WASHINGTON -- Emails released by House Democrats on Wednesday suggest US President Donald Trump may have known about sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's abuse of underage girls, raising new questions about their relationship.

Democrats released messages showing Epstein wrote to author Michael Wolff in 2019 that Trump "knew about the girls," a phrase of unclear meaning.

This disclosure may tip the scales toward a vote on releasing all non-classified Epstein files, reviving a scandal that has been a major political headache for Trump.

Trump has consistently denied knowing about Epstein's crimes, acknowledging a past friendship that ended in a falling-out before Epstein's 2019 jail-cell suicide.

He accused Democrats of releasing the emails to divert attention from the government shutdown, despite polls showing more Americans blame Republicans.

"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 on Wednesday.