By Harshit, WASHINGTON, Nov. 12, 2025 — 1:40 p.m. EDT
The White House has strongly criticized the release of newly surfaced Jeffrey Epstein emails linking President Donald Trump to the late financier’s criminal network, calling it a “fake narrative” engineered by Democrats to divert attention from Trump’s recent political and economic achievements.
The emails, published Wednesday by House Democrats on the Oversight Committee, appeared to suggest that Trump was aware of Epstein’s exploitation of underage girls. However, the White House dismissed the documents as “selectively leaked” and “taken out of context.”
“These stories are nothing more than bad-faith efforts to distract from President Trump’s historic accomplishments,” said Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt in a statement to reporters. “Any American with common sense sees right through this hoax and the clear distraction from the government opening back up again.”
White House Denounces “Political Stunt”
Speaking from the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room, Leavitt accused Democratic lawmakers of “weaponizing old documents” during a week when Trump’s administration secured a bipartisan deal to end the longest U.S. government shutdown in history.
“Democrats are trying to create another headline to undermine the President,” she said. “They know Americans are celebrating the reopening of the government, and they can’t stand to see him succeed.”
Leavitt went on to say that Trump had no involvement in Epstein’s crimes, describing the president as “one of the few public figures who cut ties with Epstein before his first arrest in 2006.”
“The President has said repeatedly — and truthfully — that he was not a fan of Jeffrey Epstein,” she added. “He banned him from Mar-a-Lago nearly twenty years ago for inappropriate behavior.”
What the Released Emails Contain
The three emails released by Democrats include exchanges between Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, as well as between Epstein and author Michael Wolff.
In a 2011 message to Maxwell, Epstein allegedly wrote:
“I want you to realize that that dog that hasn’t barked is Trump… [Victim] spent hours at my house with him… he has never once been mentioned.”
Another email to Wolff, dated January 2019, reads:
“Trump said he asked me to resign, never a member ever. Of course, he knew about the girls as he asked Ghislaine to stop.”
Democrats said the correspondence suggests that Trump was aware of Epstein’s activities, though no independent verification of the context or authenticity has been released. The emails were part of a larger tranche of 23,000 documents obtained from Epstein’s estate earlier this week.
Republican lawmakers on the same committee countered by releasing 20,000 pages of unrelated records from Epstein’s archives, accusing Democrats of selective disclosure meant to politically damage the president.
Epstein’s Death and Maxwell’s Ongoing Case
Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges in New York. He had previously served jail time in Florida for similar offenses under a controversial plea deal.
His longtime associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, was convicted in 2021 for helping recruit and traffic underage girls to Epstein’s residences. Now serving a 20-year prison sentence, Maxwell was transferred from a Florida facility to a minimum-security camp in Texas earlier this year after being interviewed by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche — who previously served as Trump’s personal attorney.
During her July interview with Blanche, Maxwell reportedly denied ever witnessing Trump or former President Bill Clinton engage in inappropriate behavior, and claimed that there was “no secret client list” as alleged in conspiracy theories.
Maxwell’s attorneys have since filed motions seeking a presidential pardon, arguing that she was “unfairly targeted” in Epstein’s absence.
Democrats Demand Transparency
Despite the White House’s dismissal, Democrats insist the emails raise “serious ethical and legal questions” about Trump’s past relationship with Epstein.
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, said the president’s denials were “not credible.”
“The more the White House attacks these disclosures, the more we will uncover,” Garcia said. “The American people deserve to know who enabled Epstein and who protected him.”
He added that the Committee will continue reviewing thousands of additional documents, including flight manifests, visitor logs, and financial transactions linked to Epstein’s global network.
Political Fallout and International Ripples
The email release has sent shockwaves through diplomatic and political circles beyond Washington.
In the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday fired Lord Peter Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to the U.S. after reports surfaced linking him to Epstein’s circle during his tenure as EU Trade Commissioner.
Meanwhile, Prince Andrew, who has long faced scrutiny over his ties to Epstein, formally relinquished his remaining royal titles, according to Buckingham Palace sources.
Both developments have further amplified calls for global transparency around the Epstein network, which included powerful figures across politics, finance, and media.
The Bigger Picture
While no criminal allegations have been made against President Trump in connection with Epstein, the political optics are significant. The email disclosures come at a time when Trump is seeking to consolidate his political base following the reopening of the government and ongoing legal battles with U.S. media outlets.
“This is part of the Democrats’ endless witch hunt,” said Jason Miller, a senior Trump campaign adviser. “They failed with Russia, they failed with impeachment, and now they’re trying to recycle the Epstein conspiracy to smear the President.”
Still, the controversy ensures that Trump’s relationship with Epstein — once merely a social acquaintance from the Palm Beach elite — will again dominate political headlines in the coming weeks.
As of late Wednesday, Trump had not posted any comment on Truth Social, though insiders suggest a response could come overnight.