Newly released emails from the late "financier" Jeffrey Epstein include a brief exchange with Tom Barrack and references to Donald Trump, prompting a sharp denial from the White House after Democrats on the House Oversight Committee published the messages this week.
The emails were reported by T24, a Turkish outlet. According to T24 and materials made public by the committee’s Democratic members, messages Epstein sent to his then-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell and writer Michael Wolff appeared among the cache, as did a brief back-and-forth with Barrack. In one note to Barrack, Epstein wrote: “FYI: I’m getting a lot of calls from reporters all week about both Donald (Marla, beauty pageants, Mar‑a‑Lago, etc.) and Clinton… Lately the Clinton calls have slowed, but my answer is always ‘I have nothing to say,’ or I just try to ignore them. I’ve been hit with a few surprise questions on the street, but I’m more careful now.”
Barrack replied, “Hope you’re well, let’s catch up.” Epstein then wrote back, “Send a photo with the child, make me smile”—a line whose context is unclear from the emails released, T24 noted.
Democrats said the trove also contains messages they argue suggest Trump knew about Epstein’s exploitation of underage girls; T24 reported that some emails attribute such knowledge to Epstein’s own words. The authenticity and completeness of the material have not been independently verified by this outlet.
The White House pushed back hard on the Democrats’ release. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, speaking at a briefing, rejected the implication that Trump was aware of or complicit in any abuse, saying the emails “prove nothing” and accusing Democrats of trying to score political points. She alleged that the “anonymous victim” referenced in the correspondence was Virginia Giuffre, who, Leavitt said, has stated that Trump “was not involved in any wrongdoing.”
Leavitt further claimed that Trump banned Epstein from Mar‑a‑Lago years ago over alleged harassment of women, including Giuffre, and accused Democrats of working with “liberal media” to spin a “false narrative.”
Epstein, a convicted sex offender, died in 2019 in a New York City jail while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges. Maxwell was later convicted on related charges. Writer Michael Wolff has previously chronicled Trump-world inner circles; his inclusion as an email recipient underscores Epstein’s overlapping connections across media, politics, and finance.
It was not immediately clear whether Barrack offered any further response beyond the brief exchange reproduced by Democrats. Nor is it known when, precisely, the “photo with the child” remark was written or to whom it referred. Absent full context, the snippet is already fueling renewed partisan clashes over the scope of Trump’s past ties to Epstein.
Who is Tom Barrack, and what is his role in Syria?
Tom Barrack is an American billionaire investor, a close confidant of President Donald Trump, who currently serves as the United States Ambassador to Turkey and the U.S. Special Envoy for Syria. He was appointed to this dual role by President Trump in May 2025, after Bashar al-Assad's regime collapsed in December 2024.
As the U.S. Special Envoy for Syria, Barrack plays a central and active role in the country's political and economic reintegration and stabilization efforts after over a decade of civil war.
Barrack's role marks a significant shift in U.S. policy toward Syria, moving from an indirect approach to direct, official diplomatic and economic engagement focused on stability and reconstruction.
Photo: T24