Donald Trump Mentioned In Unsealed Epstein Documents Regarding Casino Trip
Former President Donald Trump appears in the latest tranche of unsealed court documents related to the financier Jeffrey Epstein, though the records do not accuse him of any criminal wrongdoing. The documents, released in early 2024 from a settled civil lawsuit between Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre and Ghislaine Maxwell, include deposition testimony from witness Johanna Sjoberg.
In her deposition, Sjoberg recalled a specific instance where Epstein suggested contacting Trump. She testified that while on a private plane, the pilots informed them they could not land in New York as planned and would divert to Atlantic City. Sjoberg stated that Epstein then said, “Great, we’ll call up Trump and we’ll go to” the casino. However, Sjoberg clarified in her testimony that she never gave Trump a massage and was not asked to do so.
The unsealed files also highlight connections between Epstein’s operation and Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s club in Palm Beach, Florida. Virginia Giuffre has previously stated that she was working as a locker room attendant at Mar-a-Lago when she was first introduced to Ghislaine Maxwell, who subsequently recruited her into Epstein’s circle. The documents confirm this timeline of employment but do not allege that Trump participated in or was aware of the recruitment at that time.
Legal experts and observers note that the inclusion of Trump’s name in these files does not equate to evidence of illegal activity. The documents contain the names of numerous high-profile individuals, many of whom are mentioned only in passing or in the context of social events. Trump has consistently denied any involvement in Epstein’s illegal activities and has previously pointed out that he banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago years before the financier’s initial arrest. Trump’s representatives have dismissed the release of these older files as an attempt to recycle debunked claims.
These documents were released following a December 2023 order by U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska to unseal materials from the 2015 defamation case. The release aims to provide public transparency regarding the associates and operations of Epstein and Maxwell. While the files provide new details about the social network surrounding Epstein, they have not produced new criminal charges against the former president.
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