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Fox News aired a video of Donald Trump with Jeffrey Epstein amid speculation the former president could be among the high-profile names linked to Epstein in unsealed documents.
The names of roughly 200 people connected to Epstein are expected to be revealed this week after U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska ruled that they should no longer be redacted as part of a settled civil lawsuit between Ghislaine Maxwell—who was found guilty in December 2021 of helping Epstein abuse and traffic underage girls—and alleged victim Virginia Giuffre.
Some people have speculated Trump may be included in the list after he was found to have taken multiple trips on Epstein's private jet, dubbed the "Lolita Express," in the 1990s.
Trump has never been implicated in the offenses committed by Epstein or Maxwell, and no evidence has been presented to suggest Trump visited Epstein's Little St. James island in the Caribbean, where he was alleged to have trafficked and sexually abused young women and girls.
Amid questions about Trump's ties to Epstein, Fox News aired a video showing the two together. The video serves as a contrast from a 2020 news clip in which the network faced accusations of cropping Trump out of a photo with Epstein, sparking an apology from the network.
Newsweek reached out to Fox News and the Trump campaign for comment via email.
The clip appeared in a news package on Tuesday in which Fox News journalist Eric Shawn reported on the potential release of the names.
Shawn noted that Epstein was "accepted into the highest levels of the nation's financial and political circles," and that Trump and former President Bill Clinton have been speculated to be mentioned in the names. Clinton has also not been implicated in any illegal conduct.
"Reports also show old flight logs named Clinton as well as former President Donald Trump, and a host of other top business and political names as well as passengers who flew on Epstein's private jets. There is no evidence that they did anything wrong," he said.
In 2020, the network faced backlash for appearing to remove Trump from a well-known photograph showing Trump, his wife Melania Trump (née Knauss), Epstein and Maxwell together in February 2000. The photo was shown on the air during an interview with an attorney representing Epstein's alleged victims, reported The Guardian.
Fox News apologized for the photo in a statement also reported by the publication.
"On Sunday, 5 July, a report on Ghislaine Maxwell during Fox News Channel's America's News HQ mistakenly eliminated President Donald Trump from a photo alongside then Melania Knauss, Jeffrey Epstein and Maxwell," the statement said. "We regret the error."
Trump flew on Epstein's jet four times in 1993, as well as once in 1994, 1995 and 1997. The flights were between Palm Beach, Florida, and New York City airports, with one 1994 flight stopping at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
In another June 1994 flight, Trump traveled with a woman named "Marla"—presumably then-wife Marla Maples—and his then-infant daughter, Tiffany, along with a nanny. Trump's son Eric, who would have been 11 at the time of the flight, is also listed as a passenger in August 1995 from Palm Beach to New York.
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About the writer
Andrew Stanton is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in Maine. His role is reporting on U.S. politics and social issues. ... Read more