What relationship did Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump have? Is there an independent organization that manages the documents? NU.nl readers had many questions about the latest developments in the Epstein case. We presented some questions to America experts Kirsten Verdel and Andrew Gawthorpe.
Trump may be on Jeffrey Epstein’s client list – if it actually exists – but what exactly is his role in this case? Is there any real hard evidence that he was involved?
Verdel: “The doubts about Trump have arisen due to various factors. A woman under the pseudonym Katie Johnson accused Trump in 2016 of raping her when she was thirteen at a location linked to Epstein. But she withdrew her accusation after threats.”
“Victim Virginia Giuffre stated that she saw Trump at Epstein locations. Former model Stacey Williams claims that Trump groped her in Epstein’s presence in the nineties. And she says that Epstein talked about Trump every time they spoke, which suggests a closer relationship than Trump admits.”
“In addition, there is Trump’s own statement from 2002: he said that Epstein ‘likes beautiful women just like I do, and many of them are on the younger side’. That suggests that Trump knew about Epstein’s preference for young women and raises questions about what he knew exactly and when. But all of that has never been formally investigated.”
Gawthorpe: “As far as we know, there is no hard evidence that Trump did anything wrong. Even if his name appears in the documents, that in itself means nothing. We only know that he and Epstein were friends for a while, during a period in which Epstein committed crimes.”
What relationship did Epstein and Trump have?
Gawthorpe: “We only know that he and Epstein were friends for a while. They flew together in private planes. Trump said nice things about him, but eventually turned against him when he was accused of misconduct.”
Verdel: “They had a social relationship for about twenty years and belonged to the same circles in Palm Beach. Epstein was a regular guest at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort and they flew together between Palm Beach and New York. Trump still called Epstein a ‘great guy’ in 2002, and claimed that he had not spoken to Epstein for fifteen years when Epstein was arrested in 2006.”
Is there an independent organization in the United States that manages the Epstein documents?
Gawthorpe: “The Department of Justice, which is normally independent of the president. But Trump exercises an unusual degree of control over it.”
Verdel: “This creates a clear conflict of interest when Trump himself may be mentioned in the documents. The president has extensive powers to determine classification and release of government documents. Congressmen from both parties have tried to enforce more transparency through legislation and subpoenas, but the executive branch retains ultimate control.”
Suppose evidence does emerge that Trump’s name appears on Epstein’s client list. To what extent will this affect the current term of the president?
Gawthorpe: “It is not even clear whether a ‘client list’ exists at all. If it turns out that Trump has done something wrong, that could cost him support. But many of his supporters would deny that it is true, I think.”
Verdel: “At the beginning of Trump’s second term, it was said that the Epstein files would be made public. They were even on the table of the Department of Justice, he said. A few months later – after the files were apparently scanned for the presence of Trump’s name – the news was suddenly that there is no list at all and that the case should therefore be closed.”
“Trump’s own MAGA supporters are now also furious about this, because they were promised that they would finally be made public. The lack of transparency and the fact that Trump has called his own supporters ‘weaklings’ because they demand more information does not exactly help to dispel that anger.”
Would Trump be charged if he is suspected and is still president?
Verdel: “In practice, no. The Supreme Court established extensive presidential immunity for ‘official acts’ in 2024. Presidents have absolute immunity for core powers and presumptive immunity for all actions within their official responsibilities. A president can only be prosecuted for completely private, unofficial acts.”
“This immunity is formulated so broadly that even extreme actions such as ordering political assassinations could theoretically be protected if they are considered ‘official acts’. That also applies retroactively to, for example, Barack Obama and Joe Biden. They are now being attacked on all kinds of issues by Trump, according to critics to distract attention from the Epstein case.”
Who is interrogating Ghislaine Maxwell and to what extent is this trusted by both Republicans and Democrats?
Gawthorpe: “Todd Blanche, Deputy Attorney General. He was previously Trump’s personal lawyer and sees it as his job to protect Trump. For that reason, he is absolutely not trusted by the Democrats.”
Verdel: “Democrats have already criticized Blanche for acting as a ‘political agent of Trump’ rather than as an independent justice official. In addition, the interrogations are not filmed or made public. Only general statements are released.”