From Trump, Musk to Prince Andrew: Notable Names in Epstein Files/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ A massive tranche of documents released by the Department of Justice lists dozens of prominent figures linked in some way to Jeffrey Epstein. Those named include business leaders, politicians, royalty, and cultural figures — all of whom deny involvement in Epstein’s sexual abuse. None have been charged; the files offer insight into social and email connections, raising questions about the nature of elite networks.
Quick Look
- Justice Department releases millions of pages of documents tied to Jeffrey Epstein investigations.
- No criminal charges brought against high‑profile individuals named; all deny wrongdoing.
- Prince Andrew appears hundreds of times in emails and private records.
- Sarah Ferguson’s correspondence with Epstein includes requests for advice for a TV interview.
- Elon Musk’s emails discuss potential island visits, which he says he refused.
- Richard Branson’s team says interactions were limited and cut off once allegations surfaced.
- Donald Trump, Bill Clinton appear in extensive references but no charges.
- Steven Tisch, Brett Ratner, Casey Wasserman and other celebrities appear in files.
- Former Israeli PM Ehud Barak and Larry Summers appear in routine correspondence.
- Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon exchanged texts with Epstein on politics and travel.
- Slovakian official Miroslav Lajcak resigned after emails surfaced in the release.
- Files include emails, photos, and third‑party tips, many uncorroborated or dismissed by agents.
Deep Look
Overview of Document Release and Context
The Justice Department has released a vast batch of records tied to its investigations of Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier who died by suicide in jail in 2019 while facing sex trafficking charges. Among the millions of pages of documents are emails, photos, correspondence, and unverified tips that mention numerous powerful and influential people. None of the individuals highlighted below have been accused of criminal conduct in connection with the Epstein probe; most deny any involvement in wrongdoing.
Many appearances are routine social or business connections, while some shed light on ongoing questions about the circles Epstein moved in before his crimes brought global scrutiny.
Andrew Mountbatten‑Windsor
The former Prince Andrew of Britain — now stripped of royal titles — features hundreds of times in the document release. Much of the material consists of private emails to or from Epstein.
The late Virginia Roberts Giuffre alleged she was trafficked by Epstein and instructed to have sex with Mountbatten‑Windsor when she was 17, claims he has repeatedly denied. Nonetheless, the court of public opinion and his brother King Charles III have taken symbolic action: late last year Andrew was stripped of his royal titles, including Duke of York.
Among the records are invitations tied to Buckingham Palace, Epstein’s offers to introduce Andrew to a young Russian woman, and photos that appear to show Mountbatten‑Windsor kneeling over an unidentified woman.
Sarah Ferguson
Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York and former wife of Prince Andrew, apologized publicly in 2011 for letting Epstein help pay her debts. Newspapers criticized her continued friendliness with Epstein after his 2008 guilty plea to soliciting prostitution from a minor.
Yet when Ferguson was preparing to appear on Oprah Winfrey’s TV show in 2011, she emailed Epstein seeking his advice on how to respond to questions about their relationship.
“I just want to make sure you are aware of this and seek your advice on how you would like me to answer,” she wrote.
Epstein responded that he had been “unfairly characterized” and “paid his debt to society.” Ferguson has since said she regretted the association and intended to have nothing further to do with him.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk, billionaire founder of Tesla and X, appears several times in the files, chiefly in email exchanges from 2012 and 2013 regarding possible visits to Epstein’s private island in the Caribbean.
It is not clear that any visit actually took place. Musk has publicly denied ever going and said he repeatedly turned down Epstein’s invitations.
“Epstein tried to get me to go to his island and I REFUSED,” Musk wrote on X in 2025.
Tesla and X spokespeople did not respond to requests for comment on the document contents.
Richard Branson
Virgin Group founder Richard Branson also appears in numerous emails with Epstein, including a 2013 invitation for Epstein to visit Branson’s private Caribbean island — a location typically used for business and charity events.
“Any time you’re in the area would love to see you,” Branson wrote. “As long as you bring your harem!”
Another message suggested Epstein could rehabilitate his image if Bill Gates praised him publicly — advice that underscored Epstein’s fixation with reputation management.
Branson’s company stated interactions were limited to business‑related occasions and that contact ceased once allegations about Epstein became known. His team called Epstein’s actions “abhorrent.”
Donald Trump
U.S. President Donald Trump appears thousands of times in the files, largely through shared news clips, commentary on politics, and gossip among associates — not direct evidence of legal wrongdoing.
One notable document was a spreadsheet summarizing hundreds of uncorroborated tips about alleged interactions with Trump; FBI officials said many tips were quickly determined to be not credible.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the FBI received “hundreds of calls” about high‑profile people, but emphasized that credibility was key and many reports lacked evidence.
Bill Clinton
Like Trump, former President Bill Clinton appears in the trove. He was associated with Epstein socially more than two decades ago, sometimes flying on Epstein’s private jet and appearing at events.
Clinton’s representatives say he ended contact after Epstein’s first round of criminal charges in 2006. Records include photos Epstein kept of Clinton and other high‑profile individuals, and many public inquiries about why Clinton himself wasn’t under investigation.
No Epstein victim has publicly accused Clinton of any criminal acts tied to the case.
Steven Tisch
New York Giants co‑owner Steven Tisch is mentioned over 400 times in the files. Emails show Epstein offering to connect him with various women, sometimes noting their origins and physical attributes.
Tisch acknowledged knowing Epstein but denied visiting his island. He described their contact as exchanges about philanthropy, movies, and investments, adding that Epstein was “a terrible person” he regretted knowing.
Brett Ratner
Film director Brett Ratner, who directed the recent Melania Trump documentary, appears in photos included in the release. One shows him with Jean Luc Brunel, a French modeling agent who died in prison while awaiting rape charges.
Other images depict Ratner on a couch with Epstein and two young women, though faces were redacted. Ratner and his representatives have not responded to requests for comment.
Casey Wasserman
Casey Wasserman, president of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics committee, exchanged flirtatious emails with Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s associate now serving a 20‑year sentence for sex trafficking.
In one 2003 message he wrote, “I think of you all the time… So, what do I have to do to see you in a tight leather outfit?” Maxwell’s responses also contained suggestive content.
Wasserman said the correspondence was entirely before Maxwell’s crimes came to light and denied any personal or business relationship with Epstein.
Ehud Barak
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and his wife show up frequently in the documents, including plans for a 2017 stay at Epstein’s New York home.
Barak has acknowledged visiting Epstein and using his jet, insisting he never saw inappropriate behavior or gatherings during those interactions. Barak served as Israel’s prime minister (1999‑2001) and later as defense minister.
Larry Summers
Economist and former Secretary of the Treasury Larry Summers, also once president of Harvard University, appears often in correspondence with Epstein.
Earlier document releases showed Summers exchanged emails with Epstein in 2019 discussing interactions with a woman, with Summers later calling those interactions a “major error of judgment.”
Howard Lutnick
Howard Lutnick, U.S. Commerce Secretary and former chairman of commercial real estate firm Newmark, was shown planning a 2012 island visit with Epstein, his wife, and children — contradicting prior statements claiming he had no significant contact.
He also corresponded with Epstein about construction near both men’s homes. The Commerce Department said interactions were “limited” and always in the presence of his wife, and that Lutnick has never been accused of any wrongdoing.
Sergey Brin
Google co‑founder Sergey Brin appears in invitations to meet Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in 2003, including an invite to a filmscreening and a later dinner at Epstein’s townhouse.
Brin proposed inviting then‑Google CEO Eric Schmidt to join; representatives did not immediately comment.
Steve Bannon
Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon exchanged hundreds of texts with Epstein months before Epstein’s 2019 arrest.
They discussed politics, travel, and even plans for a documentary some said would rehabilitate Epstein’s image. Their exchanges ranged from policy matters involving Trump’s threats to oust Jerome Powell to logistical travel queries.
Bannon did not respond to comment requests.
Miroslav Lajcak
Miroslav Lajcak, a national security adviser to the Slovak prime minister, resigned after emails with Epstein emerged in the document release.
Lajcak, a former foreign minister and ex‑U.N. General Assembly president, wasn’t accused of any crime but was shown meeting Epstein in the years between his release from jail and his 2019 indictment.
He said his communications were part of official diplomatic duties.
British politician Peter Mandelson faces pressure to quit House of Lords over Jeffrey Epstein ties
A year ago, Peter Mandelson was Britain’s ambassador to Washington, the latest high-profile post in a rocky but consequential political career.
Friendship with Jeffrey Epstein cost him that job. Now, after new revelations, Mandelson — like other powerful men including King Charles III’s brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor — is facing demands he come clean about his relationship with the late sex offender.
Mandelson resigned from the governing Labour Party on Sunday following new claims he received payments from Epstein two decades ago. Mandelson said he was stepping aside to avoid causing “further embarrassment,” even as he denied the allegations stemming from a trove of more than 3 million pages of documents relating to Epstein released by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who fired Mandelson from his ambassadorial job over earlier revelations about his Epstein ties, now faces pressure to get Mandelson to testify in the U.S. about what he knew of the financier’s activities.
On Monday, Starmer urged Mandelson to resign from the House of Lords — Parliament’s unelected upper chamber of politicians, donors and assorted notables — to which he was appointed for life in 2008. That would also mean relinquishing the noble title, Lord Mandelson, that he received at the time.
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