with Trump’s calls for that his supporters stop pursuing questions about Epstein within the wake of his administration’s botched dealing with of promised disclosures – has rekindled curiosity within the matter.
Trump has now relented a bit on disclosure, instructing the Justice Division to hunt to unseal “any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval.” (The DOJ moved to do that on Friday, nevertheless it’s doable that gained’t reveal a lot or occur anytime quickly, given grand jury testimony is often stored secret. And that testimony is barely a small piece of the related info.)
So, what do we all know to date about Trump and Epstein’s relationship? Listed here are some key questions.
There are conflicting alerts on this. And Trump’s strained efforts to downplay their ties have raised loads of questions.
After Epstein was arrested and charged with intercourse trafficking of minors in 2019, Trump distanced himself.
“Effectively, I knew him like all people in Palm Seashore knew him,” Trump advised reporters throughout his first time period. “I imply, folks in Palm Seashore knew him. He was a fixture in Palm Seashore. I had a falling out with him a very long time in the past. I don’t assume I’ve spoken to him for 15 years. I wasn’t a fan.”
Trump then repeated twice extra that he had not been “a fan” of Epstein’s.
His account of not chatting with Epstein for the reason that 2000s is backed up by reporting. The Washington Put up has reported that the 2 males had a falling-out whereas competing over the identical Palm Seashore oceanfront property in 2004.
That may place the falling-out earlier than Epstein started getting in critical authorized hassle; in 2006, Epstein was charged with soliciting a prostitute, and that very same yr reports surfaced that he had been beneath investigation for allegedly having intercourse with minors.
However Trump’s suggestion that his relationship with Epstein was extra incidental and his declare that he “was not a fan” of Epstein’s has been called into question, together with by Trump’s own commentary.
Their relationship appeared to stretch again to the Eighties. Trump flew on Epstein’s jets between Palm Seashore and New York, in keeping with flight logs. They socialized at one another’s properties.
The New York Occasions reported that, in 1992, Mar-a-Lago performed host to a “calendar lady” competitors through which about two dozen ladies had been flown in. However the only guests present were Trump and Epstein, in keeping with a Florida businessman who organized the occasion, George Houraney. (Trump’s White Home didn’t remark to the Occasions for the 2019 story.)
Most infamously, Trump in 2002 advised New York journal that Epstein was a “terrific guy.”
“He’s numerous enjoyable to be with,” Trump mentioned. “It’s even mentioned that he likes stunning ladies as a lot as I do, and lots of of them are on the youthful facet. Little doubt about it — Jeffrey enjoys his social life.”
Former Trump aide Sam Nunberg advised the Washington Post in 2019 that he had pressed Trump about his ties to Epstein in 2014 when Trump was contemplating a presidential run.
“Backside line, Donald would hang around with Epstein as a result of he was wealthy,” Nunberg mentioned, assuring Trump had severed ties way back.
Exactly how shut Trump and Epstein had been isn’t completely clear. Was this only a scenario of highly effective males sometimes partying collectively and sharing Epstein’s non-public airplane as a result of that’s what wealthy guys do? These are social conditions powerful for many Individuals to grasp.
However even when Trump actually was one way or the other “not a fan,” he’s made different dodgy claims.
In January 2024, he mentioned on social media: “I was never on Epstein’s Plane …” Actually, flight logs had already proven Trump flew on it seven times in the 1990s.
Trump additionally claimed in 2019 that he didn’t “know Prince Andrew” of Britain, who has been the topic of Epstein-related allegations, despite a number of photos exhibiting Trump with the Duke of York.
Trump typically lies and misleads in his public statements. And he definitely has motive to downplay his ties to Epstein. However going too far in that course undercuts your credibility and feeds suspicion about what you could be hiding.
Exactly what the Journal’s story will imply going ahead isn’t clear – though it’s already rallied MAGA influencers who had been important of the administration’s dealing with of the Epstein recordsdata to Trump’s facet.
The concept Trump would submit a letter for Epstein’s birthday album isn’t that stunning, given this was when the 2 of them had been seemingly on higher phrases (2003) and that dozens of different letters had been reportedly solicited. The concept Trump could be lewd in that letter additionally tracks, given his previous. (See: The “Access Hollywood” tape.)
However Trump — and lots of of these vocal supporters — have mentioned this doesn’t sound like him or one thing he would create.
Far-right activist Laura Loomer — who’d referred to as for the administration to nominate a particular counsel to look into the dealing with of the Epstein recordsdata — shortly got here to Trump’s protection Thursday evening. “Everybody who truly KNOWS President Trump is aware of he doesn’t kind letters. He writes notes in large black Sharpie,” she posted on X.
However whereas Trump maintains he doesn’t draw footage, his drawings have surfaced earlier than. A signed Trump sketch of the Manhattan skyline bought at public sale in 2017 for greater than $29,000. (The sketch was reportedly from 2005, two years after the letter in query.) One other 1990s Trump sketch of the Empire State Building auctioned off the identical yr.
And Trump in a 2008 e-book recalled donating an autographed doodle every year to a charity.
After all, none of that proves he wrote this letter and drew the accompanying image. However once more, Trump is undercutting his personal credibility. Why lie about doodling — particularly because it’s simply disprovable?
And it’s doable we might be taught extra about this. There was some speak about having Maxwell — who the Journal reported solicited the letter — testify before Congress.
Trump’s efforts to quiet chatter about Epstein have solely furthered suspicion in some corners that his identify could possibly be within the recordsdata his administration has failed to provide.
We already know that Trump’s identify was in Epstein’s flight logs. An Epstein private handle e-book that leaked in 2009 contained 14 telephone numbers for Trump, Melania Trump and Trump’s workers, in keeping with media reports. A 2005 search of Epstein’s Palm Seashore mansion produced two written messages about phone calls from Trump.
So, it’s not inconceivable he’s within the recordsdata his supporters have been clamoring for. Merely being named, in fact, wouldn’t imply Trump had accomplished something flawed. However it might create political complications — because the fallout from the Journal story reveals — and as demonstrated by Trump’s very public reluctance to launch extra paperwork.
Former prime Trump adviser Elon Musk alleged final month whereas lashing out at Trump that the president was indeed in the Epstein files, including, “That’s the actual motive they haven’t been made public.”
However he offered no proof for his claims and later deleted the submit.
Trump was requested Tuesday if Lawyer Basic Pam Bondi had advised him his identify was within the recordsdata, and he didn’t instantly reply.
“She’s given us only a very fast briefing by way of the credibility of the various things that they’ve seen,” Trump mentioned.
Trump’s 2002 remark about Epstein’s style for girls “on the youthful facet” has additionally loomed over him, furthering theories that he might need identified one thing about what Epstein had been as much as.
That is still speculative and unproven. Trump additionally mentioned nothing about underage ladies; he cited younger “ladies.”
However questions on who knew what and when with Epstein’s conduct have lengthy lingered. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property was a backdrop to a few of Epstein’s misdeeds. And Epstein and Trump’s social connections typically revolved round ladies.
In accordance with Nunberg’s 2019 account to the Washington Put up, Trump mentioned he banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago because of misconduct. Nunberg mentioned Trump mentioned he did so as a result of Epstein had recruited a younger lady who labored there to offer him massages. This was years earlier than the Epstein investigation grew to become public data, in keeping with the Put up.
“He’s an actual creep, I banned him,” Nunberg mentioned Trump had advised him.
A number of stories, together with a 2020 book by reporters for the Miami Herald and Wall Avenue Journal, have linked Epstein’s ban from Mar-a-Lago to alleged overtures to the teenage daughter of a Mar-a-Lago member.
Late Epstein sufferer Virginia Giuffre mentioned she was recruited into the sex-trafficking ring whereas working at Mar-a-Lago in 2000.
Houraney additionally advised the Occasions in 2019 that he raised considerations to Trump about Epstein’s conduct forward of that 1992 “calendar lady” occasion.
“I mentioned, ‘Look, Donald, I do know Jeff very well, I can’t have him going after youthful ladies,’” Houraney mentioned. “He mentioned, ‘Look I’m placing my identify on this. I wouldn’t put my identify on it and have a scandal.’”
Trump seems to have been useful to these probing Epstein’s conduct, however we all know little about what he mentioned as a result of he was by no means deposed. One legal professional for Epstein’s alleged victims has mentioned Trump in 2009 was a very willing interview subject.
The legal professional, Brad Edwards, mentioned Trump “gave no indication in any respect that he was concerned in something untoward in any respect.”
Whereas Trump in 2019 shortly distanced himself from Epstein, his commentary the next yr after Maxwell was charged was totally different — and considerably weird.
“However I want her properly, no matter it’s,” Trump told reporters in late July 2020.
Regardless of significant criticism of that — wishing an accused (and later-convicted) little one intercourse trafficker properly — Trump a pair weeks later doubled and tripled down when pressed by then-Axios reporter Jonathan Swan on how odd that sounded.
“Yeah, I want her properly,” Trump advised Swan. “I’d want you properly. I’d want lots of people properly. Good luck. Allow them to show any person was responsible.”
Trump added, when pressed once more: “I do want her properly. I’m not in search of something unhealthy for her. I’m not trying unhealthy for anyone.”
Even for a president who typically says bizarre issues, this ranks close to the highest.
