Overview
- House Democrats published emails from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate that reference President Donald Trump, including claims he "spent hours" at Epstein’s home and "knew about the girls."
- Republicans countered with a broader release of roughly 20,000 documents and accused Democrats of cherry‑picking to craft a misleading narrative.
- A discharge petition reached 218 signatures after Rep. Adelita Grijalva was sworn in, triggering a House vote next week on requiring the Justice Department to publish unclassified Epstein files.
- The White House rejected the disclosures as a smear, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt noting the emails do not prove wrongdoing and identifying the redacted 2011 "victim" as Virginia Giuffre, who did not accuse Trump.
- Legal observers and multiple outlets report the emails raise political questions but do not establish criminal liability, and any broad release would still need Senate approval and the president’s signature to take effect.