Donald Trump gestures to the crowd as sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. look on near the exit, during a campaign rally at J.S. Dorton Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S., November 4, 2024. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

Author Michael Wolff confirmed to CNN that he was indeed referencing President Donald Trump in damning conversations with convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein about leverage and secrets.

CNN reports Democrats on the House Oversight Committee this morning released emails allegedly written by Epstein that explicitly mention Trump by name.

One email, which shows Trump being mentioned in private correspondence with convicted trafficker and Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, describing Trump as “the dog that hasn't barked” in connection to an Epstein victim who’s name was redacted by the House Oversight Committee.

“Obviously, this was … about three years after Epstein had accepted what is now known as that sweetheart deal that only got him a few months in prison,” said CNN reporter Kaitlin Collins, who pointed out that Trump’s ally Alex Acosta helped negotiate that plea deal.

But other emails released include those between Epstein and Wolff, the author who wrote a book on the inner workings of Trump's west wing back in 2018.

“… [I]n another email, this seems to be a reference to Donald Trump saying that he kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of his Mar-a-lago club and Jeffrey Epstein writes to Wolff and says: 'Trump said he asked me to resign, while adding that he was ‘never a member ever,'” Collins said.

But Epstein also included the statement: “Of course he knew about the girls as he asked Ghislaine [Maxwell] to stop."

“Now there's also a third email in here,” Collins told CNN anchor John Berman. “And this is, again, in regards to Jeffrey Epstein and Michael Wolff. Michael Wolff emails Jeffrey Epstein — and this is back in December 15, 2015, so the height of the 2016 campaign, just to put that in perspective for you — and it was the day of a CNN Republican primary debate. And Michael Wolff says, ‘I hear that CNN is planning to ask Trump tonight about his relationship with you, either on air or in a scrum afterwards.’ And Epstein wrote, ‘If we were able to craft an answer for him, what do you think it should be?’”

“Michael Wolff responded at length — and John, I'll summarize it — but he said, ‘in regards to Trump, I think you should let him hang himself. If he says he hasn't been on the plane, or to the house, then that gives you a valuable PR and political currency. You can hang him in a way that potentially generates a positive benefit for you, or if it really looks like he could win, you could save him. Generating a debt.’”

Collins added that, when reached by CNN, Wolff said, “I don't quite remember the context,” but he confirmed that “I was engaged then in an in-depth conversation with Epstein about his relationship with Trump."

Mention of Epstein did not arise in the CNN debate that year.