President Donald Trump flew aboard the private jet of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein more frequently in the 1990s than previously disclosed, according to an internal email from a New York prosecutor. The message is part of a newly released tranche of Epstein-related documents published Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Justice.
In an email dated January 7, 2020, the unnamed prosecutor said flight records showed Trump traveled on Epstein’s aircraft eight times during the 1990s. At least four of those flights reportedly included Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for helping Epstein sexually abuse underage girls.
Trump has previously denied any such travel. In a 2024 social media post, he said he was “never on Epstein’s plane, or at his ‘stupid’ island.” The prosecutor’s email did not accuse Trump of any criminal conduct. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the email.
According to the document, one flight listed only three passengers: Epstein, Trump, and a 20-year-old woman whose identity was redacted. Two additional flights reportedly included women later identified as potential witnesses in Maxwell’s criminal case.
In response to the document release, the Justice Department said on X that some materials contained “untrue and sensationalist claims” about Trump that were submitted to the FBI shortly before the 2020 election. The department said the allegations were unfounded, adding that they were releasing the documents to comply with legal transparency requirements while protecting Epstein’s victims.
The latest disclosure includes roughly 30,000 pages of records, many heavily redacted, along with dozens of video clips. Epstein died in a New York jail in 2019, with authorities ruling his death a suicide.
Another email released Tuesday said an unidentified individual reviewed data obtained from the cellphone of former Trump adviser Steve Bannon and found an image showing Trump with Maxwell. A separate file included a grainy photograph of Trump seated next to Maxwell, which matches images taken at a New York fashion show in 2000.
The Justice Department also released a video that purports to show Epstein inside his jail cell. However, a Reuters review indicated the footage appears to be computer-generated and previously circulated on social media in 2020, a year after Epstein’s death.
Transparency law fuels political fallout
The Trump administration last week released a large cache of Epstein files in an effort to comply with a newly passed transparency law mandating disclosure. However, extensive redactions in earlier releases angered some Republicans and failed to quell political controversy ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Trump on Monday dismissed the significance of the documents, telling reporters the material was being used to distract from what he described as major political successes by himself and fellow Republicans.
The disclosure law, which passed Congress with overwhelming support last month, required the release of all Epstein-related records despite Trump’s earlier efforts to keep them sealed. Republican Representative Thomas Massie, who helped lead the legislative push, criticized Trump’s comments on X, accusing the administration of attempting to limit or delay the legally required disclosures.
