The late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein said in newly released emails that he advised Russia’s permanent representative to the United Nations on how to deal with President Donald Trump.
The plethora of Epstein emails released by House Democrats on Wednesday included many that showed his vast international connections. Among these were connections with the Russian government, which Epstein said he helped advise about Trump.
“Churkin was great,” one email to former Norwegian Prime Minister Thorbjorn Jagland read, referring to Vitaly Churkin, Russia’s former chief diplomat to the United Nations. “He understood Trump after our conversations. It is not complex. He must be seen to get something. [It’s] that simple.”
In the same email chain, Epstein urged Jagland to mention him when discussing the matter with Russian President Vladimir Putin and encourage Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to speak with him for further insight on Trump.
His exchanges regarding Russia and Trump were notable for illustrating the hostile relationship between the former friends, with Epstein repeatedly bashing Trump during his first term.
Larry Summers, the treasury secretary during the Clinton administration and economic adviser to the Obama administration, asked Epstein if the Russians “have stuff on Trump,” as he viewed the Helsinki Summit between Trump and Putin as “appalling even by his standards.”
“My email is full with similar comments. wow,” Epstein replied. “Im sure his view is that it went super well. he thinks he has charmed his adversary.. Admittedly he has no idea of the symbolism. He has no idea of most things.”
He added that Trump’s handling of the summit was “predictable.”
Epstein and Trump once counted each other as friends but had a falling out sometime in the mid-2000s. The emails reveal that the animosity between them was mutual in the years leading up to the financier’s death.
Despite the falling out, Epstein’s alleged contacts with the Russian government and other figures showed he was likely leveraging his former relationship with Trump to make contact with high-level officials.
The email that drew the most attention was one sent by Epstein to his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, in which he allegedly said the “dog that hasn’t barked is trump … [victim name] spent hours at my house with him, he has never once been mentioned. police chief. etc.”
OVERSIGHT DEMOCRATS RELEASE EPSTEIN EMAILS MENTIONING TRUMP HOURS AHEAD OF GRIJALVA SWEARING-IN
While the victim’s name was redacted in the release, House Republicans quickly revealed that the victim in question was Virginia Giuffre, who had repeatedly denied any wrongdoing by Trump.
At a Wednesday White House briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the emails “prove absolutely nothing other than President Trump did nothing wrong.”
