TÜRKİYE ORTA ASYA HABER KKUORDİNATÖRÜ

n The Guardian News WORLD TURKISH NEWS What do new files reveal about Trump’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein? Allies downplay the president’s connections to Epstein, but newly released documents paint a more complex picture. Shortly after Assistant Attorney General Todd Blanche announced that the Justice Department would release an additional 3 million pages of files related to Jeffrey Epstein on Friday, Fox News aired an exclusive interview with him to give Americans an idea of ​​what to expect to find in the files. US Department of Justice Jeffrey Epstein FILES - Documents released by the US Department of Justice regarding the Jeffrey Epstein files were photographed on Friday, January 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick, File) New Epstein files reveal he may have trafficked girls to others despite official denials. Read more Blanche stated that after reviewing Epstein's correspondence spanning years, the Justice Department found no evidence that Epstein said anything that would incriminate Trump. "Even while Epstein was doing his best to smear President Trump, none of these communications implied that President Trump had committed any crime or had any inappropriate contact with any of his victims," ​​Blanche told Fox News. The report highlighted several published emails in which Epstein smeared Trump. Blanche's interview underscored the administration's aggressive efforts to downplay Trump's connections to Epstein and prevent any potentially negative revelations about the president. A more detailed look at the documents reveals a somewhat more complex picture. While the documents don't show Trump doing anything wrong, they provide more information about the relationship between Trump and Epstein, and the connections between Trump's inner circle and Epstein. Trump's name appears in unverified tip-offs sent to the FBI and in handwritten notes taken during an interview with a victim. An Epstein employee also told investigators that he remembered Trump visiting Epstein's home. The documents released Friday also show a woman named Melania exchanging intimate emails in 2002 and mentioning a trip to Palm Beach. None of this is particularly incriminating for Trump; rather, it raises further questions about why the Trump administration so vehemently opposed the release of the files, despite Trump's support for their publication during his presidential campaign. Trump also took action against attempts to link him to Epstein, suing the Wall Street Journal over a story about an obscene drawing included in a 50th-birthday book for Epstein. Following this, the House oversight committee obtained the entire book, including the birthday letter. Former Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene stated last year that Trump told her that releasing the files would harm his friends. Indeed, the files released Friday link individuals close to Trump to Epstein for the first time. According to the files, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, a longtime friend of Trump's, arranged for his family to visit Epstein's Caribbean island. While emails show the two meeting, Lutnick told the New York Times before hanging up that he had never met with Epstein. No victim has accused Lutnick of any wrongdoing related to Epstein. Elon Musk, a former senior advisor in the White House and an ally of Trump, revived interest in the Epstein files last year, suggesting Trump didn't want the documents released because his name appeared in them. Emails released Friday show Musk wanting to meet with Epstein on his island and attend the "wildest" parties held there. However, the visit apparently didn't happen, as Musk sent Epstein an email indicating it wasn't logistically feasible. According to the files, Steve Bannon, a leading strategist for Trump, also engaged in extensive correspondence with Epstein and conducted a lengthy video interview with him. Epstein and Bannon reportedly mocked Trump in their correspondence, and Bannon appears to have offered Epstein advice on how to improve his image. The administration signaled that Friday's release would mark the end of its investigative efforts into Epstein. Blanche said in an interview on CNN's State of the Union program on Sunday, "There's a lot of correspondence, a lot of emails, a lot of photos; a lot of gruesome photos that appear to have been taken by Mr. Epstein or those around him.