DOJ Emails Claim Trump Appeared on Epstein’s Private Jet Flight Logs Multiple Times in the 1990s
Newly released emails from the US Department of Justice (DOJ) state that President Donald Trump was listed as a passenger on the private jet of late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein at least eight times between 1993 and 1996.
A 7 January 2020 email from an assistant US attorney says Trump “traveled on Epstein’s private jet many more times than previously reported or understood.” The email forms part of a chain titled “RE: Epstein flight records.” The sender and recipient have been redacted, but the message is attributed to an assistant US attorney in the Southern District of New York.
Trump’s appearance in the flight records does not imply criminal wrongdoing. In 2024, he publicly denied ever flying on Epstein’s plane and has consistently rejected any allegations related to Epstein. The DOJ also stated that some of the documents released contain false and sensational claims about Trump.
According to the DOJ, those claims were submitted to the FBI shortly before the 2020 election and were deemed unfounded. The department said that if the allegations had any credibility, they would have already been used against Trump. Despite this, the DOJ said it released the documents in full to comply with legal requirements and maintain transparency, while protecting Epstein’s victims.
The email claims Trump appeared on at least eight flights during the period, including four flights where Epstein’s associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, was also present. It adds that Trump traveled at different times with Marla Maples, his daughter Tiffany, and his son Eric.
One 1993 flight reportedly listed only Epstein and Trump as passengers. Another flight included Epstein, Trump, and a then-20-year-old individual, though further details were redacted. The email also notes that on two separate flights, passengers included women who could have been potential witnesses in Maxwell’s criminal case.
In 2022, Ghislaine Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison for crimes including sex trafficking of a minor and conspiracy to entice minors for illegal sexual activity. Epstein died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
The email does not provide detailed information about the flights themselves. A handwritten flight log released by the DOJ in February is difficult to decipher, but one entry lists Donald Trump and his son Eric on a 13 August 1995 flight from Palm Beach, Florida, to Teterboro, New Jersey. The same entry includes the initials “JE” and “GM,” widely believed to refer to Epstein and Maxwell.
Tuesday’s release—over 30,000 pages—marks the largest disclosure of Epstein-related files so far. However, thousands of additional documents remain unpublished. The DOJ missed a congressional deadline last Friday to release all related materials, including investigative files, photos, and videos, drawing criticism from survivors and lawmakers.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the delay was due to the need to protect victims, adding that more documents would be released in the coming weeks.