Mark Epstein Claims Trump Slow-Walked Epstein Files, Says Late Brother Viewed Him as a “Crook”

Mark Epstein says he suspects President Donald Trump delayed backing the release of documents tied to Jeffrey Epstein because the files may contain information the president would rather keep private.

In a phone interview on CNN’s Erin Burnett OutFront on Thursday, Nov. 20, Mark questioned why Trump didn’t support releasing the long-anticipated Epstein files sooner. He said he believes the hesitation was intentional, adding that he thinks “there’s things in there he doesn’t want people to see.” Mark offered no proof for this assertion, framing it as his personal view.

Mark also described what he says was a close relationship between Trump and his late brother in the 1990s. He claimed the two were “very good friends,” traveled together on their private planes, and spent time in each other’s circles. Mark suggested investigators should review Trump’s flight records from that era, arguing that existing reports only reflect trips Trump took on Epstein’s plane, not the other way around. He said Jeffrey told him multiple times that they flew together and that Trump visited Epstein’s office frequently during that period.

According to Mark, the friendship eventually soured. He alleged that Jeffrey cut ties after deciding Trump was a “crook,” and claimed his brother’s comment exists “on tape.” Mark did not provide details about where such a recording might be found.

Mark further claimed that Trump and Jeffrey spoke after Trump’s 2016 election victory. He said his brother told him Trump called and expressed surprise at the win, allegedly asking something like, “Can you believe this?” Trump has long said he hadn’t been in contact with Jeffrey for years before Epstein’s death.

These comments followed another recent interview in which Mark said an unnamed source told him the Epstein files were being altered to remove conservative names. In that Nov. 18 phone conversation with NewsNation, he alleged that officials were “scrubbing the files to take Republican names out,” though he again provided no evidence. He also said Jeffrey had damaging information about Trump during the 2016 campaign, suggesting it was serious enough to “cancel the election,” but acknowledged that his brother never told him specifics.

Responding to Mark’s latest remarks, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson dismissed the accusations and instead pointed to prominent Democrats who have faced questions about their contacts with Epstein. Jackson cited past reports and newly surfaced emails involving Rep. Stacey Plaskett, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and former President Bill Clinton, arguing that their connections should be examined as well.

Plaskett has previously said she exchanged messages with Epstein during a 2019 House hearing because she believed he could help provide information relevant to the investigation, while denying any real friendship. Jeffries has said he has no recollection of a 2013 fundraising email involving Epstein and insists he never met or spoke with him. Clinton’s representatives have repeatedly maintained that he was unaware of Epstein’s crimes; Epstein himself wrote in an email that Clinton was never on his private island.

Trump has kept distance from Epstein in recent years, though public records and past reporting have documented their social ties before Epstein’s 2019 arrest. Epstein was taken into custody in July 2019 on federal charges of s** trafficking minors and conspiracy to do so. He died the following month while awaiting trial at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City, in what authorities ruled an apparent suicide.