The U.S. Justice Department has released tens of thousands more documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, a tranche that included multiple mentions of President Donald Trump but added little new revelatory information to the long-anticipated public file on the late financier and convicted sex offender.

The release is the most voluminous so far and comes after a massive public campaign for transparency into the U.S. government’s Epstein investigations.

Many of the mentions of Trump in the file came from news clippings, though it includes an email from a prosecutor pointing out the flights that Trump took on Epstein’s private jet during the 1990s.

The two men were friends for years before a falling out. Trump has not been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein. The Justice Department issued a statement Tuesday that some documents contain “untrue and sensationalist claims” about Trump made shortly before the 2020 election — and said one document, purported to be a letter from Epstein to Larry Nassar, a sports doctor convicted of sexually abusing Olympic athletes, had been deemed fake.

Here are some takeaways:

Prosecutor flagged Trump’s travel on Epstein’s jet

Among the mentions of Trump in the latest batch of the Epstein files is a note from a federal prosecutor from January 2020 that said Trump had flown on the financier’s private plane more often than had been previously known.

An Assistant U.S. Attorney from the Southern District of New York said in an email that flight records the office received on Jan. 6, 2020, showed that Trump was on Epstein’s jet “many more times than previously has been reported (or that we were aware).”

The prosecutor who flagged the Trump mentions in the flight logs said they did so because lawyers “didn’t want any of this to be a surprise down the road.”

His travels on Epstein’s plane spanned the time that would likely be covered in any criminal charges against Epstein’s co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell. Trump was listed as a passenger on at least eight flights between 1993 and 1996, and on at least four of those flights, Maxwell was also there, according to the email.

On one of those eight flights, in 1993, Trump and Epstein were the only two passengers listed in the flight logs. On another flight, the three passengers listed in records are Epstein, Trump, and a redacted individual, who was 20 years old at the time. Two other flights included two women — whose names were redacted in follow-up emails — identified as potential witnesses in a Maxwell case.

Several additional Trump trips on Epstein’s plane had been previously disclosed during Maxwell’s criminal proceedings.

Asked for comment about the email, the White House pointed to a Justice Department statement saying Monday’s release contained “unfounded and false” claims against the president submitted to the FBI shortly before the 2020 election, but they were nevertheless being released for full transparency.

The Justice Department specifically raised questions about the validity of a document mentioning Trump that was styled as a letter from Epstein to Nassar, who is in prison after being convicted of sexually abusing Olympic athletes. Later Tuesday, the department said on social media that the FBI had confirmed the letter “is FAKE” based on the handwriting, Virginia postmark and return address — which did not include Epstein’s jail or inmate number, both required for outgoing mail.

“This fake letter serves as a reminder that just because a document is released by the Department of Justice does not make the allegations or claims within the document factual,” the department said in a post on X.

The latest release also showed that Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s southern Florida club, was served with a subpoena in 2021 for its employment records. The disclosure came as part of an email chain in which lawyers for the Southern District of New York and an attorney in touch with representatives for the Trump Organization discussed the employment status of someone whose name was redacted.

Trump has called the files a distraction

Trump complained that the files were a distraction from the work he and other Republicans are doing for the country.

Speaking during an unrelated event at his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday, the President blamed Democrats and some Republicans for the controversy.

“What this whole thing is with Epstein is a way of trying to deflect from the tremendous success that the Republican Party has,” Trump said.

He also expressed frustration about the famous people shown with Epstein in photos released by the Justice Department — people who he said may not have known him but ended up in the shot anyway.

“You probably have pictures being exposed of other people that innocently met Jeffrey Epstein years ago, many years ago. And they’re, you know, highly respected bankers and lawyers and others,” Trump said.

Other high-profile people are showing up in the files

Well-known people shown in the files include former President Bill Clinton, the late pop star Michael Jackson and singer Diana Ross. The mere inclusion of someone’s name or images in files from the investigation does not imply wrongdoing.

The latest release also includes files that put the U.K.’s former Prince Andrew back in the headlines.

Among those documents is correspondence between Maxwell and someone who signs off with the initial “A.”

The email exchange includes other references that suggest Maxwell’s correspondent may be Andrew. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The August 2001 email from someone identified only as “The Invisible Man,” said he is “up here at Balmoral Summer Camp for the Royal Family,” an apparent reference to the Scottish estate where the royal family have traditionally taken their late summer holidays.

“A” writes: “How’s LA? Have you found me some new inappropriate friends?”

The writer says he has left “the RN” and refers to the challenges of looking after “the Girls.” Andrew retired from the Royal Navy in 2001 and has two daughters.

Andrew, one of King Charles III’s younger brothers, was stripped of the right to be called a prince and his other royal titles and honors in October, amid continued publicity about his links to Epstein and concerns about the potential damage to the rest of the royal family. He is now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

Andrew has repeatedly denied committing any crimes, including having sex with Virginia Giuffre, who alleged that she was trafficked by Epstein and had sex with Andrew when she was 17.

Biggest information dump yet

Trump tried for months to keep the records sealed before relenting to political pressure, including from some fellow Republicans, though he eventually signed a bill mandating the release of most of the Justice Department’s files on Epstein.

Monday’s release was the biggest dump yet, including nearly 30,000 more pages. The data released by the law’s Friday deadline contained a fraction of that amount, mostly photographs taken during FBI searches of Epstein’s homes.

The new cache includes news clippings, emails and surveillance videos from the New York jail where Epstein was held before taking his own life in 2019, much of which was already in the public domain.

The law called for the files to be released within 30 days, but the Justice Department has instead released them in stages starting Friday. Officials have said they’re going slowly to protect victims, though some women assaulted by Epstein have spoken out publicly to call for greater transparency.

And the administration is facing fierce accusations that it is withholding too much information. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said the tens of thousands of files released still left “more questions than answers.” He pointed to a 2019 FBI email that mentions 10 people under investigation as possible co-conspirators but contains few additional details.

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Republished with permission of The Associated Press.

Last Call – A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.

First Shot

Gov. Ron DeSantis has appointed two new members and reappointed one incumbent to the Tallahassee State College District Board of Trustees.

DeSantis named Sara Bayliss and Jonathan Rees to the Board and reappointed Karen Moore, according to an announcement from the Governor’s Office. All three appointments are subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.

Bayliss serves as a College Admissions Advisor at St. John Paul II Catholic High School in Tallahassee and is also a Counselor with Game Plan College Admissions Counseling. She is active in education and athletics policy as a member of the Florida High School Athletic Association Board of Directors. Bayliss earned a bachelor’s degree in management information systems and French from the University of Iowa and a master’s degree in business administration from Florida State University.

Rees is a Partner at SBM Partners and brings extensive government affairs experience to the Board. His background includes serving as Director of State Government Affairs for Anheuser-Busch, Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and Legislative Assistant to former state Representative and U.S. Rep. Ross Spano. Rees earned his bachelor’s degree in international affairs from Florida State University.

Moore, who was reappointed, is the CEO and founder of The Moore Agency. She currently serves as Chair of the Florida College System Foundation Board of Directors and sits on the Boards of Directors for the Florida Chamber of Commerce and BioFlorida. Moore earned her bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Central Florida.

The Tallahassee State College District Board of Trustees oversees policy, governance, and long-term planning for the institution.

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The House is planning a lighter dose of floor action but a packed slate of Committee work during the opening week of the 2026 Legislative Session, according to a tentative schedule posted online.

The 60-day Session will convene Jan. 13, with Gov. DeSantis scheduled to deliver his annual State of the State address at 11 a.m. in the House chamber. House members are slated to return to the floor Jan. 15, while more than 20 Subcommittee meetings are scheduled across Jan. 13 and Jan. 14.

The early emphasis on Committee activity contrasts slightly with the Senate’s approach, where leadership has signaled a desire to move quickly on priority legislation during the opening week. The Senate has already blocked out floor sessions for Jan. 14 and Jan. 15 as it prepares to take up President Ben Albritton’s “rural renaissance” package.

That proposal, which stalled in the House during the 2025 Session after being split into multiple bills, is expected to be among the first major items considered in the upper chamber this year.

Evening Reads

—“Second big batch of Jeffrey Epstein files includes many mentions of Donald Trump” via Matt Viser and Aaron Schaffer of The Washington Post

—”Takeaways from the FBI’s second batch of Epstein files” via Becky Peterson, Brian Whitton and Sadie Gurman of The Wall Street Journal

—”House Republicans aren’t having any fun” via Elaine Godfrey and Russell Berman of The Atlantic

—”Is CBS News censoring 60 Minutes?” via Andrew Prokop of Vox

—”Big Balls was just the beginning” via Vittoria Elliott of WIRED

—”After power outage, San Francisco wonders: Can robot taxis handle a big earthquake?” via Soumya Karlamangla of The New York Times

—”As Orlando woos overseas visitors, Trump’s social media plan for tourists sparks concerns” via Skyler Swisher of the Orlando Sentinel

—“A mystery: Why are sharks suddenly snatching so many fish from anglers?” via Bill Kearney of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

—”Adam Anderson refiles thoroughbred horse racing ‘decoupling’ bill” via Janelle Irwin Taylor of Florida Politics

—”Ben Sasse announces stage 4 pancreatic cancer diagnosis” via Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics

Quote of the Day

“I already had a death sentence before last week, too — we all do.”

— Former U.S. Senator and UF President Ben Sasse, on his pancreatic cancer diagnosis.

Put it on the Tab

Look to your left, then look to your right. If you see one of these people at your happy hour haunt, flag down the bartender and put one of these on your tab. Recipes included, just in case the Cocktail Codex fell into the well.

Order a Horse’s Neck for Rep. Adam Anderson, who is once again shouldering the effort to decouple thoroughbred racing at Florida pari-mutuels.

Americans were served a welcome Surprise when economic estimates painted an unexpectedly positive picture of U.S. GDP.

Attorney General James Uthmeier keeps handing out Jail Birds to predators, most recently with a 60-year sentence for a Lehigh Acres man convicted on child pornography-related charges.

Breakthrough Insights

Tune In

The Florida Panthers face a significant test as they travel to Raleigh, North Carolina, to face the Carolina Hurricanes tonight (7 p.m. ET, WSFL, WHDT, WFTX, PanthersPlus.TV).

Florida (19-14-2) sits fifth in the Atlantic Division and 10th in the Eastern Conference. If the season ended today, the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions would not qualify for the postseason. Fortunately for the Panthers, the season is not quite halfway through, so there is time for improvement. 

It has been a challenging season for the Panthers, who lost two major stars to injury, Aleksander Barkov (season-ending knee injury) and Matthew Tkachuk (offseason surgery). Their absences have disrupted the team’s cohesion, affecting the play of usually reliable stars like Sam Reinhardt and Carter Verhaeghe. 

Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, typically a standout performer, has struggled as well. 

So, is there hope for the Panthers? 

Tkachuk is on track to return to the ice this season, according to head coach Paul Maurice. That could help. And recently, the Panthers have won seven of the last nine games. For now, Florida must find a way to contend until help arrives.

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Last Call is published by Peter Schorsch, assembled and edited by Phil Ammann and Drew Wilson, with contributions from the staff of Florida Politics.