President Donald Trump is expected to sign a law forcing the Justice Department to release remaining files on Jeffrey Epstein, the deceased financier who has been linked to numerous famous and powerful people in the government as well as the business world.
Key data
The House Oversight Committee released thousands of Epstein’s emails in early November, revealing connections between him and many powerful figures, even after he pleaded guilty to federal sex crime charges in 2008.
Epstein remained in contact with many figures before his second indictment on sex trafficking charges in 2019. Trump, who has a long history with Epstein dating back to their time in Palm Beach in the 1980s, has asked the Justice Department to investigate Democratic figures previously associated with the financier, including former President Bill Clinton.
Government figures and world leaders with ties to Epstein
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor: Epstein was close to former Prince Andrew, brother of King Charles III of the United Kingdom, who has since lost his royal titles following the scandal over his relationship with Epstein. In an interview with the BBC in 2019, Andrew confirmed that he stayed at Epstein’s home after his conviction in 2008. Andrew ended up paying to settle a lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s victims, and Ghislaine Maxwell, who claimed the duo paid her to have sex with the former royal when she was a minor. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but later reports indicated he paid between $12 million and $15 million. Andrew retired from public life in 2019.
Larry Summers, former Treasury Secretary: The economist and former Harvard president, who worked in the Clinton and Obama administrations, was in close contact with Epstein after his release from prison, according to emails released in November. Summers has since retired from most of his public roles.
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Kathryn Ruemmler: Epstein corresponded frequently with Kathryn Ruemmler, former White House counsel under President Barack Obama and current general counsel at Goldman Sachs, according to emails released in November.
Steve Bannon: Trump’s former campaign manager, former White House strategist and current podcast host was making a documentary about Epstein before his death. However, emails recently released in November appear to show that the two maintained a relationship, communicating dozens of times by email.
Business figures with ties to Epstein
Thomas Pritzker: Pritzker, one of the billionaire heirs to Hyatt Hotels, maintained contact with Epstein for years despite his first arrest on sex crime charges, continuing to correspond via email.
Leon Black: Black, the billionaire private equity investor and co-founder of Apollo Global Management, was one of Epstein’s biggest clients as a financier. Black resigned as president of Apollo in 2021, after investigations revealed he paid Epstein up to $170 million in fees.
Reid Hoffman: The LinkedIn co-founder, who reportedly visited Epstein’s private island, had previously apologized for asking the financier to make donations to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the past. Hoffman, a longtime Democratic donor, was one of the people Trump ordered to investigate Bondi following the recent release of emails.
Peter Thiel: Epstein sent emails to the billionaire co-founder of PayPal and current chairman of Palantir, inviting him to his private island, according to emails revealed in November. Thiel previously confirmed during a 2024 interview with podcaster Joe Rogan that he met Epstein “a few times” and was introduced by Hoffman. His representatives told Politico that he never visited the financier’s island. Epstein allegedly invested about $40 million in Thiel’s firm, Valar Ventures, in 2015 and 2016, the New York Times reported earlier this year.
Bill Gates: Epstein met with the billionaire Microsoft co-founder on several occasions, the New York Times reported in 2021, primarily to discuss philanthropy through the Gates Foundation. Gates’ ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, said she told her then-husband that Epstein was a “disgusting person” and “evil personified” in an interview after their divorce. Gates later told the Wall Street Journal that he was “stupid” for spending time with Epstein, calling it a “big mistake.”
What to watch
The House and Senate quickly passed a bill Tuesday that will force the Justice Department to release remaining documents related to its investigations and prosecutions against Epstein after months of delays and criticism. The Trump administration ended the voluntary release of Epstein files in July, prompting criticism from both Democrats and Republicans. After months of calling Epstein’s files a “hoax,” Trump has indicated he will sign the bill, which will give the Justice Department 30 days to release the remaining files. There is a chance that some files will remain hidden, at least in the short term, if the Justice Department claims the records are relevant to the new investigation launched by Bondi.
This article was originally published on Forbes US
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