Tom McMillen
Snapshot
Charles Thomas “Tom” McMillen is an American former professional basketball player, Olympic athlete, Rhodes Scholar, business executive, and Democratic politician who represented Maryland in the United States House of Representatives from 1987 through 1993.
Released records document several connections between McMillen and Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein contributed $3,000 to McMillen’s congressional campaigns. McMillen appeared in Epstein’s address book. A handwritten aircraft log identifies “Tom McMillen Congressman” as a passenger on a January 1993 trip. McMillen disputes the aircraft entry and says he does not remember travelling on Epstein’s plane.
A November 1992 video from Donald Trump’s Mar a Lago property shows McMillen arriving at the same time as Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. McMillen said he attended the event as Trump’s guest and that the simultaneous arrival was coincidental.
In January 2013, a message attributed to Gwendolyn Beck told Epstein that McMillen had asked about him and said they had lost contact. On February 27, 2013, Epstein emailed McMillen directly to ask when he would be in New York. McMillen replied that he had returned from Costa Rica, planned to travel to Cabo, and might be in New York during late March.
The 2013 exchange occurred after Epstein’s 2008 Florida conviction. McMillen later described his reply as a polite effort to dismiss Epstein and said he was aware of Epstein’s criminal history.
The correspondence conflicts with McMillen’s earlier statement that he had not had a relationship with Epstein since the early 1990s. It does not establish the frequency of their communications, that a proposed New York meeting occurred, or that McMillen participated in Epstein’s criminal conduct.
No public record reviewed for this article establishes that McMillen was accused by a survivor of sexual abuse, trafficking, recruitment, or another Epstein related offense. As of September 2, 2026, he is not publicly known to have been charged with or convicted of an offense connected with Epstein.
Identity and Background
The Biographical Directory of the United States Congress identifies McMillen as Charles Thomas McMillen, born in Elmira, New York, on May 26, 1952.
McMillen became a nationally prominent basketball player while attending the University of Maryland. He also played on the United States men’s basketball team during the disputed 1972 Olympic final against the Soviet Union.
After earning a chemistry degree from Maryland, McMillen attended Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. He played professionally in Italy before beginning an eleven year National Basketball Association career.
McMillen played for the Buffalo Braves, New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks, and Washington Bullets. He retired from professional basketball before entering Congress.
His combination of athletics, education, politics, business, and access to prominent public figures placed him within several social and institutional networks that Epstein sought to cultivate.
Congressional and Public Career
McMillen served three terms in the United States House of Representatives.
He represented Maryland’s former Fourth Congressional District from January 1987 until January 1993. His legislative interests included science, technology, physical fitness, and reform of collegiate athletics.
After redistricting, McMillen ran in Maryland’s First Congressional District during the 1992 election and lost to Republican Wayne Gilchrest.
President Bill Clinton later appointed McMillen to lead the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. He served in that position during the 1990s.
McMillen subsequently held senior corporate roles and became involved in organizations concerned with college athletics, public policy, security, and technology. He led the Division IA Athletic Directors Association, later renamed the LEAD1 Association.
The University System of Maryland currently identifies McMillen as a member of its Board of Regents. He previously served on the board from 2007 through 2015 and returned for another term in 2023.
Epstein’s Political Contributions
Epstein contributed a total of $3,000 to McMillen’s federal campaigns.
Campaign finance records summarized by the Center for Responsive Politics and Business Insider identify a $1,000 Epstein contribution in 1990 and contributions totalling $2,000 during the 1992 election cycle.
The contributions were made while McMillen served in Congress and before Epstein’s criminal conduct became widely known.
A campaign contribution establishes that Epstein financially supported McMillen’s political campaigns. It does not establish why Epstein made the contributions, whether he requested anything in return, or whether McMillen personally solicited the money.
The available campaign records also do not establish that the contributions influenced a congressional vote, official act, or government policy.
Epstein’s Address Book
McMillen appears in Epstein’s address book under two versions of his name.
The C. Thomas McMillen address book entry identifies him as chairman of the Risk Group and records four telephone numbers and two addresses. A separate entry on the same page identifies “Thomas C. McMillen” as chairman and chief executive of the Risk Group.
The entries appear on page 75 of the publicly released address book.
The duplication may reflect separate business and personal contact records maintained by Epstein’s staff. It does not necessarily represent two different people or two independent relationships.
An address book entry proves that Epstein or his staff possessed contact information associated with McMillen. It does not prove how often the information was used, when it was obtained, or whether every address and telephone number remained current.
In this case, the address book entries are significant because other sources document campaign contributions, social proximity, an aircraft log entry, a third party reintroduction message, and direct email correspondence.
The November 1992 Mar a Lago Video
McMillen appears in video recorded at Donald Trump’s Mar a Lago property in November 1992.
The footage was recorded for an NBC feature concerning Trump’s social life. It shows McMillen and a woman arriving as Trump, Epstein, and Maxwell were near the entrance.
The Washington Post identified McMillen after the footage received renewed attention in 2019. McMillen’s height and public profile made his identification possible.
McMillen later explained that Trump had supported his first congressional campaign and included him on guest lists for social events. He said he and his girlfriend entered the party at the same time as Epstein but did not arrive with him as part of a coordinated group.
The footage establishes that McMillen, Epstein, Maxwell, and Trump were present at the same Mar a Lago event. It also records brief social interaction near the entrance.
It does not reveal the complete relationship between McMillen and Epstein, establish what they discussed, or show criminal activity.
The January 1993 Aircraft Log
A handwritten aircraft log identifies “Tom McMillen Congressman” as a passenger on January 29, 1993.
The entry appears within the publicly released Jeffrey Epstein aircraft logs. Published descriptions identify the route as Washington, District of Columbia, to Atlanta and then Palm Beach.
The date was approximately two months after the Mar a Lago event and several weeks after McMillen left Congress.
McMillen disputes the record. During a 2025 interview, he said he did not recall travelling on Epstein’s aircraft and did not believe the entry was accurate. In a later written statement, he repeated that he did not remember being on Epstein’s plane in January 1993.
The manifest is contemporaneous documentary evidence that someone maintaining the aircraft records listed McMillen as a passenger. A handwritten manifest can still contain spelling errors, mistaken identities, omitted passengers, changed plans, or entries prepared before a flight was completed.
The entry should therefore be reported together with McMillen’s denial.
Even if the entry accurately records a completed flight, a passenger’s presence on an aircraft does not by itself establish knowledge of or participation in criminal activity.
The January 2013 Reintroduction Message
On January 22, 2013, a sender later identified in published accounts as Gwendolyn Beck emailed Epstein about McMillen.
The released document is preserved as EFTA01908370.
The sender told Epstein that she had seen McMillen the previous evening and that McMillen had asked about him and said they had lost contact.
The message also claimed that McMillen was close to the Obama family and was expected to receive an ambassador appointment. The sender then discussed her own desire to become an ambassador and the political fundraising she believed would be required.
The record proves that Epstein received a message containing those claims.
It does not independently prove that McMillen asked to be reintroduced, that he wanted Epstein’s assistance, that he was close to the Obama family, or that an ambassador appointment was under consideration.
The message is a third party account. McMillen did not write it, and the available record does not show that he reviewed or approved its wording.
McMillen later said he did not remember the conversation attributed to him. He also disputed the suggestion that he was pursuing an ambassadorship, noting that he had supported Hillary Clinton rather than Barack Obama during the 2008 Democratic presidential contest.
The statement that McMillen was going to become an ambassador appears to have been the sender’s prediction or interpretation. McMillen did not receive such an appointment.
The February 2013 Direct Email
A second record documents direct communication between Epstein and McMillen.
On February 27, 2013, Epstein emailed McMillen and asked when he would be in New York. The exchange is preserved as EFTA00696728.
McMillen replied that he had recently returned from Costa Rica and would be travelling to Cabo in approximately one week. He said he might reach New York during late March and concluded by wishing Epstein well.
The signature identified the sender as C. Thomas McMillen.
The direct reply is stronger evidence of contact than the January third party message. It establishes that McMillen received Epstein’s inquiry and personally responded.
The exchange does not show whether McMillen travelled to New York in March, whether the two men met, or whether additional communication followed.
When the email became public in 2026, McMillen told the Baltimore Sun that his response was intended as a dismissal. He said he was aware of Epstein’s criminality and believed his vague reference to late March avoided committing to a meeting.
McMillen’s interpretation is relevant context. The document itself contains no explicit refusal, criticism, or reference to Epstein’s conviction.
Contact After Epstein’s Conviction
The timing of the 2013 messages is significant.
Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida in 2008 to state charges involving prostitution and a minor. He served a custodial sentence and became a registered sex offender.
The January and February 2013 messages therefore occurred after Epstein’s criminal history was public.
McMillen acknowledged in 2026 that he knew of Epstein’s criminality when he responded.
That admission distinguishes the 2013 communication from the campaign contributions, 1992 video, and disputed 1993 aircraft entry, all of which preceded Epstein’s conviction.
The surviving messages remain brief. They do not establish an extended exchange, completed meeting, financial transaction, or continuing friendship.
McMillen’s 2025 Interview
Journalist Pablo Torre questioned McMillen about Epstein during a 2025 episode of Pablo Torre Finds Out.
The investigation, summarized in Meet the NBA Player in the Epstein Files, examined the Mar a Lago footage, address book entries, aircraft log, campaign contributions, and Gwendolyn Beck message.
McMillen said he barely knew Epstein and would not describe the relationship as a friendship. He said any relationship or contact belonged to the early 1990s.
When shown the aircraft record, McMillen said he did not recall travelling on Epstein’s plane and questioned the accuracy of the entry.
McMillen became frustrated as the questioning continued and ended the interview. He later sent the program a written statement explaining that he believed decades old and insubstantial encounters had been presented in a misleading manner.
He wrote that he never had a close relationship with Epstein and repeated that he did not remember being aboard Epstein’s aircraft.
The interview documented McMillen’s position at that time. The direct February 2013 email had not yet become the central public issue it became after the January 2026 federal document release.
The 2013 Email and the Earlier Timeline
The February 2013 email complicated McMillen’s statement that he had not had a relationship with Epstein since the early 1990s.
After the document became public, McMillen did not dispute that he sent the reply. Instead, he characterized it as an isolated and dismissive response.
The two statements can be reconciled only by distinguishing contact from a relationship. McMillen’s position is that one brief email did not constitute a friendship or continuing association.
The record nevertheless establishes that direct communication occurred approximately twenty years later than his initial timeline suggested.
This discrepancy is relevant to the accuracy of McMillen’s public recollection. It does not establish that he deliberately concealed a sustained relationship.
Memory, differing definitions of “relationship,” and the brevity of the exchange are all relevant when evaluating the statements.
Public Reporting and McMillen’s Response
The Baltimore Sun reported on the direct 2013 email after the January 2026 Justice Department release.
According to the published account, McMillen described his response as “kind of a blow off.” He said his reference to a possible late March visit avoided agreeing to meet Epstein.
McMillen later wrote to University System of Maryland officials that the allegations concerning him were unfounded and biased. He said limited and tangential interactions had been removed from context and amplified.
His response did not dispute the authenticity of the direct email. It challenged the interpretation placed on that communication and the significance assigned to the older records.
University of Maryland Student Resolutions
The disclosures produced controversy because McMillen remained a member of the University System of Maryland Board of Regents.
In March 2026, the University of Maryland Student Government Association unanimously approved a resolution calling for McMillen’s resignation.
Students argued that his 2013 communication with Epstein conflicted with his earlier public account and required institutional accountability.
McMillen rejected that conclusion. He argued that the records documented limited contact rather than a meaningful relationship and suggested that the student resolution was influenced by unrelated disagreements over university governance.
Towson University’s Student Government Association later called for a formal investigation. According to The Towerlight, fourteen of fifteen student senators supported the measure, with one abstention.
These resolutions expressed the positions of student government bodies. They were not criminal findings, judicial judgments, or determinations by the Board of Regents.
As of September 2, 2026, the University System of Maryland Board of Regents roster continued to identify McMillen as a member.
Distinguishing the Different Records
The McMillen evidence consists of several legally and historically different record types.
The campaign finance records establish that Epstein contributed to McMillen’s political campaigns.
The address book establishes that Epstein’s records contained McMillen’s contact information.
The Mar a Lago video establishes simultaneous presence and visible social contact at a publicized event.
The aircraft log records McMillen as a passenger, but McMillen disputes its accuracy and says he has no memory of the trip.
The January 2013 message establishes what another person told Epstein about McMillen. It does not establish that the sender’s statements were accurate.
The February 2013 email establishes direct communication between Epstein and McMillen. It does not establish that a proposed meeting occurred.
The 2025 and 2026 statements establish how McMillen publicly described and defended his conduct. They do not erase the underlying documents.
Treating every record as equivalent would distort the evidence.
No Public Sexual Misconduct Allegation
The records reviewed for this article do not contain a survivor allegation accusing McMillen of sexual abuse, trafficking, recruitment, or participation in Epstein’s exploitation of minors.
The Mar a Lago video does not depict sexual misconduct.
The aircraft entry does not state the purpose of the trip or identify illegal activity.
The address book contains professional and personal contact information but no accusation.
The campaign records document lawful political contributions made before Epstein’s conviction.
The 2013 emails concern social contact, travel, and a possible meeting. They contain no discussion of girls, massages, recruitment, sexual activity, or payments to women.
This does not answer every question about the extent of McMillen’s relationship with Epstein. It defines the limits of the presently available evidence.
What the Evidence Establishes
The available evidence establishes that:
- Tom McMillen was a professional basketball player, Olympian, Rhodes Scholar, businessman, and three term member of Congress.
- Epstein contributed $3,000 to McMillen’s congressional campaigns during the 1990 and 1992 election cycles.
- Epstein’s address book contained two entries associated with McMillen and the Risk Group.
- McMillen attended a November 1992 event at Mar a Lago where Epstein, Maxwell, and Trump were present.
- Contemporary video shows McMillen arriving while Epstein and Maxwell were near the entrance.
- A January 1993 aircraft log identifies “Tom McMillen Congressman” as a passenger.
- McMillen disputes the aircraft entry and says he does not remember travelling on Epstein’s plane.
- A January 2013 message told Epstein that McMillen had asked about him and said they had lost contact.
- That January message was written by a third party and does not independently prove what McMillen said.
- Epstein emailed McMillen directly on February 27, 2013.
- McMillen responded and discussed his recent and planned travel.
- The direct exchange occurred after Epstein’s 2008 conviction.
- McMillen later acknowledged that he knew about Epstein’s criminality when he responded.
- McMillen described the reply as an effort to dismiss Epstein rather than arrange a definite meeting.
- The available exchange does not establish that McMillen met Epstein in New York during March 2013.
- McMillen initially said he had not had a relationship with Epstein since the early 1990s.
- The February 2013 email establishes later direct contact, even if McMillen did not consider it a relationship.
- Student government organizations at Maryland institutions called for his resignation or an investigation.
- McMillen rejected those demands and characterized the evidence as limited and out of context.
- McMillen remained listed as a University System of Maryland regent as of September 2, 2026.
What the Evidence Does Not Establish
The available evidence does not establish that:
- McMillen was a close friend of Epstein.
- McMillen knew the complete extent of Epstein’s abuse before it became public.
- Epstein’s campaign contributions influenced an official act.
- McMillen solicited the contributions personally.
- McMillen and Epstein arrived at the Mar a Lago event as a coordinated group.
- The Mar a Lago video depicts criminal conduct.
- The handwritten aircraft log is immune from error.
- McMillen knowingly made a false statement when he said he did not remember the flight.
- The January 2013 sender accurately described McMillen’s words or intentions.
- McMillen requested Epstein’s help obtaining an ambassadorship.
- McMillen was under consideration for any ambassador appointment.
- McMillen travelled to New York in late March 2013.
- McMillen met Epstein following the February email.
- The brief 2013 exchange formed part of a sustained relationship.
- McMillen discussed women, massages, recruitment, or sexual activity with Epstein in the records reviewed for this article.
- McMillen visited Epstein’s homes or private island.
- McMillen participated in Epstein’s trafficking operation.
- A survivor accused McMillen of sexual misconduct.
- McMillen was charged with or convicted of an Epstein related offense.
- A student government resolution constitutes a judicial or institutional finding of misconduct.
Investigative Assessment
The documentary record supports describing Tom McMillen as a documented Epstein contact rather than an incidental name appearing in a single database.
The combination of campaign contributions, address book entries, shared social space, an aircraft record, a third party reintroduction message, and direct email correspondence establishes multiple points of connection between 1990 and 2013.
The evidence does not presently establish an intimate or sustained relationship.
The strongest post conviction evidence is McMillen’s February 2013 reply. It proves direct contact after Epstein became a registered sex offender. Its brevity and noncommittal wording are consistent with McMillen’s explanation that he was avoiding a meeting, although the message does not expressly reject Epstein.
The most important credibility issue concerns chronology. McMillen initially placed the end of any relationship in the early 1990s. The later release proved that direct communication occurred in 2013. McMillen’s distinction between an isolated contact and a continuing relationship is plausible, but readers should be shown both the original statement and the later document.
The aircraft record should also be presented with care. It is documentary evidence that McMillen was recorded as a passenger, but he disputes it. Without additional flight records, payment documents, photographs, or testimony, the log cannot reveal the purpose of the trip or conclusively resolve his recollection.
Nothing in the reviewed record connects McMillen to Epstein’s sexual abuse or trafficking operation. The responsible classification is that McMillen was a political and social contact whose documented communications continued later than his initial public account suggested.
Key Takeaways
- Tom McMillen combined careers in professional basketball, Congress, business, and higher education governance.
- Epstein contributed $3,000 to McMillen’s congressional campaigns.
- McMillen appeared twice in Epstein’s address book.
- A 1992 video places McMillen, Epstein, Maxwell, and Trump at the same Mar a Lago event.
- A January 1993 aircraft log identifies McMillen as a passenger.
- McMillen disputes the aircraft entry and says he does not remember the trip.
- A third party told Epstein in January 2013 that McMillen had asked about him.
- Epstein and McMillen communicated directly in February 2013.
- The direct exchange occurred after Epstein’s conviction.
- McMillen said the reply was intended to dismiss Epstein and did not represent a continuing relationship.
- The email establishes contact later than the early 1990s timeline McMillen initially provided.
- The available records do not establish that a proposed 2013 meeting occurred.
- No reviewed survivor statement accuses McMillen of sexual misconduct.
- No reviewed record establishes his participation in trafficking or recruitment.
- Student government bodies called for his resignation or an investigation, but McMillen remained a University System of Maryland regent as of September 2, 2026.
Related EpsteinWiki Articles
- Jeffrey Epstein
- Ghislaine Maxwell
- Donald Trump
- Epstein’s Black Book
- Witness Statements and Depositions Litigation
- How to Read an Epstein Document
- Jeffrey Epstein’s Political Contributions
- Jeffrey Epstein Flight Logs
Primary Government and Institutional Sources
- Biographical Directory of the United States Congress entry for Charles Thomas McMillen
- University System of Maryland Board of Regents roster
- University System of Maryland biography of Tom McMillen
- University System of Maryland announcement concerning McMillen’s first appointment
- Jeffrey Epstein private aircraft logs
- Jeffrey Epstein address book
- C. Thomas McMillen address book index entry
- Campaign contribution reporting concerning Epstein and McMillen
Primary Epstein Data Evidence
- EFTA00696728 contains the February 27, 2013 direct email exchange between Epstein and C. Thomas McMillen.
- EFTA01908370 contains the January 22, 2013 message reporting that McMillen had asked about Epstein and said they had lost contact.
The first document proves direct communication. The second preserves a third party account and should not be treated as McMillen’s own statement.
Investigative and Reporting Sources
- Pablo Torre: Meet the NBA Player in the Epstein Files
- Washington Post identification of McMillen in the 1992 Mar a Lago footage
- Baltimore Sun reporting on McMillen’s 2013 email
- Baltimore Sun reporting on McMillen’s 2025 interview
- The Towerlight report on the Towson student government resolution
- LBC reporting on the January 2013 Gwendolyn Beck message
These reports provide interviews, reactions, and context. Conclusions concerning the underlying communications should remain tied to the original EFTA documents.