A number of the world’s most powerful men have been mentioned in the latest release of documents by the US Justice Department in relation to its investigation of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The US Department of Justice released the files on Friday, including emails between Epstein and a number of high-profile figures. Many of the emails go back more than a decade.
About three million pages, 180,000 images and 2000 videos were publicly released on Friday under congressional order.
Here’s what we know about some of the men mentioned.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor
Images showing Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor crouched over an unidentified woman lying on the floor are featured in the latest release of files relating to Epstein.
His name is also mentioned hundreds of times in the latest document release, including an invitation for Epstein to dine at Buckingham Palace, as well as an offer from Epstein to introduce Mountbatten-Windsor to a 26-year-old Russian woman.
Late last year, King Charles II stripped his brother, formerly known as Prince Andrew, of his royal titles. Mountbatten-Windsor has faced scrutiny in recent years over his friendship with Epstein.
In 2011, the late Virginia Roberts Giuffre alleged that she had been trafficked by Epstein and forced to have sex with Mountbatten-Windsor at age 17. In 2021, she filed a lawsuit against Mountbatten-Windsor , alleging he sexually abused her when she was under 18. The lawsuit was settled out of court in early 2022.
He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
Elon Musk
In a series of email exchanges sent in 2012 and 2013, billionaire Elon Musk discussed visiting Epstein’s private island in the Caribbean. There is no evidence Musk did take a trip to the island.
The new files show Musk asking Epstein about a proposed trip: “What day/night will be the wildest party on your island?”
On his social media site X, Musk has repeatedly denied visiting Epstein’s island.
“I had very little correspondence with Epstein and declined repeated invitations to go to his island or fly on his “Lolita Express”, but was well aware that some email correspondence with him could be misinterpreted and used by detractors to smear my name,” Musk wrote on X.
Donald Trump
US President Donald Trump is mentioned hundreds of times in the latest release of files. Among the files is a list compiled by the FBI of allegations made against Trump by callers to its national Threat Operation Center. The allegations are unverified and the document notes that there was no contact made with the individuals who sent in the allegations in many cases.
Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein and says his friendship with the late sex offender soured many years ago.
In a statement, the Department of Justice said: “Some of the documents contain untrue and sensationalist claims against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election. To be clear, the claims are unfounded and false, and if they have a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponized against President Trump already.”
Other high-profile names
Howard Lutnick, commerce secretary, planned a visit to Epstein’s island in 2012, according to the new release of documents. Lutnick had previously said he cut ties with Epstein around 2005.
Lutnick told the New York Times on Friday he hadn’t seen the latest release of files and also said: “I spent zero time with him.”
Steve Tisch, the co-owner of the New York Giants football team, appeared in communications that showed Epstein arranging for Tisch to meet women. One email from May 2013 involved Epstein offering to connect Tisch with a Russian woman, with Tisch asking: “Is she fun?”
“We had a brief association where we exchanged emails about adult women, and in addition, we discussed movies, philanthropy, and investments,” Tisch said of Epstein in a statement Friday. “I did not take him up on any of his invitations and never went to his island. As we all know now, he was a terrible person and someone I deeply regret associating with.”
Former Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd’s name also appeared in the files. A meeting with Rudd was scheduled in Epstein’s diary in 2014. Rudd has said he did not attend the meeting and has strongly denied ever visiting Epstein.
As the latest tranche of files were released, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez warned it was only a minority of the files that had been released.
“Even with everything in this Epstein drop, remember: this is a minority of the files,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
“This is STILL just what they were *willing* to release – in violation of the law, which requires release of all files. Pam Bondi’s DOJ is still hiding most of them. We need them all.”
On Sunday morning local time, US Justice Department official Deputy Attorney-General Todd Blanche said it is unlikely further criminal charges will be laid in relation to Jeffrey Epstein.
“There’s a lot of correspondence. There’s a lot of emails. There’s a lot of photographs. There’s a lot of horrible photographs that appear to be taken by Mr Epstein or people around him,” he said.
“But that doesn’t allow us necessarily to prosecute somebody.”