Jeffrey Epstein's ties to politicians, business titans and other figures

(Patria) - The release of millions of internal documents from the United States Department of Justice related to Jeffrey Epstein has revealed the ties of the late financier and sex offender to many prominent people in politics, finance, academia and business before and after he pleaded guilty in 2008 to prostitution charges, including procuring a minor girl. Evidence in multiple civil and criminal cases has also shed light on these ties.

Epstein was arrested again in 2019 on federal charges of trafficking minors for sexual exploitation. His death in 2019 in a Manhattan jail cell was ruled a suicide.
The Department of Justice warned that the material may contain false images or untrue allegations, as well as pornographic material. On Monday, the Department said it had removed several thousand documents that inadvertently identified some of Epstein's victims.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the material does not constitute evidence of criminal sexual activity by those named in the files.

Reuters highlighted some of the people whose ties to Epstein were revealed in the released material.

Donald Trump

Trump socialized extensively with Epstein in the 1990s and 2000s, and was quoted in a magazine from that period as saying Epstein likes women "on the younger side." Documents released by the Department of Justice include photos of Trump with several women whose faces are redacted and a suggestive message to Epstein, framed by the outline of a nude woman, that appears to bear Trump's signature. Evidence and testimony presented at the 2021 trial of Epstein's associate Ghislaine Maxwell indicate that Trump flew on Epstein's plane multiple times. In one email, Epstein wrote that Trump "knew about the girls," although it is unclear what he meant.

Trump has denied any knowledge of Epstein's crimes and says he cut ties in the early 2000s, before Epstein's plea agreement. He denies ever flying on Epstein's plane and says the suggestive message is a forgery.

Bill Clinton

The former U.S. president socialized with Epstein and flew on his plane several times in the early 2000s, after Clinton left office. Photos released by the Department of Justice show him swimming and posing with women whose faces are redacted. Clinton has denied any wrongdoing and says he regrets his past association with Epstein.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor

Former Prince Andrew, Duke of York, maintained a social relationship with Epstein and was stripped of his royal titles because of that connection. The Department of Justice sought his cooperation in multiple criminal investigations, but was refused. He also settled a lawsuit filed in 2022 by one of Epstein's victims, making an undisclosed payment without admitting wrongdoing. Department of Justice files include several photos of him with women, including one where he kneels over a woman and another showing him lying in the laps of several women.

Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied any wrongdoing and expressed regret over his friendship with Epstein. He said he never witnessed any sex crimes.

Howard Lutnick

Trump's Secretary of Commerce allegedly visited Epstein's private island for lunch in 2012 and invited him to a fundraiser in 2015 for Hillary Clinton, Trump's Democratic rival in the 2016 presidential election, emails show. That would contradict Lutnick's claim that he vowed never to "be in a room" with Epstein after a 2005 incident in which Epstein showed Lutnick a massage table in his home and made a sexually suggestive comment. The former CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald lived next to Epstein in New York at the time. A Commerce Department spokesperson said Lutnick had limited interactions with Epstein and was never accused of any wrongdoing.

Elon Musk

The billionaire and Tesla CEO asked Epstein if he planned any parties on his island in 2012, but apparently decided not to visit. Epstein replied that the "ratio on my island" might make Musk's female companion uncomfortable, without further explanation. Musk invited Epstein to visit him for a drink on another island a few days later, but it is unclear if they met. Musk said on Saturday that he had few interactions with Epstein and declined repeated invitations to visit the island or fly on Epstein's plane.

Larry Summers

The former U.S. Treasury Secretary and Harvard University president flew on Epstein's plane several times as early as 1998 and met with him to discuss economic and business matters while he was Harvard's president. The two maintained a relationship until 2019, when email communication showed Summers seeking advice about a romantic interest. No evidence of illegal behavior emerged, but Summers stepped down from positions at Harvard, OpenAI and other prominent institutions in November after those documents were released.

Summers said in November that he is "deeply ashamed" of his actions and will withdraw from public engagements to "repair relationships with the people closest to him."

Kevin Warsh

Trump's nominee for Federal Reserve chairman appeared in an email sent to Epstein by a publicist, listing 43 people, including celebrities like Martha Stewart, who attended a Christmas gathering in 2010. It was unclear whether Warsh knew Epstein or why the message was sent to Epstein, and Warsh has not yet responded to Reuters' request for comment.

Melania Trump

The documents include an email from Trump's wife, Melania Trump, to Ghislaine Maxwell in 2002 about a magazine article on Epstein. "You look great," the email reads.

Bill Gates

The documents indicate that Gates and Epstein met multiple times after Epstein's prison sentence to discuss expanding the Microsoft founder's philanthropic efforts. They also include images of the Microsoft founder posing with women whose faces are redacted. Gates said their relationship was limited to discussions about philanthropy and that meeting with him was a mistake.

Jes Staley

The former JPMorgan and Barclays executive was listed as a participant in a gathering organized by Epstein. He exchanged about 1,200 emails with Epstein between 2008 and 2012, some of which contained discussions about Disney characters and photos of young women, according to court documents. Staley denied knowing about Epstein's criminal activities. He was banned from the UK financial industry and was sued by JPMorgan, which claimed he concealed information about Epstein's misconduct.

Peter Mandelson

British police said yesterday they are reviewing reports of alleged misconduct by the veteran politician, whose name appeared more than 5,000 times in Department of Justice files. He was fired last year from his post as ambassador to the U.S. after emails emerged in which he called Epstein his "best friend" and advised him to seek early release from prison. Mandelson apologized to Epstein's victims. He denied any wrongdoing.

Peter Attia

The name of this influencer appears more than 1,700 times in the latest collection of documents released by the Department of Justice. On social media, he said he met with Epstein seven or eight times at his New York home between 2014 and 2019, but never witnessed any illegal activities nor saw Epstein in the company of anyone who appeared to be a minor.