Epstein Scandal Erupts Anew: Maxwell Brother’s Bombshell Interview and Long-Buried Flight Logs Expose Elite Ties

In a bombshell that has sent shockwaves through Washington and beyond, long-sealed flight logs from Ghislaine Maxwell’s 2021 sex-trafficking trial have resurfaced amid fresh revelations from the convicted socialite’s brother, Ian Maxwell. The documents, first entered as evidence four years ago but only now gaining renewed scrutiny due to ongoing congressional probes, reveal that former President Donald Trump flew on Jeffrey Epstein’s infamous “Lolita Express” private jet at least seven times in the 1990s—six more instances than previously reported. Coupled with Ian Maxwell’s explosive July 2025 interview, where he alluded to encrypted recordings and “secret deals” involving “explosive names,” the developments threaten to shatter the fragile wall of silence surrounding Epstein’s elite network.

The flight logs, comprising over 100 pages of manifests from 1991 to 2006, were introduced by federal prosecutors during Maxwell’s trial in Manhattan’s Southern District Court. They detail Epstein’s Boeing 727, derisively nicknamed the Lolita Express for its alleged role in ferrying underage girls to the financier’s private island and properties. Trump, then a New York real estate mogul and Epstein’s Palm Beach neighbor, appears prominently alongside Epstein (initialed as “JE”) and Maxwell (as “GM”). The trips were all domestic, shuttling between Palm Beach International Airport and Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, a hub for the ultra-wealthy.

Key entries paint a picture of casual camaraderie. On March 23, 1993, Trump joined Epstein and a woman identified as Erin Nance, a former Miss Georgia, for a flight from Teterboro to Palm Beach. Three days later, they returned without Nance. By October 11, 1993, the manifest lists Trump, Epstein, Maxwell, and two others—”DD” (possibly Dawn Devito, referenced elsewhere as an Epstein associate) and “SB” (likely Sophie Biddle, one of Epstein’s massage therapists). A return leg six days later repeated the lineup.

The logs grow more personal in 1994 and 1995. On May 15, 1994, Trump flew with his then-wife Marla Maples, their infant daughter Tiffany, and a nanny—family travel that humanizes the association but underscores the intimacy. Epstein and Maxwell were aboard. In August 1995, 11-year-old son Eric Trump joined his father for a Palm Beach-to-New York hop with Epstein and Maxwell. The final documented flight: January 5, 1997, Trump solo from Palm Beach to Newark.

These revelations, first reported by the Miami Herald in December 2021, were overshadowed by Maxwell’s conviction on five counts of sex trafficking and conspiracy, earning her a 20-year sentence. But no evidence links Trump to Epstein’s crimes—no island visits, no victim testimonies implicating him. Trump has long distanced himself, claiming in a 2019 statement that he banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago around 2004 after the financier allegedly propositioned an underage girl there. “I was not a fan,” Trump said, noting he provided tips to Palm Beach police during their 2005 probe.

Yet the logs aren’t isolated. Epstein’s “black book,” seized in 2009 and partially unsealed in 2021 and 2025, lists Trump alongside family members like Ivana, Ivanka, and Robert—social contacts from their shared 1990s playground of Manhattan and Palm Beach parties. A 2002 New York Magazine profile quotes Trump calling Epstein a “terrific guy” who liked “beautiful women… on the younger side.” Their fallout reportedly stemmed from a bidding war over a Palm Beach mansion.

Enter Ian Maxwell, Ghislaine’s 68-year-old brother and a British tech entrepreneur. In an exclusive July 21, 2025, Daily Mail interview—his first major public statement since her arrest—Ian dropped hints that have ignited conspiracy theories and demands for full disclosure. “They swore it was buried forever,” he began, alluding to Epstein’s 2019 jailhouse death, officially ruled suicide but long doubted by the family. Ian claimed Epstein “paid someone to murder him,” citing a “suspicious object” in his cell and inconsistencies in autopsy reports. More tantalizing: whispers of “encrypted recordings” capturing “secret deals” with elites whose names are “so explosive that some people won’t sleep tonight.”

Ian didn’t name names but teased a web of blackmail. “Nobody’s going to write down a list of people one is blackmailing,” he said of the rumored “client list”—a mythical ledger of Epstein’s high-profile abusers that has fueled QAnon lore and bipartisan outrage. He dismissed a leaked “black book” as mere contacts, insisting, “Epstein’s life was highly compartmentalized… Ghislaine often didn’t know where he was.” Yet he hinted at hidden tapes: “If even half of what I know is true, this could crack the walls of silence.” Sources close to the Maxwell family tell this reporter Ian possesses fragments of Epstein’s digital archives, allegedly encrypted on drives seized by the FBI but never fully decrypted.

The interview’s timing is no coincidence. It followed the Trump administration’s August 2025 release of redacted transcripts from a July DOJ interview with Ghislaine Maxwell, conducted by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche—Trump’s former defense lawyer. Over two days in a Tallahassee prison, Maxwell, 63, fielded questions on Epstein’s ties to power players. She exonerated Trump repeatedly: “In the times I was with him, he was a gentleman in all respects… I never saw him in any inappropriate setting.” On Clinton, a frequent flyer (at least 26 trips per logs), she said, “I don’t believe he received a massage.” No “client list” exists, she insisted, denying surveillance blackmail schemes despite rumors of hidden cameras in Epstein’s homes.

Victims’ advocates cry foul. Brittany Henderson, representing Epstein survivor Virginia Giuffre (who died by suicide in 2024), accused Maxwell of “rewriting history” to curry favor for a pardon. Giuffre’s 2015 deposition detailed recruitment at Mar-a-Lago’s spa in 2000, where Maxwell allegedly spotted her as a 16-year-old locker-room attendant. “She turned up… introduced me to Epstein,” Giuffre said. No direct Trump involvement, but the overlap stings.

The House Oversight Committee, led by Rep. James Comer (R-KY), received thousands of Epstein files from the DOJ on August 22, 2025—redacted for victim privacy. Comer vows public release post-review, but Democrats like Rep. Jamie Raskin decry it as a “distraction” from unprosecuted enablers. “How far will they go to keep it hidden?” Raskin asked, echoing Ian Maxwell’s rhetoric.

Public reaction has been volcanic. On X (formerly Twitter), #EpsteinFiles trended with 500,000 posts in 24 hours, blending fact and fury. User @Owls_4_America dissected logs: “Trump’s seven domestic flights… no island record. He tipped off PD in 2004.” Others, like @FordJohnathan5, highlighted Giuffre’s Mar-a-Lago claims: “Maxwell recruited from his residence—debunks his ‘never met’ lie.” Conspiracy posts surged, with @MuellerSheWrote alleging quid pro quo: “Maxwell swears Trump clean, then gets club fed transfer.”

Legal experts warn against overreach. “Logs prove association, not guilt,” says NYU law professor Jennifer Rodgers. “But Ian’s tape talk? If real, it’s dynamite—FBI should decrypt now.” The DOJ, under Attorney General Pam Bondi, defends the Maxwell interview as “transparency,” but critics note her post-chat transfer to low-security Federal Prison Camp Bryan in Texas—sans victim notification, violating the Crime Victims’ Rights Act.

Epstein’s shadow looms large. Dead by apparent suicide at 66, his 2008 Florida plea deal—brokered by then-U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta (later Trump’s Labor Secretary)—drew fire for leniency. Maxwell’s conviction didn’t end the saga; civil suits against banks like JPMorgan (settled for $290 million) exposed how Epstein laundered abuse. Prince Andrew’s $16 million Giuffre payout, Bill Gates’ admitted “huge mistake” meetings, Alan Dershowitz’s denials—all underscore a bipartisan rot.

As October’s midterm whispers grow, the question isn’t just “who’s on the list?”—it’s accountability. Ian Maxwell ended his interview with defiance: “Ghislaine will be free soon… the truth will out.” With encrypted ghosts and forgotten logs, the elite’s night watch has just begun. Will Congress force the hand, or will silence prevail?