Thousands of documents from the estate of the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have been released, containing explosive assessments of former US President Donald Trump.
The US House Oversight Committee received a cache of 23,000 documents, and buried within them are private email exchanges where Epstein brands Trump as 'dirty' and 'evil beyond belief'.
The revelations also show Epstein offering advice to senior Russian figures on how to handle the then-US President just days before a crucial meeting with Vladimir Putin.
The 'Dirty' Donald and the Flipping Fixer
One particularly revealing email chain from August 2018 features a conversation between Epstein and Kathy Ruemmler, a former White House Counsel.
They were discussing the situation surrounding Michael Cohen, Trump's former personal lawyer, on the day it was reported he was considering 'flipping' on the president.
The context was an investigation into allegedly illegal payments made to adult film actress Karen McDougal.
"It makes no difference whether it was his money," Ruemmler wrote, highlighting that the core issue was a failure to disclose the payments. She added that Trump having "lied his ass off about it makes clear that he knew it was illegal."
Epstein's response was stark: "You see, I know how dirty Donald is."
He speculated that "non-lawyers and New York business people have no idea what it means to have your fixer flip."
Later that same month, Cohen pleaded guilty to eight criminal charges, including tax evasion and campaign finance violations. He directly implicated Trump, stating he made payments to two women, Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels, 'at the direction of the candidate' to influence the election.
Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison. Trump was later convicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to the Stormy Daniels payment.
'Evil Beyond Belief': Epstein's Final Verdict
In another exchange with New York Times journalist Landon Thomas Jr., Epstein delivered his most damning personal judgement of the president.
Thomas had asked Epstein if he would consider calling Trump to "try to calm his excesses," noting that given how Trump was "throwing caution to the wind in such epic fashion, why wouldn't he take your call?"
Epstein's reply was unsparing. He described Trump as feeling 'alone' and 'nuts'.
"I told everyone from day one," Epstein wrote. "Evil beyond belief. Mad, and most thought I was speaking metaphorically. It's obvious he could crack."
Advising the Russians on Trump
The documents further reveal Epstein's attempts to position himself as an intermediary with Russian officials.
In a June 2018 email to Thorbjørn Jagland, the former Prime Minister of Norway and then Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Epstein suggested Jagland tell Putin that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov could "get insight" from him.
Epstein referenced the late Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, noting, "Churkin was great. He understood Trump after our conversations."
He then laid out a simple strategy for dealing with the US President: "It is not complex. He must be seen to get something. It is that simple."
This communication occurred just weeks before Trump's infamous meeting with Putin in Helsinki.
Following that summit, Epstein criticised Trump's performance in an email to former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, who had asked, "Do the Russians have stuff on Trump? Today was appalling even by his standards."
"My email is full with similar comments, wow," Epstein replied. He speculated that Trump likely thought the meeting "went super well" and that he had "charmed his adversary," while adding, "He has no idea of most things."
The release of these 23,000 documents provides a deeply unsettling look into the private opinions of a convicted criminal about a sitting US president and reveals the shocking extent of Epstein's perceived international influence.
