E-Paper
Did journalist Landon Thomas Jr receive juicy photos of Trump from Epstein? Here's why he was fired from NY Times
Epstein offered then NY Times journalist Landon Thomas Jr. images of Trump with bikini-clad girls in 2015. But Thomas claimed Epstein never delivered them.
Jeffrey Epstein previously proposed to a New York Times journalist images of President Donald Trump with “girls in bikinis” in his kitchen. This proposal was made through an email to former Times financial reporter Landon Thomas Jr. in December 2015 and was included in a collection of 20,000 documents concerning the deceased sex offender that were disclosed on Wednesday by the House Oversight Committee.
Thomas authored the 2002 profile of Epstein for New York magazine, in which Trump remarked, “I’ve known Jeff for fifteen years. Terrific guy. He’s 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. No doubt about it — Jeffrey enjoys his social life.”
Also Read: Epstein email dump: Top 5 things you must know - $10k bet with Trump, #MeToo, baby food and more
‘Photos of Donald and girls in bikinis in my kitchen’, here's what Epstein offered
Over a decade later, following Trump's announcement of his 2016 presidential campaign, Thomas—who had transitioned to writing for the Times—sent an email to Epstein referencing the quote from 2002.
“Now everyone coming to me thinking I have juicy info on you and Trump,” Thomas stated “That story will never die.”
In the following two hours, Epstein responded through a series of emails, advising Thomas to investigate Trump’s financial dealings.
He then inquired, “would you like photos of Donald and girls in bikinis in my kitchen.”
“Yes!!!” Thomas replied.
“Hawaiian Tropic model Lauren Petrella,” Epstein responded.
Also Read: Bill Clinton breaks silence on Epstein probe amid ‘blowing Bubba’ buzz, ‘These emails prove…’
Why did the juicy tips about Trump never get reported?
Thomas, who departed from the Times in 2019, informed his previous newspaper that Epstein never delivered the photographs. The Times indicated that it was uncertain whether they ever existed.
A spokesperson for The New York Times informed the Daily Beast that Landon Thomas Jr. has not been employed at The Times since early 2019 after editors found that he did not adhere to our ethical standards.
Trump remarked that the most recent release of emails, which originated from a bipartisan investigation, was a “hoax” instigated by the Democrats.
“The Democrats are trying to bring up the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax again because they’ll do anything at all to deflect on how badly they’ve done on the Shutdown, and so many other subjects,” the President wrote on Truth Social.
Landon Thomas Jr opened up about ties with Epstein
Thomas informed the editors that he had developed a friendship with Epstein after working on his profile in 2008. In 2017, he allegedly requested Epstein to contribute $30,000 to a cultural center in Harlem.
A confidential source communicated with The Daily Beast, characterizing Thomas' behavior as “a shocking lapse of journalistic standards.” The email correspondence between Thomas and Epstein was unrelated to his dismissal from the media organization.
