New Epstein emails claim Trump 'knew about the girls'

WASHINGTON: Jeffrey Epstein suggested Donald Trump knew of the disgraced financier's sexual abuse and "spent hours" with one of his victims at his house, according to emails released by Democrats on Wednesday (Nov 12) that piled fresh pressure on the United States president.

Trump has repeatedly denied any knowledge of the sex-trafficking activities of his former friend, who died by suicide in 2019 while in prison awaiting trial, and accused Democrats of trying to "deflect" from their own failings with the latest messages.

But the scandal has proved tough for Trump to shake, and Democrats on the House Oversight Committee said the emails "raise serious questions about Donald Trump and his knowledge of Epstein's horrific crimes".

The pressure on Trump grew later on Wednesday, when a newly sworn-in Democratic representative added her name to a petition that now has enough signatures to force a vote on the release of the full Epstein files.

In an April 2011 message to longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein asserts Trump spent significant time with a woman whom the White House later identified as Epstein's main accuser, Virgina Giuffre.

"I want you to realise that that dog that hasn't barked is Trump," wrote Epstein. He added that the victim "spent hours at my house with him ... he has never once been mentioned".

Maxwell, who was convicted of sex trafficking after Epstein's death, replied: "I have been thinking about that ..."

"OF COURSE HE KNEW"

In another email to the author Michael Wolff, dated Jan 31, 2019, Epstein allegedly wrote: "Trump said he asked me to resign, never a member ever ... of course he knew about the girls as he asked Ghislaine to stop."

Republicans later released a trove of thousands of mail, obtained after Democrats subpoenaed Epstein's estate earlier this year, including one in which Epstein called Trump "dirty".

The Epstein furore is still roiling Trump's administration more than four months after his Justice Department sought to close the case.

Keen to capitalise, Democrats in the House have been trying to force a vote that would compel publication of the full Epstein case files. 

Trump urged Republicans not to fall into a "trap", amid reports that the White House was meeting with hard-right Republican Lauren Boebert to keep her name off the petition for the files to be released.

"The Democrats are trying to bring up the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax again because they'll do anything at all to deflect on how badly they've done on the Shutdown, and so many other subjects," Trump said on Truth Social.

But Boebert refused to back down, and the petition passed when Democratic congresswoman Adelita Grijalva was sworn in after weeks of delay and immediately signed the petition.

MAGA BASE FURIOUS

The White House went into fightback mode, accusing Democrats of selectively leaking the emails to "create a fake narrative to smear President Trump".

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Virginia Giuffre, who herself died by suicide in April, had declared that Trump "'couldn't have been friendlier' to her in their limited interactions".

"These emails prove absolutely nothing other than the fact that President Trump did nothing wrong," Leavitt told reporters.

The Epstein scandal has dogged Trump for months, after his Justice Department in a July memo reaffirmed he died by suicide, and that a "client list" Attorney General Pam Bondi claimed to have been reviewing did not in fact exist.

It sparked a furious backlash from Trump's "MAGA" support base, who felt betrayed after being told for years that a "deep state" cover-up was protecting figures in the Democratic Party whom they accused of being Epstein's clients.

Trump's MAGA lieutenants, including two allies who now run the FBI, made careers of fanning the conspiracy theories, including that Epstein's suicide was actually a murder ordered by his powerful clients.

Trump's ties to Epstein are extensive. The pair were pictured partying together during a 15-year friendship before they reportedly fell out in 2004 over a property deal, and when Trump subsequently denounced his former ally.

The ripples from the scandal have also spread across the Atlantic. Trump said last month he felt "very badly" for the British royal family after the former prince Andrew, who was accused of abuse by Giuffre, had his titles revoked.