The Epstein papers declassified in recent months have caused a shock wave felt strongly on both sides of the Atlantic. The pedophile financier, who was first convicted in 2008, committed suicide in prison, according to the official investigation, a few weeks after being arrested again in 2019. But his extensive list of contacts with the wealthiest, most powerful, and influential people on the planet is now triggering a cascade of resignations, dismissals, and even arrests. Lawyers, diplomats, officials, writers, and even the former Prince Andrew of England. Advisors, friends, clients, accomplices, or confidants of someone who wove such a wide, tight, and incredible network that has fueled all kinds of conspiracy theories. Theories that had previously been mainly confined to the internet or the MAGA universe of President Donald Trump, but are gradually spreading and beginning to be considered by presidents and prime ministers.
The arrest of Andrés Mountbatten-Windsor adds to that of former Norwegian Prime Minister Thorbjorn Jagland, who was also the head of the Council of Europe. And to the resignations or dismissals of figures like the recently former British ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelson, or Morgan McSweeney, former chief of staff to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, precisely because he insisted on his controversial appointment. There are many more. Norwegian diplomats Mona Juul and Terje Rod-Larsen, important figures in the 1993 Oslo Accords and now under investigation for corruption. Former French Minister Jack Lang. Or the Slovak National Security Advisor, Miroslav Lajcak, who discussed young women with Epstein.
The United States, on the other hand, is in a phase of tense calm before the storm. The Epstein case is at the center of political discussion and is the only element that has truly harmed the Administration and President Trump, but less than what would have happened if British or Norwegian standards were applied. For the president's supporters and the MAGA world, everything surrounding Epstein is crucial. They always argued that there was a huge conspiracy of the deep state to protect (or eliminate, according to different versions, but not incompatible) the financier, whom they also suspect was a spy for Israeli Intelligence, according to the main theories due to his very close ties with former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, or his lawyer, Alan Dershowitz. And that his powerful friends, especially the Clinton couple and high-ranking Democrats, had orchestrated a massive cover-up campaign. That's why they believed that when Trump returned to power, everything would come to light.
Reality has been more complicated. Trump returned, but with no intention of shedding light. On the contrary, he repeatedly said that there was nothing to see, no secrets, and that they should move on. He put two believers in all kinds of conspiracies in charge of the FBI and his lawyer in charge of the Department of Justice. It was not enough. Not even the immense power of the president has been able to stop the complaints, demands, or Congress voting (defying and snubbing him) to demand total transparency and the publication of millions of documents, amid a flood of requests, pressures, or threats to MAGA lawmakers from voters.
The new waves of documents show how politicians from the Maldives sought tax advice from Epstein, as well as writers, journalists, scientists, art dealers, or university deans. The papers have further exposed figures like Bill Gates or Noam Chomsky. Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin, Bill Clinton, the owner of the New York Giants, Steven Tisch, and dozens and dozens of wealthy or aspiring individuals, or former members of royalty like Sarah Ferguson. Beyond luxury or sex, he solved problems, connected people, and crossed interests. And he opened pathways in all directions, just in case they were ever needed.
The detailed emails have cost the reputation and many positions to former Treasury Secretary under Clinton, Larry Summers. Or to former Obama lawyer, Kathryn Ruemmler, who was forced to leave her position at Goldman Sachs a few months ago. They forced the resignation of Thomas J. Pritzker, the billionaire heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune. Or Casey Wasserman, head of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics and owner of a very important talent agency. Or Brad Karp, longtime chairman of Paul Weiss, one of the country's leading corporate law firms. This repeats what happened in 2021 when heads began to roll in the business world. The CEO of Apollo Global Management, Leon Black, and the CEO of Barclays, Jes Staley, resigned then due to their ties to Epstein.
However, Trump continues to close ranks. Two individuals like Elon Musk and Steve Bannon, who have been or are still close and vital to his movement (although now outside), appear in email exchanges with Epstein. Especially Bannon, the great strategist of his first term, leader and guru of the alt-right, and successful podcaster. Without consequences.
Implication of the Trump Administration
Up to six members of his current Administration (the Labor Secretary of the first, Alex Acosta, had to resign five years ago for having been the prosecutor who proposed a minimal sentence agreement for Epstein two decades ago) appear in the papers, visited Epstein on his infamous island, had business dealings with him, or traveled with him, showing close ties. The degree of connection of each of them with Epstein varies considerably, from just an email to years of communications, meals, and private meetings. Nothing illegal, but in the business and academic world, it has cost many their positions. President Donald Trump himself had a long-standing friendship with Epstein and is mentioned thousands of times in the files, although he insists on minimizing the connection, which ended according to the documents known before he was first convicted.
Dr. Oz, a television star with health responsibilities in the Administration, appears in the emails inviting Epstein to a Valentine's Day party in 2016, eight years after he pleaded guilty in Florida to prostitution with minors. Stephen Feinberg, the billionaire who is the Pentagon's number two, appears in many documents related to Cerberus, his fund. Robert F. Kennedy, now Health Minister, knew Epstein well and had traveled together. Commerce Minister Howard Lutnick had a much closer relationship than he had stated, and even in 2012, he visited the financier's island with his family, who had already served his sentence.
Today's Navy Secretary, John Phelan, appears in a 2006 flight manifesto of Epstein's 727, arriving in New York from London. At that time, Phelan worked for MSD Capital, an investment fund. Similarly, Tom Barrack, the U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria, is also mentioned hundreds of times in the files. Barrack has been a longtime friend of Trump and chaired his inaugural committee in 2016.
So many connections, so much protection, have revived speculation in recent months. That Epstein liked money, power, and young women was no secret. But the breadth of his network, his personal involvement in the thousands and thousands of emails, and how he cultivated sources, fuel theories about whether his work was personal or followed orders or a deliberate plan. His efforts went beyond luxury, expanding horizons in countries with little glamour, where he apparently had no commercial or personal interests.
In July, at a Turning Point USA summit, Charlie Kirk (who was assassinated in September) and one of the most well-known right-wing media figures, Megyn Kelly, suggested that Jeffrey Epstein had likely been a spy for British MI6, Saudi Arabia, or Israeli Mossad. One of the recently declassified documents specifically mentions an anonymous FBI source alleging that Epstein's lawyer, Alan Dershowitz, had told then-Florida prosecutor Alex Acosta that Epstein "belonged to U.S. and allied intelligence services." Something for which there is concrete evidence. Congressman Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky who is now among the most hated and attacked by Trump, precisely because of his pressure to declassify documents, maintains that Epstein "had close ties to our own intelligence agencies and those of Israel" and that "that is why so much effort is being made to cover it up."
And just a few days ago, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk ordered an investigation to determine if Epstein spied for Russia, citing fears that "compromising material" about Polish officials may have been collected. Emails between Epstein and Norwegian Thorbjorn Jagland pointed to the financier's maneuvers to advise the Russians or whoever was needed on how to deal with Trump, before planned meetings between him and Putin in his first term. "There are increasingly more clues, more information, and more comments in the global press pointing to the suspicion that this unprecedented pedophilia scandal was co-organized by Russian intelligence services," Tusk stated. "The unusual close relationship between Jeffrey Epstein and Ehud Barak does not suggest that Epstein worked for Israel. It demonstrates the opposite. Stuck in his electoral defeat over two decades ago, Barak has obsessively tried for years to undermine Israeli democracy by working with the radical anti-Zionist left in failed attempts to overthrow the elected Israeli government.
Barak's personal fixation led him to engage in public and behind-the-scenes activities to undermine the Israeli government, including promoting massive protest movements, fostering unrest, and fueling false narratives in the media," stated Benjamin Netanyahu two weeks ago.