Donald Trump was a passenger on Jeffrey Epstein's "Lolita Express" six more times than was previously known, according to newly-released documents at Ghislaine Maxwell's trial. The flight logs suggested that he travelled on the plane not just in 1997 - in fact, Trump also used it four times in 1993, once in 1994, and once in 1995 with his ex-wife Marla Marples and children Tiffany and Eric.
It was also reported that Epstein once flew on Trump's private plane. However, those flights occurred over a decade before Epstein was arrested for the first time and convicted for soliciting a minor for prostitution in 2008.
In this courtroom sketch, defendant Jeffrey Epstein, second from right, listens along with defense attorneys, from left, Marc Fernich, Michael Miller, and Martin Weinberg as Judge Richard M. Berman denies him bail during a hearing in federal court, Thursday, July 18, 2019 in New York. Judge Berman denied bail for the jailed financier on sex trafficking charges, saying the danger to the community that would result if the jet-setting defendant was free formed the "heart of this decision."
© AP Photo / Aggie Kenny
Trump and Epstein had known each other since the 1990s, but according to the ex-president, he cut contacts with the billionaire years before he was arrested on major sex trafficking charges. Some reports suggested that Trump even banned the disgraced financier from his exclusive Mar-a-Lago club after Epstein tried to hit on the underage daughter of a club member.
Epstein was arrested in 2019 and charged with running a sex trafficking network of minors. Yet, soon after his arrest, he was found dead in his prison cell, which prompted multiple speculations that Epstein could've been murdered by his "rich and powerful" friends who feared he might expose them. His death was officially ruled a suicide.
Ghislaine Maxwell, who is often called Epstein's "pimp" by the media, faces six charges over her ties with the late billionaire, which could see her locked up in prison for up to 80 years. The charges include enticement of a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, transportation of a minor with intent to engage in illegal sex acts, and sex trafficking of a minor, among others.