A former cellmate of Jeffrey Epstein has come forward with explosive claims that could reshape public understanding of the disgraced financier’s final days — and the political forces surrounding his case.
Nicholas Tartaglione, who shared a cell with Epstein at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan before the financier’s death in 2019, has alleged that federal prosecutors offered Epstein a shocking deal: accuse Donald Trump of involvement in his crimes, and walk free.
Epstein, arrested in July 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges involving minors, was one of the most notorious figures in modern criminal history. His connections to global elites — from royals to politicians — have fueled countless conspiracy theories since his sudden death in custody.
In a statement included in a pardon petition reviewed by the New York Post, Tartaglione claimed prosecutors directly told Epstein that if he linked then-President Trump to his trafficking network, the case against him would disappear.
“Epstein told me prosecutors said he could go home if he claimed Trump was part of his crimes,” Tartaglione wrote. “Maurene Comey told him he didn’t need evidence — just that Trump’s team couldn’t disprove it. She said the FBI were her people, not his.”
Despite the alleged pressure, Epstein refused to implicate Trump, according to Tartaglione, who added that Epstein had insisted the former president had no connection to his illicit activities.
At the time, the Department of Justice was led by Attorney General William Barr, a Trump appointee who later became one of the president’s most outspoken critics. Barr publicly rejected Trump’s claims of a stolen 2020 election, calling them “detached from reality,” and also supported the Biden administration’s investigation into Trump’s actions during the January 6 Capitol riot.
The ex-cellmate’s account raises new questions about whether political motives played a role in the handling of Epstein’s case, suggesting a possible attempt to damage Trump’s presidency at the time.
Had Epstein agreed to name Trump, it could have sparked a scandal rivaling Watergate — potentially crippling his administration and reshaping the political landscape ahead of the 2020 election.
Meanwhile, controversy still surrounds the unreleased “Epstein files,” which many believe contain sensitive information about the financier’s network of powerful associates. Figures like former Attorney General Pam Bondi and ex-FBI official Kash Patel have faced mounting criticism for the Justice Department’s failure to make those documents public.
As Tartaglione’s statements resurface, the Epstein saga once again underscores how deeply intertwined politics, power, and justice remain in one of America’s most disturbing criminal cases.
Jeffrey Epstein claimed prosecutors offered his freedom if he agreed to implicate Donald Trump: cellmate https://t.co/I4AElsXefE pic.twitter.com/hwGDc38Xmb
— New York Post (@nypost) November 5, 2025
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