America
New Epstein documents reveal expanded travel with Trump and allegations of institutional failures
New documents released regarding Jeffrey Epstein include a report of a woman alleging she was raped by US President Benjamin Trump.
The latest release from the Department of Justice concerning the Epstein files sheds light on the FBI’s 2019 investigation into additional suspects who may have assisted Epstein or been involved in his sex trafficking crimes.
The new documents, released Tuesday, contain the names of 10 potential accomplices or suspects that New York prosecutors planned to question in 2019. Three of these suspects are Epstein’s former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, French modeling scout Jean-Luc Brunel, and the billionaire former owner of Victoria’s Secret, Leslie Wexner, who was once a client of Epstein.
Other names were redacted without explanation. Files released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act state that only certain names can be redacted, specifically those of Epstein’s victims.
The Department of Justice has 15 days to explain the exceptions they used to justify the redactions.
Trump flew with Epstein more than previously known between 1993 and 1996
The approximately 10,000 newly released files contain many references to President Trump. Among these is a January 2020 note from an assistant US attorney, revealing that Trump was on many more flights between 1993 and 1996 than the Department of Justice previously knew.
On one flight, there were three passengers: Trump, Epstein, and a 20-year-old woman; on two other flights, the prosecutor noted that Trump was on the plane with two women who could have been potential witnesses in the criminal case they were building against Maxwell at the time.
Trump has repeatedly denied any involvement in Epstein’s crimes. In 2024, he stated on the social media platform Truth Social that he was “never on Epstein’s plane or ‘stupid’ island.”
In a statement on Tuesday, the Department of Justice noted that a series of documents concerning the president were “untrue and sensational claims” made against Trump ahead of the 2020 election.
Harsh criticism of the Department of Justice “redaction” system
Emails and correspondence regarding Epstein’s 2007 deal in South Florida were also heavily redacted. With few exceptions, the names of all prosecutors were blacked out, making it nearly impossible to understand how his non-prosecution agreement developed, why it was kept secret, and how Epstein obtained federal immunity.
At that time, Epstein was accused of sexually assaulting approximately 40 underage girls at his mansion in Palm Beach. Previously released documents show that the Department of Justice possessed not only victim statements but also supporting evidence such as phone records, text messages, witness testimony, and bank deposit records showing payments made to the girls.
Three documents released in the past were also heavily redacted, including some photographs of older men. However, the names of many of Epstein’s victims appear on the pages, sometimes dozens of times, which led victims to accuse the department of violating the law and attempting to intimidate them; some have demanded the resignations of US Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel.
A series of tips also came into the FBI and the department’s tip line regarding this case. On Tuesday, the department was forced to admit that these tips were completely fake: a letter appearing to be written by Epstein to former US Olympic Gymnastics coach and convicted rapist Larry Nassar spread rapidly online. The Department of Justice eventually had to examine this letter and announced that handwriting analysis revealed Epstein did not write it.
Epstein’s younger brother: They killed my brother with Trump’s approval
Records also show that Epstein’s younger brother, Mark Epstein, submitted a report to the FBI in 2023 claiming his brother was killed in his prison cell because he was “going to name names.”
Reached by phone on Tuesday, Mark Epstein said the FBI never followed up on the matter. The 71-year-old Epstein has long believed his brother was murdered and claims in his report that Trump “approved” this murder.
When asked why he believes Trump was involved in the incident, he asked, “The question is: who would be in a position to organize this and ensure the Department of Justice covers it up?”
Epstein was found hanging in his Manhattan prison cell on August 10, 2019, one month after being arrested in New York on sex trafficking charges. The New York City medical examiner ruled his death a suicide, but investigations revealed that his prison cell was never properly examined as a potential crime scene.
All but one of the video cameras in Epstein’s cell were recording at the time of death, and some of those recordings went missing.
Many of Epstein’s victims do not believe he committed suicide. Many told the Miami Herald that they feared their lives would be in danger if they spoke publicly about their abusers.
Bannon and former Victoria’s Secret owner Wexner also in the documents
An FBI investigator in the Crimes Against Children and Human Trafficking Unit noted on July 9, 2019, that three accomplices in the Epstein case were in Florida, one was in Boston, one was in New York, and one was in Connecticut.
He also noted that one of them was a wealthy businessman living in Ohio, later identified in documents as Wexner. For many years, Epstein managed the financial affairs of Ohio billionaire Les Wexner. The 88-year-old Wexner has always denied any involvement in the sex trafficking leader’s crimes.
Epstein used his relationship with Victoria’s Secret to find victims, promising many of them that he could make them the next Victoria’s Secret model. The files contain an undated statement from a woman identified as “Jane Doe” describing an encounter with Epstein:
“At that moment, I ran back to the door and figured out how to get out of there. A girl outside asked me where I was going and told me to be careful. She said Mr. Epstein knew many powerful people, including Bill Clinton, and that if I didn’t do what he wanted, I would never find work in this industry. I was so scared I couldn’t wait to get out of there… I had spent all my savings to buy Victoria’s Secret underwear because I thought it was an audition, but instead, it felt like a casting for prostitution. I felt like I was in hell.”
One of the emails released by the Department of Justice mentions a photograph of Trump and Ghislaine Maxwell taken together, found on a mobile phone belonging to Republican political strategist and “MAGA” ideologue Steve Bannon. The photograph itself is blacked out, and it is unclear when it was taken.
Woman alleging rape spoke to police
Among the documents released overnight is a strange FBI report where names are redacted. The report describes a tip the agency received from a limousine driver. The driver claims he heard Trump talking about “Jeffrey” and also spoke with a woman who alleged she had been raped by Trump.
It is unknown whether the FBI investigated this tip or dismissed it as fake, but the person who reported it to the FBI followed the woman, and she told him she had reported the rape to the “police.”
So far, there is nothing in the documents showing that Trump committed any crime, and the files do not indicate that he is under investigation.
In 2007, Epstein made a deal with federal prosecutors in South Florida that allowed him to plead guilty to two state prostitution charges (one involving a minor) and serve 13 months in the Palm Beach County Jail.
Allowed to leave prison regularly, Epstein continued to work in a nearby office and continued to abuse girls.
Epstein’s victims, whose numbers the department estimates at around 1,000 women, have long demanded more accountability for his powerful friends and accomplices, as well as more transparency from the department that kept them in the dark about the 2007 deal that allowed Epstein to escape heavy punishment for sexually abusing girls in South Florida.
Clinton requested the release of all documents
The files the department initially released on Friday did not satisfy the victims or the members of Congress who ordered the release, especially after the Department of Justice removed some files, including a photograph of Trump, after publication. This photograph and several others were later reposted online.
The files released Friday included numerous photographs of former president Bill Clinton. Many of these photographs were taken from a 2002 trip Clinton and Epstein took to Africa on Epstein’s plane.
On Monday, a spokesperson for Clinton asked the Department of Justice to release all files mentioning Clinton’s name, stating that the files released so far suggest “someone or something is being protected.”
Prince Andrew may not have been interrogated despite US requests
According to another document in the latest batch of Epstein files, federal prosecutors—armed with evidence that Prince Andrew had “sexual relations” with one of Epstein’s victims—threatened to force the British royal to speak with investigators under oath.
Department of Justice officials asked British authorities in the spring of 2020 to conduct a “mandatory interview” with the Prince if he refused to answer questions voluntarily as part of the department’s investigation.
Prosecutors also revealed the existence of evidence that Andrew was “present” during “certain” interactions between the victim, Epstein, and Maxwell, and evidence that the prince knew Maxwell “recruited women to engage in sexual relations with Epstein and other men.”
Prosecutors also wrote that they had “evidence that Prince Andrew engaged in sexual relations with one of Epstein’s victims.”
Epstein’s UK flights under scrutiny
The BBC revealed that approximately 90 flights linked to Jeffrey Epstein landed at or took off from UK airports, with some flights carrying British women who claim they were abused by the billionaire.
Following this, the BBC contacted the Metropolitan Police in October to ask if they would launch a comprehensive investigation into potential human trafficking by Epstein and his accomplices within, around, and outside the UK.
A document released by the US Department of Justice includes an email from a senior Metropolitan Police officer asking the FBI attaché in London if there was “still an ongoing investigation” regarding the BBC’s questions about Epstein’s flights to the UK.
In a statement released earlier this month, the Metropolitan Police Service stated that it had “not received any additional evidence that would support the reopening of the investigation” into the human trafficking activities of Epstein and Maxwell in the UK.
“If new and relevant information is brought to our attention, including that obtained from materials released in the US, we will consider it,” the Metropolitan Police Service said.
Amazon was slow to assist in the investigation
Just days before Epstein’s suicide in prison in 2019, the Department of Justice threatened to ask a judge to charge Amazon with contempt of court after the company failed to provide documents related to the investigation into the scandal-plagued financier.
An unidentified investigator wrote in an August 1 email to the company, “Amazon’s response to the attached grand jury subpoena is several weeks late.”
“The FBI has emailed and left messages for your legal department several times in recent weeks but has received no response. Please respond immediately to address Amazon’s non-compliance. Otherwise, we will file a contempt of court motion for failure to comply with valid legal process.”
It is unclear exactly which records the Department of Justice requested from Amazon; the subpoena was not accessible in the latest group of documents. However, it appeared to be related to email correspondence of individuals linked to the Epstein investigation.
A day later, it appeared that Amazon had hastily prepared a response to the subpoena, but the Department of Justice found this response to be highly inadequate.
Summers appointed as an alternate executor in his will
According to another document, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers was at one point appointed as a backup executor in Jeffrey Epstein’s will.
In the 2014 version of Epstein’s will, Summers was named as a “successor executor” to manage the convicted sex offender’s estate after his death if any of the other three appointed executors were “not qualified or unable to serve.”
According to the document, each executor was entitled to receive $250,000 upon completion of the will. Epstein died in 2019, and Summers was not named as an executor in the final version of his will.
Fake passport linked to Saudi Arabia
In the most recently released files, Epstein is seen to have an Austrian passport registered under the name “Marius Robert Fortelni.” The New York Post reported that this name belonged to a real estate developer who once lived in New York and later moved to Palm Beach, Florida.
The passport/document lists the individual’s date of birth as July 30, 1954, and place of birth as Vienna. Epstein was born in the US in 1953.
The passport, issued on May 21, 1984, lists the place of residence as Saudi Arabia and the nationality as Austrian.
The Saudi connection is particularly significant because Adnan Khashoggi, who was involved in organizing the Afghan jihad and the Iran-Contra scandal, and Ghislaine Maxwell’s father, Robert Maxwell, operated in the dark connections of international finance.
Epstein’s lawyers addressed the issue of the fake passport years ago. In a 2019 court filing cited by NBC, the offender’s legal team claimed the document was designed not for routine travel but as a “security measure.”
Arguing that the document was designed to be shown only in extreme cases while traveling in dangerous areas, Epstein’s lawyers wrote, “The passport was for personal protection in case of travel to dangerous areas,” adding that the passport would only be shown to “potential kidnappers, pirates, or terrorists in the event of violent incidents.”
Photographs released by the department show that the passport contained travel stamps from countries such as France, Spain, and the UK between 1982 and 1983. The document also includes a stamp from the Saudi Arabian consulate in Vienna granting a two-month entry permit.
A new public opinion poll conducted in the US shows that the proportion of American voters who believe the Washington administration is providing too much support to Israel has reached its highest level on record.
According to the survey, which was conducted by Quinnipiac University, 48% of respondents stated that the US provides “too much” support to Israel. Meanwhile, 7% said this support is “not enough,” 38% described it as “about right,” and 6% of participants remained undecided or did not answer the question.
“This is the highest level of voters who think the US is supporting Israel too much since Quinnipiac University first asked registered voters this question in January 2017,” the researchers who prepared the study noted.
When analyzed by political affiliation, 66% of surveyed Democrats, 55% of independent voters, and 20% of Republicans registered the view that the US supports Israel too much.
In recent years, Israel has been the focus of global criticism, particularly due to the manner in which it has conducted its military operations in Gaza. The war launched by Israel more than two years ago targeting Hamas has led to mass deaths among Palestinians in Gaza and the extensive destruction of infrastructure.
Separately, the US joined the current war alongside Israel against Iran approximately four months ago. Recent polling indicates that this step is unpopular among the American public.
Last week, US Vice President Vance warned Israeli officials not to criticize the peace agreement recently reached between Washington and Tehran. Vance implied that Israel, which is globally isolated, should be grateful for its partnership with the US.
Speaking at a press conference held at the White House, Vance said, “If I were in the Israeli government’s cabinet, I probably wouldn’t attack the only powerful ally I have left in the entire world.”
The Quinnipiac poll, conducted between June 18 and June 22, surveyed 1,165 individuals who identified themselves as registered voters. The margin of error for the study was reported as plus or minus 3.4%.
America
Colombia president-elect De la Espriella builds deep ties with European far right and Trump administration
Abelardo de la Espriella, who is poised to become Colombia’s next president, is forging deep institutional connections with Europe’s far-right political parties.
According to preliminary election results, De la Espriella won Colombia’s presidential election on Sunday, narrowly defeating human rights activist Iván Cepeda. Ahead of his electoral victory, De la Espriella traveled to Madrid in January to hold talks with Santiago Abascal, the president of Spain’s right-wing Vox party.
During the visit, De la Espriella joined Foro Madrid, an organization established by Vox’s party foundation to link right-wing and far-right groups across Spain and Latin America.
Other prominent right-wing figures in the region, including Chilean politician José Antonio Kast and Venezuela’s US-backed opposition leader María Corina Machado, are also part of this network.
Vox acts as a facilitator for relations between the Latin American right and the European far right, including connections with the Patriots for Europe (PfE) group in the European Parliament.
US President Donald Trump openly intervened in the Colombian election campaign to back De la Espriella, who has campaigned on a platform of “eradicating the left.”
De la Espriella: Attorney to paramilitaries and drug barons
Abelardo de la Espriella is recognized as a close associate of Álvaro Uribe, the right-wing politician who served as Colombia’s president from 2002 to 2010 and continues to wield significant political influence in the country.
A millionaire of many years, De la Espriella built his career as a high-profile defense attorney. His client list has included notorious right-wing paramilitaries, politicians allied with them, and prominent drug barons.
Among his clients was Salvatore Mancuso, a paramilitary commander and drug trafficker who was extradited to the US in 2008, where he was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
The Spanish daily newspaper El País previously described De la Espriella as the “lawyer of the mafia.”
In July, De la Espriella declared that he would do “everything in his power” to “eliminate” leftist politicians and activists, stating, “This plague must be eradicated.”
One of his campaign advertisements depicted him kneeling on the back of his electoral opponent, Iván Cepeda, pinning him heavily to the ground.
More recently, the president-elect was forced to defend his conduct after showing a female journalist a photograph of his lower body.
The image reportedly showed a prominent bulge in the groin area of his tight trousers. He reportedly told the journalist, “Come closer and tell me what you see.”
End of the “negotiation” era with guerrilla organizations
The formal political objectives pursued by De la Espriella during his campaign align closely with plans outlined by US President Donald Trump for restructuring the Colombian state.
De la Espriella has announced that his administration will no longer seek to resolve Colombia’s ongoing internal conflicts with remaining guerrilla factions and drug cartels through negotiations—the approach favored by outgoing President Gustavo Petro. Instead, he intends to rely on military force.
Proposed measures include launching airstrikes against guerrilla positions and resuming the aerial spraying of the controversial herbicide glyphosate over coca plantations.
According to analytical assessments, the consequences of such a securitized policy are likely to be “catastrophic,” particularly for rural areas.
Furthermore, De la Espriella has announced plans to construct 10 “mega-prisons” in remote regions of the country, which would likely operate under private-sector control.
These facilities are modeled on the high-security prisons established in El Salvador under President Nayib Bukele, where human rights organizations have repeatedly documented abysmal conditions.
On the economic front, De la Espriella advocates for drastic cuts to public spending, targeting a 40% reduction in state expenditures.
His economic policy model is Argentine President Javier Milei.
US-independent foreign policy sidelined
In foreign policy, De la Espriella aims to bring Colombia back under direct US alignment.
To this end, the incoming leader has announced “Plan Colombia 2.0.” The original Plan Colombia, implemented in the 2000s, involved billions of dollars in US weapons purchases alongside joint military operations with US forces on Colombian soil, which ultimately resulted in a dramatic escalation of violence.
De la Espriella has also declared his intention to join the “Shield of the Americas” initiative. This alliance, established in March by the Trump administration, links the US with Latin American and Caribbean nations governed by right-wing administrations.
Trump spoke highly of De la Espriella and openly supported him throughout the campaign.
Immediately following De la Espriella’s victory in the first round of the presidential election, Trump declared on social media that the election outcome was vital for Colombia’s relations with the US and offered his “full and complete endorsement.”
The Trump administration’s involvement in the Colombian campaign extended beyond rhetoric.
Shortly before the elections, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered the arrest of Beto Coral, a Colombian activist who had applied for asylum in the US, and set in motion plans to deport him.
The action was taken after Coral spoke out publicly against De la Espriella. Rubio defended the decision, arguing that Coral’s continued presence in the US “would harm the foreign policy interests of the United States.”
Vox: The “facilitator” between European and Latin American right-wing networks
De la Espriella’s political network extends beyond the US to include influential figures in Europe.
At a major campaign event held in Bogotá on November 3, 2025, to support De la Espriella’s presidential bid, attendees included Alvise Pérez, a Spanish Member of the European Parliament and founder of the right-wing party Se Acabó La Fiesta (SALF).
The party’s two representatives in the European Parliament sit with the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group.
On January 13, De la Espriella met in Madrid with Santiago Abascal, the leader of Spain’s Vox party, which maintains extensive ties to Latin America.
On the same day, De la Espriella joined Foro Madrid, an alliance founded in 2020 by Fundación Disenso, a think tank affiliated with Vox and officially chaired by Abascal.
Foro Madrid serves to coordinate right-wing and far-right forces in Latin America, linking them directly to Spain’s political right, particularly Vox.
Vox is a member of the Patriots for Europe (PfE) group in the European Parliament, an alliance that includes Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) in France, Matteo Salvini’s Lega in Italy, and Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz in Hungary.
Through these institutional channels, Colombia’s incoming president is integrated into Europe’s broader right-wing and far-right political network.
The US Senate has approved a resolution aimed at limiting President Donald Trump’s authority to undertake military action against Iran.
According to CNN, the measure requires Trump either to halt military operations directed at Iran or obtain specific authorization from Congress before using force.
The resolution passed by a vote of 50 to 48. Its approval was made possible by Republican senators Rand Paul, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and Bill Cassidy, who joined Democrats in supporting the measure. Democratic Senator John Fetterman voted against it.
The outcome was also influenced by the absence of several Republican senators.
Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell was unable to vote after being hospitalized with an undiagnosed illness, while Pennsylvania Senator Dave McCormick did not participate in the vote. Their absence made it easier for Democrats to secure the necessary majority.
Commenting on the result, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the American public was paying the price for what he described as Trump’s historic mistake on Iran.
“This will go down as one of the most failed foreign policy initiatives in the history of the United States,” Schumer said.
By supporting the resolution, Senators Rand Paul of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana also backed a measure previously approved by the House of Representatives that called on Trump to halt military attacks against Iran.
Some Democratic senators, including Tim Kaine, argued that passage of the war powers resolution remained necessary even though the United States and Iran had signed a memorandum of understanding and launched negotiations on a final peace agreement.
The Senate had previously supported the measure by a vote of 50 to 47 on May 20, but it was rejected by a vote of 48 to 47 during a subsequent vote on June 17.
Earlier efforts to advance the legislation in the Republican-controlled Senate had failed.
Under the US Constitution, only Congress has the authority to declare war.
However, many US presidents have argued that this restriction does not apply to short-term military operations or situations in which the country faces an immediate threat.
Although the Senate’s action is largely symbolic and does not carry full legal force, it reflects opposition among some lawmakers in both the House and Senate to military action against Iran and to Trump’s agreement that brought the conflict to an end.
The vote took place as the Pentagon was seeking an additional $80 billion from Congress to help cover the costs of operations involving Iran and replenish weapons and ammunition stockpiles.
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