Donald Trump has been thrust again into the Epstein controversy after House Democrats launched a batch of emails on Wednesday suggesting the previous president knew about Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse of younger ladies and selected to remain silent.

The newly revealed exchanges, a part of a trove of 23,000 paperwork obtained from Epstein’s property, embody messages between Epstein, his longtime affiliate Ghislaine Maxwell, and journalist Michael Wolff.

The emails, spanning from 2011 to 2019, had been made public by the Democratic members of the House Oversight Committee.

In one 2011 electronic mail to Maxwell, Epstein cryptically referred to Trump as “that dog that hasn’t barked,” writing: “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.” Maxwell replied, “I have been thinking about that.”

A extra pointed accusation got here in a 2019 electronic mail to Wolff, the place Epstein wrote: “Of course he knew about the girls as he asked ghislaine to stop.” He additionally pushed again on Trump’s earlier declare that he had banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago, stating, “never a member ever.”

Another electronic mail from December 2015 confirmed Epstein and Wolff strategizing over how Trump would possibly reply to questions from CNN about his ties to Epstein.

When Epstein requested, “if we were able to craft an answer for him, what do you think it should be?” Wolff responded, “If he says he hasn’t been on the plane or to the house, then that gives you a valuable PR and political currency.”

Wolff added, “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.”

Robert Garcia, the highest Democrat on the Oversight Committee, mentioned the emails elevate severe issues.

“The more Donald Trump tries to cover up the Epstein files, the more we uncover. These latest emails and correspondence raise glaring questions about what else the White House is hiding and the nature of the relationship between Epstein and the President.”

The revelations come as Maxwell, who’s serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking, is reportedly searching for clemency from Trump’s administration. House Judiciary Democrats have already known as on the previous president to reject any pardon request.

Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, mentioned the disclosures help his bipartisan push with Rep. Thomas Massie to pressure a House vote on making the total Epstein recordsdata public.

“The public deserves transparency and the survivors deserve justice,” Khanna mentioned.

Meanwhile, Hakeem Jeffries, House Minority Leader, accused Republicans of defending Epstein’s community. “They are running a pedophile protection program,” Jeffries mentioned.

The White House has not commented on the e-mail launch. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is anticipated to deal with the problem throughout Wednesday’s briefing.

Epstein died by suicide in 2019 whereas awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking expenses.

His community allegedly trafficked underage women to high-profile figures throughout a number of states and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The emails are a part of a broader push by House Democrats to pressure the discharge of the so-called “Epstein Files,” which embody names and particulars tied to his felony operation.

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