Live updates: Here’s what we know about the newly released Epstein documents
House Republicans released over 20,000 pages of documents on Wednesday from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate just hours after Democrats from the House Oversight Committee released three emails that suggested President Donald Trump was more aware of Epstein’s behavior than he has previously acknowledged.
Miami Herald reporters are combing through the trove of documents. Here’s the latest:
Rep. Adelita Grijalva sworn in, signs petition
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson swore Rep. Adelita Grijalva, an Arizona Democrat, into office, ending a seven-week delay in her ability to fully represent her constituents in the midst of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. Rep. Grijalva quickly signed a petition, which gave Democrats and a handful of Republican representatives enough signatures to advance a measure to the Senate demanding the Justice Department release the Epstein files.
- Shirsho Dasgupta
New Epstein emails claim Trump ‘spent hours’ with victim
Emails from sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein released by a House Oversight Committee Wednesday say that President Donald Trump “spent hours” with a victim at his house and “knew about the girls.” The three emails – one of them between Epstein and his now-convicted accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell – are the first to be released publicly by the Oversight Committee that say Trump was with a victim. Trump has denied he participated in any of Epstein’s crimes and has maintained that he was unaware the New York financier was trafficking underage girls and young women. - Julie K. Brown & Claire Healy
Trump on Truth Social
President Trump called the release of the Epstein files a “hoax” on Truth Social. He alleged that it was a way for Democrats to deflect from what he described as their failure with the government shutdown. He called on Republicans in Congress to focus only on reopening the government and nothing else.
The New York Times reported that Trump officials have met with Rep. Lauren Boebert, one of the signatories of Rep. Thomas Massie’s petition to force a release of all Epstein files.
- Shirsho Dasgupta
Miami Herald in the documents
At least 150 pages released Wednesday included Miami Herald stories or other stories that mentioned the Herald’s coverage of the Epstein case. Many were references in court documents that were included. Herald reporter Julie K. Brown’s investigation Perversion of Justice published in Nov. 2018 led to the arrests of Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
In a series of emails with author Michael Wolff on Dec. 1, 2018, Epstein asks Wolff how to address a recent unspecified piece “being lauded as great investigative journalism.” The Herald’s series had just been published the week before. At one point, Epstein writes: “im thinking what would trump do.”
-Ana Claudia Chacin & Claire Healy
Epstein offered Russian diplomat Trump insight, emails show
Jeffrey Epstein offered to meet with Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s top diplomat, to help him gain insight into how President Trump thinks. He asked Norwegian politician Thorbjørn Jagland to pass on the message to President Vladimir Putin on June 24, 2018, roughly a month before the two presidents met in Helsinki.
Epstein also boasted about how Vitaly Churkin, another Russian diplomat, “understood Trump” after the two spoke.
“It is not complex. He [Trump] must be seen to get something ... It’s that simple,” Epstein wrote to Jagland.
- Shirsho Dasgupta
This story was originally published November 12, 2025 at 5:19 PM.
