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By Jason Lemon
Deputy News Director
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The Department of Justice (DOJ) in a Tuesday afternoon social media post confirmed an alleged Jeffrey Epstein letter addressed to fellow sex offender Larry Nassar that discussed President Donald Trump is fake.
Why It Matters
The DOJ released a new trove of Epstein-related documents on Tuesday following pressure for more transparency from the Trump administration. The House of Representatives voted last month to compel the release, and the department publicized the first trove of files on Friday. The second batch was made public overnight into Tuesday.
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There is no public evidence that Trump engaged in any criminal wrongdoing related to Epstein. The files released Tuesday included references to flights Trump took with Epstein and a subpoena for Mar-a-Lago. It also included multiple tips federal law enforcement received about Trump, though the DOJ described them as “unfounded” in a statement.
What To Know
The DOJ on Tuesday addressed a letter that appeared to be from Epstein to Nassar, a former physician, included in the files. It wrote on X that the FBI confirmed the letter is fake.
"The fake letter was received by the jail, and flagged for the FBI at the time," the post reads.
The FBI made the conclusion based on three facts, the DOJ said. First, the writing does "not appear to match" that of Epstein. It was also postmarked three days after Epstein's death, and in northern Virginia, while Epstein was jailed in New York.
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Furthermore, the return address did not list the jail where Epstein was held and did not include his inmate number, which is required for outgoing mail, the DOJ said.
"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. Nevertheless, the DOJ will continue to release all material required by law," the post reads.
The DOJ earlier said it was "looking into" the letter. It has gone viral on social media and widely discussed since its release.
Epstein died by suicide in a New York City federal jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking, and Ghislaine Maxwell was sentenced in 2022 for aiding Epstein in the trafficking of minors and is serving a 20-year prison sentence. There have long been rumors of an Epstein "client list," though it has never been made public.
The newly released files mentioned Trump—including in an email from an unidentified DOJ official—that Trump had flown on Epstein's jet more than the department knew at the time and a subpoena for Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate was related to Maxwell's case.
What People Are Saying
Conservative commentator Mike Cernovich, on X: "Yep. It had every telltale sign of a hoax. Anyone who shared it either lied or is too stupid to function and must be immediately disregarded."
Democratic commentator Mike Nellis, also on X: "Seems pretty clear to me that the DOJ knowingly released a fake letter from Epstein just to give MAGA influencers a talking point to defend Trump from all the other incriminating s*** in these files."
What Happens Next
More Epstein files are expected to be released over the coming weeks.
Update 12/23/25, 4:50 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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