The US Department of Justice has unleashed a fresh wave of documents from the Jeffrey Epstein case, publishing at least 11,000 new files on Tuesday. This latest trove appears to contain correspondence involving Prince Andrew, and makes new claims about Donald Trump's use of the disgraced financier's private jet.
Emails Point to Royal Requests
Among the newly public records is an email chain that seems to feature the Duke of York, referred to by the pseudonym 'The Invisible Man'. Dated 16 August 2001, the message was sent from an email address assigned to Andrew in Epstein's contacts.
In the correspondence, the sender signs off as 'A' and asks Ghislaine Maxwell: "How's LA? Have you found me some new inappropriate friends?" The context of the request is not fully detailed in the files. Prince Andrew has consistently denied all allegations of wrongdoing related to his association with Jeffrey Epstein.
A separate email from Maxwell, discussing a trip to Peru, references arranging "two-legged sight seeing" for "The Invisible Man", described as "intelligent pretty fun and from good families". The documents stress that being named in these papers does not in itself imply any unlawful activity.
Trump's Alleged Flights on the 'Lolita Express'
The document release also includes a redacted email from an unidentified federal prosecutor, dated 7 January 2020. It alleges that former President Donald Trump travelled on Epstein's private aircraft, the so-called 'Lolita Express', "many more times than previously has been reported".
The email specifically claims Trump is listed as a passenger on at least eight flights between 1993 and 1996, with Ghislaine Maxwell present on four of those journeys. President Trump has previously denied any wrongdoing concerning his past relationship with Epstein.
In a significant statement, the US Department of Justice cautioned that some files "contain untrue and sensationalist claims" about Trump, submitted to the FBI shortly before the 2020 election. The department labelled these claims as "unfounded and false".
Contested Evidence and Ongoing Fallout
The latest batch of files contains several disputed items. One is a postcard, purportedly sent by Epstein, which mentions "our president" sharing a "love of young, nubile girls". The Justice Department later stated the FBI had confirmed this postcard was fake, citing a mismatched handwriting sample and a postmark date three days after Epstein's death.
Another document is an unverified FBI report from 27 October 2020, recounting a limousine driver's claim that he overheard Trump discussing "abusing some girl" in 1995. The driver's identity and large parts of the statement are redacted.
The slow pace of the document release has sparked political anger. Some US politicians are threatening legal action against the Attorney General, arguing the Department of Justice is protecting the powerful. A deadline for the full disclosure of all Epstein-related documents has now passed.
