Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein were “good friends” who often used each other’s private planes, according to Epstein’s brother Mark, despite Trump’s claims that they barely knew each other.
Mark Epstein told CNN that Trump delayed the release of the long-awaited Epstein files because “there are things in there he doesn’t want people to see.” The debate over releasing the files — separate from the 20,000+ pages Congress released last week — has dominated the start of Trump’s second term. Though Trump campaigned on releasing them, he later dismissed the issue as a Democratic “hoax” before reversing course under pressure.
On November 20, Trump signed a bill ordering all government documents related to Epstein to be made public within 30 days. He claimed the release would expose Democrats, but critics note Trump’s own past ties to Epstein will also face scrutiny.
Mark Epstein insists the two men were close in the 1990s and early 2000s, routinely visiting each other and flying on one another’s jets. He also suggested the files are being “sanitized” in Virginia to remove Republican names, alleging FBI director Kash Patel is involved. He maintains Trump resisted releasing the files because they contain information he wants hidden.
“They were very good friends,” Mark said. “Everybody around knew that.”