The US Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday released a cache of documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, revealing a list of high-profile contacts, including Ivana Trump and Ivanka Trump. The approximately 200-page document, which includes Epstein’s contact list, flight logs, and other evidence, does not introduce significant new details but reaffirms previous reports about Epstein’s wide network of associations.
Among the names found in the contact list were Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, actor Alec Baldwin, pop star Michael Jackson, Ethel Kennedy (mother of Robert F Kennedy Jr.), former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, supermodel Naomi Campbell, and musician Courtney Love. Others listed included Bob Weinstein, brother of disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein; billionaire David Koch; late Sen. Ted Kennedy; actor Ralph Fiennes; lawyer Alan Dershowitz; former Secretary of State John Kerry; actor Dustin Hoffman; businessman Jon Huntsman; and model Liz Hurley. The list was redacted to remove personal contact details.
The DOJ documents also contained a redacted list of 254 masseuses, blacking out their names as they were considered victims. Flight logs from Epstein’s private jet, the “Lolita Express,” were included but had already been made public with redactions in previous releases. However, the document release did not serve as a “client list” and did not confirm any direct involvement of the listed individuals in illegal activities.
The release, described as “Phase One,” was met with disappointment by some observers expecting major revelations. Conservative commentator Liz Wheeler, who was given early access to the documents, told followers in a livestream, “We’re all waiting for bombshells… and that’s not what’s in this binder at all.”
Meanwhile, Associated Press debunked an altered image linking Trump and Epstein
A previous attempt to link President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein through a manipulated photograph was debunked by an Associated Press report on July 10, 2019. The altered image, which circulated widely on social media, falsely showed Trump kissing the head of a young Ivanka Trump next to Epstein and a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
According to AP’s fact-checking, the original photo, taken on October 19, 1993, at the grand opening of the Harley-Davidson Cafe in New York City, did not include Epstein. The legitimate image, credited to celebrity photographer Ron Galella, is archived by Getty Images.
Trump had previously acknowledged knowing Epstein, describing him as a “terrific guy” in a 2002 New York Magazine interview. However, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway later stated that Trump had not been in contact with Epstein for over a decade and found the charges against him “disgusting.”
The DOJ’s latest document release is expected to be followed by further disclosures, though it remains unclear whether future phases will reveal new information about Epstein’s network and activities.