A Department of Justice document from July 2019 reveals that Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s longtime attorney and fixer, had firsthand knowledge of Trump discussing Jeffrey Epstein—a detail that has never been fully explored in any Epstein investigation.
The document, a prosecutorial note to file, records a phone call from Cohen’s attorneys to Southern District of New York prosecutors. According to the memo, Cohen’s legal team stated that their client “has heard Trump say things about Epstein, but would not get into detail at this time about what those were.”
The revelation raises critical questions about what Trump told his closest confidant about Epstein, and why this information has never been pursued by investigators seeking to understand the full scope of Epstein’s network of powerful enablers.
THE DOCUMENT
On Wednesday, July 17, 2019—just days after Epstein’s arrest on federal sex trafficking charges—Cohen’s attorneys Mike Monico and Barry Spevack called Southern District prosecutors seeking a Rule 35 motion, which would allow prosecutors to request early release for Cohen in exchange for substantial assistance in another investigation.
The prosecutors’ internal memo documents the conversation:
“Mike Monico and Barry Spevack called on behalf of Cohen. They asked whether we would file a Rule 35, and requested a meeting to discuss it. I asked what had changed since we told them, on April 17, that we did not intend to file such a motion. They said that Cohen ‘has heard Trump say things about Epstein,’ but would not get into detail at this time about what those were.”
Prosecutors declined to pursue the offer, noting they had concerns about Cohen’s credibility. But the document confirms what has long been suspected: Trump’s inner circle had direct knowledge of his relationship with Epstein, and that knowledge has never been fully disclosed.
WHAT THIS REVEALS ABOUT THE EPSTEIN NETWORK
Jeffrey Epstein didn’t operate alone. His sex trafficking operation required a network of enablers—people who knew, people who looked away, people who facilitated, and people who protected him.
Understanding that network requires understanding who knew what, and when they knew it.
Michael Cohen worked for Donald Trump for 14 years, from 2006 to 2018. During that time, Cohen was Trump’s personal attorney, fixer, and closest confidant. Trump himself has said Cohen handled his most sensitive matters.
If Trump discussed Epstein with Cohen—and the DOJ document confirms he did—then those conversations would have occurred during a period when:
Epstein was a registered sex offender (convicted in 2008)
Trump and Epstein were photographed together at multiple social events
Epstein was operating what prosecutors would later call an “unprecedented” sex trafficking conspiracy
Powerful men in business, politics, and academia maintained relationships with Epstein despite knowing about his conviction
The question isn’t whether Cohen is telling the truth now. The question is: what did Trump tell Cohen about Epstein, and what does that reveal about Trump’s knowledge of Epstein’s activities?
After the paywall: More from our investigation.
