Epstein letter referencing Trump was fake, says US Department of Justice

The US DOJ said the FBI verified the letter was fabricated after it was flagged by jail authorities, even as thousands of Epstein-related records were released in the interest of transparency

The US Department of Justice on Tuesday (local time) said a document presented as a letter from sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to convicted sex abuser and former Olympic gymnastics coach Larry Nassar was fabricated. The purported letter had alleged references to US President Donald Trump.

 

In a post on X, the department said the Federal Bureau of Investigation had verified that the letter was fake, adding that it had been received by the jail and flagged to the FBI at the time. The department said the episode underlined that the public release of records does not, by itself, validate the claims contained in them, but added it would continue to publish material required under the law.

 

What was in the letter?

 

The contents of the purported letter, dated August 13, 2019, had appeared to have been written by Epstein to Nassar. “As you will know by now, I have taken the ‘short route’ home,” the letter, which appears to have been signed from Epstein to Nassar, reads. “Good luck! We shared one thing … our love & caring for young ladies and the hope they reach their full potential,” it read.

 

“Our president also shares our love of young, nubile girls. When a young beauty walked by he loved to ‘grab snatch’, whereas we ended up snatching grub in the mess halls of the system,” it further read.  ALSO READ | 16 files disappear from DOJ webpage on documents linked to Jeffrey Epstein 

What do the newly released Epstein records show?

 

The DOJ has released tens of thousands of additional documents linked to the Epstein case. An Associated Press report said the latest tranche includes multiple references to Trump but adds little new to the long-awaited public file on the late financier and convicted sex offender.

 

The report said the release is the largest so far and follows a sustained public push for greater transparency around the government’s Epstein investigations. Trump and Epstein were friends for years before falling out, and the US President has not been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.

 

The Justice Department said some records include sensational and untrue claims about Trump that were submitted to the FBI shortly before the 2020 election.

 

What do the files say about Trump’s travel on Epstein’s jet?

 

The new batch includes mentions of Trump in news clippings, as well as an email from a prosecutor highlighting flight records involving Epstein’s private jet in the 1990s.

 

An assistant US attorney in the Southern District of New York said in the email that flight logs received on January 6, 2020, indicated Trump appeared on Epstein’s aircraft more frequently than had been publicly reported or previously understood by prosecutors.

 

The prosecutor said Trump’s name was highlighted to avoid surprises later. The email added that the travel period would likely overlap with any criminal case involving Epstein’s co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell. Trump was listed as a passenger on at least eight flights between 1993 and 1996, and Maxwell appeared on at least four of those flights, the email said.

 

Asked about the email, the White House referred to a Justice Department statement saying the document release included unfounded and false allegations about the president that were submitted to the FBI shortly before the 2020 election. The statement said the records were being made public in the interest of transparency.  ALSO READ | Epstein files reveal famous names worldwide, but Trump notably missing

How has Trump responded to the Epstein file release?

 

After the release, Trump described the episode as a distraction from what he and Republicans say they have been doing. Speaking at an unrelated event at his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida, he blamed Democrats and some Republicans for fuelling the controversy.

 

He also said he was unhappy that the department’s release included photographs showing well-known people with Epstein, arguing that some may not have known him but were captured in the images.