'I found an image of Trump': Criminal probe into Steve Bannon reveals new Epstein link

An email released by the Justice Department early Tuesday morning as part of its ongoing release of Jeffrey Epstein files revealed that law enforcement had uncovered a potentially new photograph of President Donald Trump with a co-conspirator of Epstein’s as part of its probe into Trump ally Steve Bannon.

The email, sent June 11, 2021, appears to have been related to the criminal probe into Bannon – Trump’s former White House chief of staff – over his involvement with a charity to fund the construction of Trump’s proposed border wall. Bannon ultimately pleaded guilty to fraud charges, but was sentenced to a three-year conditional discharge.

While investigators were forensically searching Bannon’s phone records, however, one made a discovery unrelated to the criminal probe.

“As I was going through the images from that phone, I found an image of Trump and Ghislaine Maxwell on Bannon's phone,” reads the email, the names of both its sender and recipient redacted. “I discussed with Sunny and we wanted to flag this for you, in case it was of any importance to you, since you are on both cases.”

Another investigator responded to the email with thanks, and instructions that there was “no need to do anything with this one.”

Maxwell was Epstein’s girlfriend, and was given a 20-year sentence in 2021 after being convicted of sex-trafficking charges related to him.

There already exist a number of photographs of Trump with Maxwell, and the attached image in the email was redacted in the DOJ’s release.

Maxwell is currently serving her 20-year sentence at the federal prison Camp Bryan in Texas, a low-security prison she was quietly moved to over the summer, despite of federal prisoner rules that prohibit convicted sex offenders from serving in low-security prisons.

Trump has made several remarks on Maxwell that have drawn scrutiny, including saying “I just wish her well” after her arrest in 2020. He’s also refused to rule out issuing her a pardon before the end of his second term.