Here's What the Jeffrey Epstein Documents Revealed About Former President Donald Trump
In a crucial development in the ongoing legal saga involving the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a trove of court records was disclosed in January 2024, providing details into Epstein's alleged dealings with former President Donald Trump. The records, which were part of a lawsuit that Virginia Roberts Giuffre filed, describe her accusations of being sexually abused as a minor by Epstein and include accusations of participation against Epstein's girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, per Newsweek.
The revelation, which includes hundreds of pages of emails and deposition transcripts, is the first of several that were released. (But before we proceed further, it is important to note that the inclusion of one's name in these records doesn't automatically amount to evidence of illegal actions).
The deposition of Johanna Sjoberg, who alleged Prince Andrew stroked her breast and engaged in inappropriate behavior, is one of the most important ones included in the documents that have been made public. An incident involving Trump while on a vacation was also highlighted by Sjoberg's testimony. During an Atlantic City layover brought on by a hurricane, Sjoberg and Epstein went to one of Trump's casinos, as Sjoberg described in detail. In her testimony, Epstein made the following suggestion: "Great, we'll call up Trump and we'll go to the casino," according to NBC 10 Philadelphia. Sjoberg took Trump's name directly, even though she asserted that he never physically touched her or that he ever sought a massage from her.
Though he may not have touched Sjoberg directly, Trump has come under fire for many remarks he made in the past concerning Epstein and women. In 2002, the mogul told New York Magazine, “I’ve known Jeff for fifteen years. Terrific guy. He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it — Jeffrey enjoys his social life.”
A woman, going by the aliases "Katie Johnson" and "Jane Doe," claimed in court documents filed in 2016 that Trump had sexually assaulted her in 1994 when she was 13 years old, during an orgy hosted at Epstein's Manhattan residence. She also claimed that Epstein had raped her. A case in connection to this claim was dropped days before the 2016 election.
As president, and after Epstein was convicted of his felonies, Trump tried his best to distance himself from Epstein. Trump asserted that he had not spoken to the financier in fifteen years. He dismissed the idea of a lasting friendship and stressed a simple acquaintanceship, attributing the falling out to a real estate dispute. The real estate mogul said he merely 'knew him [Epstein] like everybody in Palm Beach knew him,' adding, “I had a falling out with him. I haven’t spoken to him in 15 years. I was not a fan of his, that I can tell you.”
This article originally appeared on 01.05.24
