Disgraced journalist Michael Wolff once suggested that Jeffrey Epstein could blackmail Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign, according to newly released congressional records.
The communications, made public by the US House Oversight Committee, reveal that Wolff best known for his controversial Trump-era book Fire and Fury exchanged several messages with the late financier in late 2015 and early 2016.
The emails show Wolff strategizing with Epstein on how to use the then-Republican candidate’s potential denials about their relationship as leverage for personal or political gain.
In one message dated December 2015, Wolff told Epstein that CNN planned to question Trump about his ties to him, either on air or immediately after an appearance.
“I hear CNN planning to ask Trump tonight about his relationship with you,” Wolff wrote. “I think you should let him hang himself.”
The following day, he expanded on his idea, suggesting Epstein could gain “valuable PR and political currency” from Trump’s denial.
“If he says he hasn’t been on the plane or to the house, then that gives you leverage,” Wolff wrote. “You can hang him in a way that generates a benefit for you — or, if it looks like he could win, you could save him, generating a debt.”
The tone of the emails suggested Wolff viewed Epstein as someone capable of influencing or even damaging Trump’s campaign, depending on how he chose to use the information he held.
Wolff, who later became a best-selling author by chronicling Trump’s presidency, appeared to see both risk and opportunity in Epstein’s notoriety.
Epstein Described as Trump’s “Bullet”
In a January 2016 exchange, Wolff called Epstein “the Trump bullet,” saying he could derail Trump’s campaign if he chose to speak publicly about their past association.
“The more Trump looks real, or perish the thought, inevitable, the more reporters are going to focus on this,” Wolff wrote. “You need a strategy.”
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By February, Epstein informed Wolff that he was being contacted by more journalists as Trump’s political rise continued.
“Yeah, you’re the Trump bullet,” Wolff replied, urging him to be proactive.
In another email, Wolff said The New York Times and the Hillary Clinton campaign were digging deeply into Trump’s past and warned that Epstein should consider “preempting” any damaging stories.
Just weeks before the 2016 election, Wolff wrote again to Epstein under the subject line, “Now could be the time.”
“There’s an opportunity to come forward this week and talk about Trump in such a way that could garner you great sympathy and help finish him,” Wolff said.
The tone of the exchanges implied that Wolff believed Epstein could directly influence the outcome of the election if he chose to go public with their alleged connection.
Wolff Profited from Trump’s Presidency
After Trump’s victory, Wolff appeared to maintain contact with Epstein and bragged about writing a new book for “a pile of money.”
“So… I’m doing this Trump book for a pile of money,” Wolff wrote in February 2017. “DT called me the other day and spent 45 minutes ranting and raving about the media — alarming.”
He also asked Epstein to introduce him to two individuals who could provide “off-the-record perspective on White House procedures.”
Fire and Fury was published in January 2018 and sold nearly two million copies in its first three weeks.
The book painted Trump as “an absentee father” and “a notorious womanizer,” claiming he rarely interacted with his wife, Melania.
Trump later dismissed the book as “trash” and “full of lies,” accusing Wolff of fabricating stories for profit.
Despite becoming an international bestseller, the book was widely criticised by fellow journalists for inaccuracies and questionable sourcing.
The release of the newly disclosed emails now raises fresh questions about Wolff’s ethics and his communications with Epstein, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Wolff has not publicly commented on the newly revealed correspondence.
Editing by M10News Political Desk | Contact: politics@m10news.com
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