{"id":45152,"date":"2025-11-17T12:30:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-17T20:30:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=45152"},"modified":"2025-11-17T12:30:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T20:30:09","slug":"epstein-gave-ny-times-journalist-tips-about-trump-why-did-they-never-get-reported","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2025\/11\/17\/epstein-gave-ny-times-journalist-tips-about-trump-why-did-they-never-get-reported\/","title":{"rendered":"Epstein Gave NY Times Journalist Tips About Trump. Why Did They Never Get Reported?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Exchanges about Trump between a reporter and Epstein raise questions about what the New York Times knew and when.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Noah Hurowitz<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

November 14 2025 (TheIntercept.com)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Businessman<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Donald Trump and financier Jeffrey Epstein attend a Victoria\u2019s Secret event in New York City on April 9, 1997. Photo: Thomas Concordia\/Getty Images<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The trove of<\/strong> documents from a House investigation dumped online Wednesday reveals explosive new details about how the late, disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein wielded influence with prominent and powerful people across the political spectrum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Epstein\u2019s influential friends, however, weren\u2019t all household names. The documents also reveal details of Epstein\u2019s unusually close relationships with scientists, academics, and philanthropists \u2014 and how he had a cozy arrangement with members of the media who got juicy tips from Epstein and did little critical work about him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One reporter with whom Epstein connected frequently was Landon Thomas Jr., a financial journalist at the New York Times. Thomas exchanged dozens of emails with Epstein between 2015 and 2018, years after the financier\u2019s conviction for soliciting a minor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Epstein fed information to Thomas about Donald Trump\u2019s allegedly lecherous behavior.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In the emails, Thomas tipped off Epstein about inquiries by other reporters and claimed to have vouched for Epstein, whom he said he called \u201cone hell of a guy.\u201d In one exchange, Thomas coached Epstein on how to repair his reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The relationship was a two-way street. Epstein, who died in a Manhattan federal jail in 2019 awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking, was reportedly<\/a> a valued source for Thomas. In the emails released Wednesday, one of the topics Epstein fed information to Thomas was about Donald Trump\u2019s allegedly lecherous behavior. In the exchanges \u2014 through his trademark style of lowercase letters and abundant typos \u2014 Epstein alludes to Trump\u2019s predilection for young women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cread the [BuzzFeed story] re my airplane logs and hawain tropic contest,\u201d Epstein wrote in one email on December 8, 2015, alluding the Trump\u2019s frequent travel on the financier\u2019s private plane. \u201chave them ask my houseman about donad almost walking through the door leaving his nose print on the glass as young women were swimming in the pool and he was so focused he walked straight into the door.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No reply or follow-up from Thomas appeared in the documents released Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On one occasion, Thomas attempted to convince Epstein to speak out about Trump. Thomas had reportedly told his editors he solicited information from Epstein but would not write about Epstein himself. In the newly released email exchange, Thomas offered Epstein to pass any information about Trump to other journalists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cI would not do it myself, but would pass on to a political reporter.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am serious man \u2014 for the good of the nation why not try to get some of this out there,\u201d Landon wrote in an exchange the same day. \u201cI would not do it myself, but would pass on to a political reporter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Epstein deflected, sending a link to a story about a Norwegian heiress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cmy 20 year old girlfriend in 93\u201e that after two years i gave to donald,\u201d Epstein replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAmazing!\u201d Thomas wrote back. \u201cWhen did you last talk to him?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like the other exchange, the message is cryptic and no follow-up was recorded in the files released Wednesday to provide context. The Norwegian heiress has previously been linked to both Trump<\/a> and Epstein<\/a>, though she has denied<\/a> being romantically involved with Epstein. Epstein\u2019s claim that he \u201cgave\u201d the heiress to Trump had not previously surfaced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Little Came to Light<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In total, the exchanges about Trump between Thomas and Epstein amount to a series of tips about the president\u2019s behavior. And these tips came from a known associate of the president, a convicted pedophile. Little of the information given to Thomas, however, ever saw the light of day \u2014 not in Thomas\u2019s reporting, not in the New York Times, and not in any other outlets. The details are only now emerging with the release of Thomas\u2019s cozy emails with Epstein.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt would be useful for readers who have become aware of this to know more from the Times about who knew what, when,\u201d said Margaret Sullivan, a media critic and a former public editor at The New York Times. \u201cI think it\u2019s really important for reporters to have their main constituency in mind, and that is the public.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cReporters have sources and some sources are unsavory or worse. But it\u2019s really important to have the public interest at heart,\u201d Sullivan said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Intercept made multiple attempts to contact Thomas at an address listed under his name, but was unable to speak with him for comment. In an interview<\/a> with the Times on Wednesday, Thomas referred to Epstein as a \u201clongstanding and very productive source.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Danielle Rhoades Ha, a spokesperson for the New York Times, declined to respond to questions on the tips about Trump passed from Epstein to Thomas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The White House said in a statement that the Epstein emails about Trump were a distraction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Trump Helps Alleged Sex Trafficker Andrew Tate Cross Border Into U.S.<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese emails prove literally nothing,\u201d White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told The Intercept. \u201cLiberal outlets are desperately trying to use this Democrat distraction to talk about anything other than Democrats getting utterly defeated by President Trump in the shutdown fight. We won\u2019t be distracted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wednesday\u2019s dump came amid a monthslong furor over the so-called \u201cEpstein Files,\u201d the moniker for documents held by the government that could shed further light on the late financier and pedophile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Epstein\u2019s criminal activities, close ties to the rich and powerful, and mysterious death \u2014 which was ruled a suicide \u2014 have given rise to investigations, conspiracy theories<\/a>, and a raft of memes. Despite his personal ties to Epstein, Trump and his supporters brandished Epstein\u2019s relationships with powerful Democrats as a political cudgel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, the administration\u2019s failure to provide full transparency on the case has become a political liability for the president, fueling disaffection among some of his staunchest supporters. The attention on the case triggered an investigation by the House Oversight Committee, which released the trove of emails on Wednesday in two batches: a small one from the Democrats, followed by a massive dump by Republicans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the GOP was hoping to extinguish the controversy surrounding Epstein, it may have doused the fire with gasoline instead \u2014 and the newly revealed exchanges between Thomas and Epstein are fanning the flames.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Matt Sledge<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJuicy Info\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When Trump launched his bid for the White House in 2015, his past relationship with Epstein \u2014 the men were even neighbors in Palm Beach, Florida \u2014 brought fresh scrutiny. One of the focuses was Thomas\u2019s 2002 New York Magazine profile of Epstein, the first recorded interaction between the journalist and the pedophile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The New York Magazine story is written in a glamorous, gossipy style that cast Epstein as an \u201cinternational moneyman of mystery<\/a>,\u201d and is held up by Trump\u2019s critics as evidence that the president knew a thing or two about Epstein\u2019s obsession with underage girls. The innuendo flowed from a now-infamous quote where Trump spoke winkingly of Epstein\u2019s predilection for younger women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve known Jeff for fifteen years. Terrific guy,\u201d Thomas quoted Trump as saying. \u201cHe\u2019s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Citing the future president\u2019s \u201cterrific guy\u201d quote, Thomas wrote in a December 2015 email that he was fielding inquiries about Epstein and Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow everyone coming to me thinking I have juicy info on you and Trump,\u201d Thomas wrote. \u201cBecause of this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two minutes later, Epstein replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cwould you like photso of donald and girls in bikinis in my kitchen\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u201cwould you like photso of donald and girls in bikinis in my kitchen,\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes!!!\u201d Thomas wrote back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Epstein continued the exchange without following through on his offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than a year later, Thomas was apparently still fielding questions about Epstein, this time from John Connolly, the former New York cop-turned-journalist who published a book on Epstein in 2017. On June 1, 2016, Thomas emailed Epstein to tip him off about the fresh round of questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKeep getting calls from that guy doing a book on you \u2014 John Connolly. He seems very interested in your relationship with the news media,\u201d Thomas wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Thomas, Connolly had doubts about the veracity of Trump\u2019s \u201cterrific guy\u201d quote from 2002.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne oddity: he said he had been told that that quote from Trump about you in the original NY Mag story had been manufactured ie, that I did not actually speak to Donald,\u201d Thomas wrote. \u201cWhich is bull shit of course.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later in the thread, Landon asked Epstein if he too had been questioned about his relationship to the GOP presidential hopeful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201care you still getting calls from reporters re Trump?\u201d Thomas asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201ceveryone except the NYT it seems :)\u201d Epstein replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow Are You Holding Up?\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Thomas\u2019s relationship with Epstein helped precipitate the journalist\u2019s downfall at the New York Times, according to NPR\u2019s 2019 investigation<\/a> into the pedophile financier\u2019s relationship to the press. According to the story, Thomas had been asked to interview Epstein for the newspaper in 2018 and disclosed to his editors a friendship with Epstein \u2014 including Thomas\u2019s solicitation of a $30,000 donation for a local uptown New York charity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thomas told his editors, according to NPR, that he pumped Epstein for information but did not report on him \u2014 though on several occasions in past years Thomas had. Thomas was barred from professional contact with Epstein, NPR reported, and within six months he was gone from the New York Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rhoades Ha, the Times spokesperson, said Thomas had left the paper after ethical lapses were uncovered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLandon Thomas Jr. has not worked at The Times since early 2019,\u201d she wrote in an email to The Intercept on Wednesday, \u201cafter editors discovered his failure to abide by our ethical standards.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cYou have moved on! People don\u2019t know that and cant accept that unless you say as much.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In 2008, on the eve of Epstein turning himself into Florida authorities, Thomas wrote one of his New York Times stories about the financier. Thomas traveled to Epstein\u2019s now-notorious Caribbean island lair, Little Saint James. The story, critics said, soft-pedaled the offenses Epstein had pleaded guilty to, largely framing the charges around soliciting sex work rather than the alleged child victims, whose stories had by then become well known thanks to ongoing legal cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After his 2008 plea \u2014 now widely panned as a sweetheart deal by a Florida prosecutor who would later become political appointee in Trump\u2019s first administration<\/a> \u2014 Epstein led a comparatively low-profile life, even as he maneuvered behind the scenes to connect powerful players on a global stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The emails in Wednesday\u2019s dump from the House don\u2019t include any conversations between Thomas and Epstein until January 2015, when Thomas reached out to check up on Epstein.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow are you holding up?\u201d Thomas wrote in the subject line of an email sent on January 16.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s unclear what prompted the question, but it came just after a judge had heard arguments in Manhattan federal court over whether to unseal documents from the 2008 plea deal and allegations had emerged recently linking Epstein and Britain\u2019s Prince Andrew to horrific acts of sexual violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If Epstein was worried, however, he didn\u2019t show it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cvery well, my reputation has admittedly taken a hit,\u201d Epstein replied. \u201chowever, again, more calls re currency than i can handle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Epstein proceeded to defend his conduct and cast aspersions on the character and motives of his accusers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thomas replied with some advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think the big issue is separating yourself from Andrew,\u201d Thomas wrote. \u201cI mean I can see why a statement might help in some way \u2014 but its Andrew (not clinton and the rest) that is keeping the story alive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUntil you are able to come forward and address that the story lives on,\u201d Thomas continued. \u201cYou have moved on! People don\u2019t know that and cant accept that unless you say as much.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thomas then asked Epstein for his thoughts on global currencies.Share<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Court orders are being ignored. MAGA loyalists have been put in charge of the military and federal law enforcement agencies. The Department of Government Efficiency has stripped Congress of its power of the purse. News outlets that challenge Trump have been banished or put under investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet far too many are still covering Trump\u2019s assault on democracy like politics as usual, with flattering headlines describing Trump as \u201cunconventional,\u201d \u201ctesting the boundaries,\u201d and \u201caggressively flexing power.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Intercept has long covered authoritarian governments, billionaire oligarchs, and backsliding democracies around the world. We understand the challenge we face in Trump and the vital importance of press freedom in defending democracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re independent of corporate interests. Will you help us?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Donate<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contact the author:<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Noah Hurowitz<\/a>noah.hurowitz@theintercept.com<\/a>@noahhurowitz.bsky.social<\/a>on Bluesky@NoahHurowitz<\/a>on X<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Exchanges about Trump between a reporter and Epstein raise questions about what the New York Times knew and when. Noah Hurowitz November 14 2025 (TheIntercept.com) Donald Trump and financier Jeffrey Epstein attend a Victoria\u2019s Secret event in New York City on April 9, 1997. Photo: Thomas Concordia\/Getty Images The trove of documents… Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45152"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45152"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45152\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45153,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45152\/revisions\/45153"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45152"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45152"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45152"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}