These past two weeks have brought to light plenty of new information on Jeffrey Epstein, the multimillionaire financier and convicted child sex offender, and those associated with him. Two criminal investigations into Epstein have resulted in a sizable amount of documents related to his crimes, including transcripts of interviews with victims and witnesses, items confiscated from his properties, and the names of people involved. These documents, which were ordered to be released by U.S. President Donald Trump on Nov. 19, are commonly referred to as the Epstein Files.

Epstein died by suicide in his cell in August 2019, as he was awaiting trial. On Wednesday, Nov. 12, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee published three email exchanges, which mentioned Trump, Epstein, and other prominent figures such as Ghislaine Maxwell, his long-term associate who is currently in prison for sex trafficking, and author Michael Wolff, who has written multiple books about Trump. These emails were obtained through a subpoena ordered by the committee as part of its own probe into the federal investigation on Epstein. Mere hours later, House Republicans released over 20,000 pages of documents from the estate of Jeffrey Epstein. They claimed that these specific emails were picked to “create a fake narrative to slander President Trump.”

The first email, from Epstein to Maxwell, states, “I want you to realize that that dog that hasn't barked is Trump.. [VICTIM] spent hours at my house with him”. While the victim’s name was removed, the unredacted version that appeared in the files released by the committee reveal it to be Virginia, claimed by the White House to be Virginia Giuffre. She died by suicide on Apr. 25.

The White House maintains that Giuffre repeatedly stated that Trump never participated in any wrongdoing, writing in her memoir, Nobody’s Girl, that “Trump couldn’t have been friendlier”.

Her memoir also describes the abuse she suffered from Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, who was recently stripped of all his titles due to his previous association with Epstein. One of the released documents from the committee shows Andrew’s response to an email forwarded by Maxwell in March 2011 about alleged sexual activity with a masseuse who worked for Epstein. His reply states, “Hey there! What's all this? I don't know anything about this! You must SAY so please. This has NOTHING to do with me. I can't take any more of this.”

Another released email written by Epstein stated “Trump knew of it, and came to my house many times during that period,” where he added that “He never got a massage.”

The committee also released multiple emails between Wolff and Epstein. The second email released by Democrats revealed that Wolff wrote to Epstein in 2015 to tell him that CNN was going to ask Trump about their relationship “either on air or in a scrum afterwards”. Epstein responded, asking, “If we were able to craft an answer for him, what do you think it should be?”

Wolff wrote, “I think you should let him [Trump] hang himself. If he says he hasn't been on the plane or to the house, then that gives you a valuable PR and political currency. You can hang him in a way that potentially generates a positive benefit for you, or, if it really looks like he could win, you could save him, generating a debt.” He added, “Of course, it is possible that, when asked, he'll say Jeffrey is a great guy and has gotten a raw deal and is a victim of political correctness, which is to be outlawed in a Trump regime.”

The third released email by Democrats was dated during Trump's first term in office, in January 2019, and it showed Epstein telling Wolff, “Trump said he asked me to resign,” referring to his membership at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club, adding he was “never a member ever” Epstein also stated, “Of course, he knew about the girls as he asked Ghislaine to stop”.

Trump has admitted to being friends with Epstein in the past, but also stated that they had a falling out in the early 2000s. He had also repeatedly denied participating in any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein and sex trafficking. Initially, Trump generally opposed the public release of the Epstein files, calling it a “hoax” by Democrats to undermine the Republican party’s work after his return to office in January. However, after Democrats released the emails, Trump called on Republicans in the House of Representatives to vote for the release of the Epstein files “because [they had] nothing to hide”.

His demand appears to have worked. The Epstein Files Transparency Act, which aims to force the justice department to release all unclassified records, documents, and materials linked to Epstein, has passed in Congress with an overwhelming majority of 427-1, with Republican Clay Higgins being the only lawmaker to vote against it. The act’s passage continued with unanimous consent from the Senate. Trump signed the bill on Nov. 19, announcing on social media that “Democrats have used the ‘Epstein issue’, which affects them far more than the Republican Party, in order to try and distract from our AMAZING Victories”.

The Justice Department now must release all unclassified files and communications related to the Epstein investigation within 30 days. Some exceptions to the bill allow for redactions of victims’ identities, images of child sexual abuse, and records that would jeopardize ongoing federal investigations. Trump has also mentioned an investigation by the Justice Department to investigate Democrats referenced in the released emails, possibly preventing a release of additional documents that could jeopardize an active federal investigation.

Annie Farmer, who says she was 16 when she was targeted by Epstein and Maxwell, was interviewed by CBS New York about the release of the files. When asked whether she believes she will see transparency through its release, she responded, “I think that it’s hard for a lot of us to trust in the government at this point because of everything that’s happened in this case.” Yet, she described her feelings about the release of files, saying, “We’re proud. We’re relieved. But it’s also bittersweet, because there are people who aren’t here to see this.”