Trump named over 1 million times in Epstein files, US lawmaker says
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- Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin says Donald Trump’s name appears more than one million times in unredacted Epstein documents.
- Lawmakers from both parties say newly reviewed files raise fresh concerns about redactions and transparency.
A senior Democratic lawmaker said former US president Donald Trump is mentioned more than one million times in unredacted documents linked to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, a figure that far exceeds the roughly 5,300 references in publicly released versions.
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Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland made the claim after reviewing portions of the Epstein files that were withheld when the Justice Department released its latest batch of documents earlier this month, according to reporting by The Daily Beast.
Raskin cites unredacted material
Raskin, the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said the scale of redactions obscured the true extent of references to Trump.
“There are massive amounts of information that are blacked out,” Raskin told Axios. He added that Trump’s name “appeared more than one million times, so he is everywhere.”
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The Justice Department released more than 3.5 million files this month, which Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche described as the end of the department’s review of the Epstein materials. However, The Daily Beast reported that the administration reviewed nearly six million documents in total, raising questions about why roughly half remain unreleased.
Conflicting accounts over Epstein ties
Raskin also pointed to what he described as inconsistencies in Trump’s past statements about Epstein. He said a document he reviewed showed Epstein’s defense team quoting Trump as saying Epstein had been a guest at Mar-a-Lago and was never asked to leave. That account contradicts Trump’s repeated public claim that he cut ties with Epstein years ago and barred him from the property.
The Daily Beast said it requested comment from Trump’s office. In response, the office urged the outlet to focus instead on contacts between journalist Michael Wolff and Epstein, a point Wolff has previously addressed, according to the publication.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was quoted by The Daily Beast as saying Trump’s position has not changed and that he severed ties with Epstein because he found him “disgusting,” unlike others who maintained relationships with him.
Bipartisan reaction and pressure for more releases
The controversy has drawn reactions beyond Democrats. Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis said her view shifted after seeing unredacted material.
“Now I understand why this is such a big deal,” Lummis told The Hill. “Victims as young as nine years old. Wow.”
She added that she initially dismissed the issue but now believes it warranted investigation and said lawmakers who pushed for scrutiny were right to do so.
The Hill also reported that lawmakers who reviewed the files identified at least six names of individuals considered “potentially implicated” after appearing in the Epstein documents.
Over the weekend, survivors of Epstein’s abuse launched a new campaign demanding the release of additional records, accusing the Trump administration of withholding more than three million documents. Blanche defended the administration’s handling of the files but acknowledged that many members of the public would likely be dissatisfied with what has been disclosed so far.
