Epstein knew them all: What files release reveals about the American elite and the nature of friendships
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Epstein knew them all: What files release reveals about the American elite and the nature of friendships")
Epstein with Donald Trump and Bill Clinton Photograph: (Others)
The latest dump of Epstein files hardly revealed anything new. But they exposed the depth of elite connections across politics, business and entertainment, with the paedophile as a central character. Power, access and silence shaped Epstein’s world, and he's not around to prove anyone guilty
Jeffrey Epstein’s story is a classic example of how people distance themselves from someone whose hospitality they enjoyed, whether knowing or not knowing of his criminal activities. The new tranche of Epstein files reveals not much, except some more heavily redacted text and strategically concealed photos. The only thing it really reveals is the activities of the American elite. At the top, everyone is connected. Epstein can be described whichever way one wants: a financial whizz kid who had deep links with the business, academic, entertainment and political world, or a paedophile-pimp who hosted, wined and dined the rich and the famous while secretly collecting compromising material about them.
Epstein file names: From entertainers to politicians, royals and everyone in between
While an undue amount of attention is focused on Bill Clinton’s ties with Epstein, there is no denying that incumbent president Donald Trump also had a pally relationship with the late disgraced financier. The talk of a ‘client list’ of Epstein – for whom he allegedly supplied girls – is still in the conspiracy theory realm. But the photos tell a level of everyone's familiarity with Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
The names include former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak, Virgin Atlantic founder Richard Branson, and figures such as former US vice-president Al Gore, former UK royal Sarah Ferguson, former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson, lawyer Alan Dershowitz, and former US Treasury secretary Larry Summers.
From the entertainment world, there’s Mick Jagger, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Chris Tucker, David Copperfield and Kevin Spacey. Other familiar names that surface in various documents or social references include Naomi Campbell, Woody Allen, Courtney Love, Ralph Fiennes, David Blaine, journalist Michael Wolff, and academics such as Noam Chomsky and the late Stephen Hawking.
Trending Stories
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
There are also mentions of news anchor Walter Cronkite and musician Phil Collins, alongside technology and media figures such as Elon Musk, Sergey Brin, Peter Thiel and former YouTube chief executive Salar Kamangar, all appearing in different contexts rather than as allegations.
Many individuals had already appeared in the 2024 unsealed court filings from the Giuffre v. Maxwell case.
In the new files, Donald Trump, Ehud Barak and (now-former) Prince Andrew are again referenced, largely through photographs, contact lists or travel records rather than as fresh claims.
Most of them are mentioned in flight logs, photos, emails, stays at Epstein properties, meeting photos and documents, and in redacted parts of the Epstein files.
Business people like Bill Gates and Leslie Wexner of Victoria’s Secret, Leon Black and Glenn Dubin are also mentioned in some form or the other, reinforcing the breadth of Epstein’s social reach across finance and philanthropy.
Not guilty until proven, but…
The presence of these people in the Epstein files, either released in December or before, does not imply any wrongdoing. In other words, none is guilty by association.
But it clearly shows that Epstein, with some help from Maxwell, was a constant social climber.
He exchanged favours for access. The favours could be flying someone on his planes, hosting them at his properties, or appearing at parties, social or academic events with them.
Everyone knew Epstein, or Epstein knew everyone
Everyone in the political, business or entertainment crème de la crème of late 1990s to late 2010s America had some association with Epstein.
Even then, the onion is not peeled in full. We may never know exactly what the people knew about Epstein, or what Epstein knew about them. Some people, like Clinton’s spokesperson, are finding the alibi that Clinton stopped all contact after Epstein’s criminal activities and involvement in prostitution came to light. But that is only a technical clarification. Some people, like Andrew, continued to be in touch after the Palm Beach, Florida case, which Epstein managed to survive legally.
Everyone now wants to distance themselves from Epstein.
And Epstein is not coming back to tell the truth as he died in custody in 2019 before trial. This only reinforces conspiracy theorists who say he was ‘bumped off’ in jail. The truth is somewhere in between.
