The Department of Justice has been releasing unclassified files related to Jeffrey Epstein. (Getty Images)
The documents included an email sent by an unnamed federal prosecutor with the U.S. attorney’s office in the Southern District of New York on Jan. 7, 2020, saying Trump flew on Epstein’s private jet at least eight times in the 1990s. Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell accompanied Trump on some of the flights, and two of the flights included passengers who were "possible witnesses in a Maxwell case," the prosecutor wrote.
The U.S. attorney’s office "didn’t want any of this to be a surprise down the road," the prosecutor wrote.
The documents also indicated a number of tips that were provided to the FBI about Trump’s alleged involvement with Epstein in the early 2000s. Trump has said he ended his friendship with Epstein before Epstein faced charges. It is unclear what was done with the information provided in the documents, or whether any of it was corroborated or used in the prosecutions of Epstein and Maxwell.
The DOJ has been sharing on a public website since Friday tens of thousands of pages of files related to Epstein’s and Maxwell’s sex-trafficking cases. Maxwell was found guilty in 2021 of trafficking minors, while Epstein died in 2019 in prison by suicide, authorities say.
SCHUMER ACCUSES DOJ OF BREAKING THE LAW OVER REDACTED EPSTEIN FILES
Former President Bill Clinton in a photo found in the Epstein files. (Department of Justice)
The transparency bill allowed the DOJ to withhold information about potential victims and material that could jeopardize open investigations or litigation. Officials could also leave out information "in the interest of national defense or foreign policy," the bill said. But the bill explicitly directed the DOJ not to redact any details that could be damaging to high-profile and politically connected people.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The file rollout has stirred controversy as critics have aired grievances about over-redactions and the law's lapsed deadline. Trump signed the bill into law on Nov. 19, meaning the statutory deadline for all the files to be released was Dec. 19. The DOJ has said more files are forthcoming by the new year.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said on "Meet the Press" on Sunday there was "well-settled law" that supported the DOJ missing the bill's deadline because of a need to meet other legal requirements, like redacting victim-identifying information.
Bill Mears contributed to this report.
Ashley Oliver is a reporter for Fox News Digital and FOX Business, covering the Justice Department and legal affairs. Email story tips to ashley.oliver@fox.com.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/epstein-file-drop-includes-untrue-sensationalist-claims-about-trump-doj-says