Washington DC - Donald Trump urged Republicans on Wednesday not to fall into a "trap" after emails released by Democrats suggested the president knew of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein's sexual abuse.

Trump has repeatedly denied any knowledge of the sex-trafficking activities of his former friend, who died awaiting trial in prison in 2019, and accused Democrats of trying to "deflect" from their own failings with the latest messages.

"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," Trump said on Truth Social.

"Only a very bad, or stupid, Republican would fall into that trap."

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Democrats on the House Oversight Committee said the three new emails "raise serious questions about Donald Trump and his knowledge of Epstein's horrific crimes."

In an April 2011 message to longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein asserts Trump spent significant time with a woman whom the White House later identified as Epstein's main accuser, Virginia Giuffre.

"I want you to realize that that dog that hasn't barked is Trump," wrote Epstein. He added that the victim "spent hours at my house with him ,, he has never once been mentioned."

Maxwell, who was convicted of sex trafficking after Epstein's death, replied: "I have been thinking about that..."

In another email to the author Michael Wolff, dated January 31, 2019, Epstein allegedly wrote: "Trump said he asked me to resign, never a member ever... of course he knew about the girls as he asked ghislaine to stop."

Epstein appeared to be referring to Trump's claims – repeated by the White House on Wednesday – that he kicked the financier out of his Florida club for being a "creep."

Trump's Truth Social post comes amid reports that the White House was meeting with hard-right Republican Lauren Boebert to keep her name off the petition for the files to be released.