Unredacted Epstein files mentioned 'Donald,' 'Trump' more than million times
What's the story
A top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, who reviewed the Epstein files, has claimed that they found over a million results when searching for "Trump," "Donald," or "Don" in the database related to Jeffrey Epstein. "In the database, I typed in the words 'Trump,' 'Donald or Don' and it came up with more than a million results," Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) told Axios.
Clarification issued
Raskin's search details
However, he admitted that he didn't have time to go through each result and can't guarantee every mention refers to President Trump. He instead expressed interest in the three million documents not publicly released by the administration, questioning the administration's claim that the documents are duplicative. "The administration says that these are duplicative. Well go ahead and release them then! If they're duplicative, what's the problem? We'll be the judge of that," he said.
Document release
Justice Department released documents under Epstein Files Transparency Act
The US Justice Department recently released over 3 million pages of documents, 2,000 videos, and 180,000 images related to Epstein. The release was made under the Epstein Files Transparency Act after public and political pressure. The law mandates the government to disclose its files on Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. The files include information concerning Epstein's stay in prison, including a psychological report, and his death while incarcerated. They also include correspondence between Epstein and prominent figures.
Relationship examined
Files were Trump's 'worst issue by far'
Trump, who was friends with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s before parting ways, had spent months battling the files' release until both Democrats and Republicans in Congress supported the law for the release despite his objections. According to CNN analyst Harry Enten, the files were Trump's "worst issue by far." In a September NPR/PBS News/Marist poll, 87% of Republicans approved of his overall job performance, but only 45% approved of his handling of the Epstein files.