In 2013, Jared Kushner extended an invitation to Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender, for a gathering that also included his father-in-law, Donald Trump, and film producer Harvey Weinstein, who had not yet faced conviction at that time.
Recently revealed documents from the House Oversight Committee include a screenshot of an email invitation sent to Epstein. By then, Epstein had already served a 13-month prison sentence for child sex offenses.
This disclosure comes as reporters sift through a vast collection of documents, while Congress is poised to vote on whether to make all Epstein-related files public, surprisingly supported by President Trump.
Trump, who previously had ties with Epstein, insists he was barred from Mar-a-Lago in October 2007 due to his ‘creepy’ behavior. On Friday, aboard Air Force One, Trump stated, “Jeffrey Epstein and I had a very bad relationship for many years.”
At the time of the invitation, Kushner owned the New York Observer, which was celebrating its 25th anniversary on March 14, 2013. It remains uncertain whether Epstein actually attended the event.
The email, forwarded to Epstein by Kushner’s assistant, Lauren Groff, mentioned, “Mayor Michael Bloomberg will be by his side to toast you all,” suggesting a high-profile guest list.
His wife Ivanka and her father Donald Trump were included on the guest list, as were then-Newark Mayor Cory Booker, who was running for U.S. Senate at the time; actresses Blake Lively and Katie Holmes; fashion designer Carolina Herrera; and Weinstein’s then-fashion designer wife Georgina Chapman.
Epstein was convicted in 2008 in Florida on state charges of procuring a minor for prostitution and soliciting prostitution, serving 13 months in a work-release program as part of a controversial plea deal.
Jared Kushner, then owner of the New York Observer, invited Jeffrey Epstein to a party in 2013 with a guest list including some of the most influential people in New York City – including his father-in-law Donald Trump
The invite came after Epstein served a 13-month prison sentence for child sex crimes and it was released in a trove of documents from the House Oversight Committee
Kushner’s invite list included multiple already and soon-to-be convicted sex offenders.
Rape allegations against Weinstein would emerge in 2017 and he is currently serving a 16-year prison sentence for rape.
News personality Matt Lauer fell to the #MeToo movement the same year when NBC News terminated his contract due to multiple claims of sexual misconduct and harassment by former and current colleagues.
And former New York Observer editor-in-chief Ken Kurson was on the guest list. In 2021 he was pardoned by Trump after being charged with cyberstalking.
The March 2013 email said the party would honor New York City’s ‘best’ and ‘brightest.’
‘The Observer is honoring those who have defined and shaped New York since 1987,’ the email reads, adding: ‘They are celebrating the cities (sic) best, brightest and most influential in culture, media and finance.’
‘The celebration is going to be one of those quintessential New York nights. We are looking forward to seeing you.’
Kushner as publisher and Joseph Meyer as CEO were the hosts of the Observer’s party.
Trump and Epstein at the Mar-a-Lago estate, Palm Beach, Florida, 1997
The weekly paper, which went fully digital in 2016, was purchased by Kushner in 2006 and sold his ownership stake in 2017 when he accepted his role in the Trump administration. The publication was sold to a ‘family trust.’
Many of the invitees have associations or have appeared in photographs with Epstein over the years – including the president.
Trump maintains that the Epstein files are a Democratic hoax meant to distract from his administration’s progress.
But even Republicans are getting antsy to see all of the documents and files related to the convicted sex offender who died under suspicious circumstances while in jail awaiting trial in 2019.
The president even ‘broke-up’ with one-time MAGA darling Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene after she insisted Trump get on board with releasing all of the files.
A vote is set for later on Tuesday.
