When will Jeffrey Epstein’s files actually be released?
Despite the bill being passed overwhelmingly in both houses of Congress, questions remain about when the public will be able to see Jeffrey Epstein’s files.
Dozens of people who communicated with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein over the years are now under scrutiny for their relationships based on emails released to the public by lawmakers.
The late financier’s correspondents are mostly men, and prominent names include economists, scientists, investors and journalists. They asked for advice about pursuing women, discussed recent events, and joked about their friendship as pen pals.
These email exchanges took place several years after Epstein registered as a sex offender in 2008. Between federal indictments, police investigations, civil lawsuits, and public complaints, Epstein is accused of recruiting more than 1,000 girls as young as 14 to participate in sex acts with him, his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, and other men.
The women say they were abused and trafficked to other men by Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell around the world, including in California, Florida, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, the United Kingdom and the Virgin Islands.
Here’s a look at what some of the men and women who contacted Epstein said in their interactions.
larry summers
Summers, a former Treasury secretary and former president of Harvard University, appears to have sought advice from Epstein about a romantic relationship he was considering starting with a female economist whom Epstein referred to as a “mentee.”
In an email message dated Nov. 20, 2018, the female economist appears to ask Summers about editing a research paper. Mr. Summers forwarded the email to Mr. Epstein and said it would be “reasonable to expect no response for some time.” Epstein responded, “She’s already starting to sound (sic) needy 🙂 Nice.”
According to the Harvard Crimson, Summers’ email correspondence lasted from November 2018 to July 5, 2019. The Miami Herald’s blockbuster exposé about Epstein was published in November 2018. A federal court decision in February 2019 paved the way for federal charges against Epstein, which were indicted on July 6, 2019. Epstein died by suicide about a month later while awaiting trial.
Elisa New
Elisa New, who has been married to Summers since 2005, sent Epstein a copy of an invitation to an anonymous event on November 25, 2018. She is a professor of American literature at Harvard University and also discussed literature with Mr. Epstein.
In one message, she said she was going on a trip to Australia and was planning to read Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita. This book is about a married academic in his 30s and his sexual obsession with a 12-year-old girl. People later named Epstein’s private plane, which has been recorded carrying dignitaries and women from around the world, the “Lolita Express.”
And New recommends reading “My Antonia” the next time you take a long plane trip. “The prose is excellent, and if you think about it, this book has a similar theme to ‘Lolita’ in that it’s a story about a man whose entire life is forever marked by the impressions of a young girl.”
Lawrence Krauss
Lawrence Krauss, a physicist who wrote “The Physics of Star Trek,” sent a message to Epstein asking for advice when a BuzzFeed News reporter contacted him about sexual harassment allegations. Versions of these allegations were later made public.
“Although I choked the woman, I never forced myself on her. We discussed kissing and going beyond that, but we decided against it,” Krause wrote to Epstein on December 11, 2017. He includes a long list of events in his account of the encounter that sparked the investigation, and asks reporters if he should respond.
Epstein asked Krause whether he had sex with his accuser and, if so, the details. He concludes, “I won’t respond. My advice is consistent. Off the record.” “We didn’t have sex. We decided it wasn’t a good idea,” Kraus wrote.
steve bannon
On November 16, 2018, Steve Bannon, a top White House aide during President Donald Trump’s first term, warned Epstein that he would miss his flight at London’s Heathrow Airport. Mr. Epstein replied, “Yes. We have a Gulf Air flight that leaves at 9:50 and stops in Bahrain,” before following up with, “Arrival. At 11:30.”
Bannon responded, “You’re a great assistant.”
The two exchanged many emails throughout 2018, some just sharing news articles. Records show that Mr. Epstein scheduled a breakfast with Mr. Bannon at 7 a.m. on February 16, 2019. By then, Mr. Epstein knew he was under federal investigation.
Jonathan Farkas
Jonathan Farkas, a scion of the Alexander department store family and husband of President Trump’s ambassador to Malta, sent an email to Epstein on May 8, 2017. He asked Mr. Epstein what he thought about the women he was dating who were not his wife.
“Please note that she cannot be trusted in ALLL,” Epstein wrote.
“Two-timer?” Farkas asks.
“It’s worse,” Epstein says.
“Jeffrey, please help me. She’s a prostitute,” Farkas asked.
Epstein’s response: “Alcohol, drugs, unstable, terrible liar. Be careful.”
michael wolff
Journalist Michael Wolff sent an email to Epstein on October 29, 2016, days before Trump was first elected president. He was writing a book about the 2016 Trump campaign.
“This week you have an opportunity to come forward and talk about Trump in a way that will resonate greatly with you and help put an end to him,” Wolff wrote. There is no indication in the “Interested?” email that Epstein responded or complied with Wolff’s request. The president said he had ended his friendship with Mr. Epstein years before this interaction.
On February 1, 2019, Epstein sent Wolf a typo-filled email at 5 a.m. about a federal investigation into his conduct. He describes activity consistent with what his accusers say was done for money, but downplays other claims.
“There were a lot of girls,” he wrote. “The girls returned home with multiples of $200 for rubbing and tugging. There was no sex. Some worked in lokaku massage parlors, and most were in their mid-20s.”
Boris Nikolic
According to PBS, Epstein emailed biotech venture capitalist Boris Nikolic in January 2010 asking about a meeting in Switzerland.
Nikolic wrote in an email chain that he met Epstein’s friends, former President Bill Clinton and then-Prince Andrew. Later he wrote: teeth You get tired of meetings and say, “It would be great if you were here.”
“I was just flirting with a sexy 22-year-old blonde, blue-eyed Mexican woman,” Nikolic wrote. “It turns out she’s with her husband. I didn’t get a chance to check on him. But the bottom line is you can rent anything good ;)”
Elon Musk
Mr. Epstein’s schedule for December 6, 2014 reads, “Reminder: Elon Musk will be on the island on December 6th (is this still happening?).” After Forbes reported on the alleged island trip in September 2025, Musk responded on social media: “This is false.”
Musk told Vanity Fair in 2019 that he visited Epstein at his Manhattan home several years ago for “about 30 minutes.”
“Aside from some weird art, I didn’t see anything inappropriate at all,” Musk said. “He tried many times to let me go to his island, but I refused.”
Kathryn Remler
A Goldman Sachs executive and former White House legal adviser to President Barack Obama made derogatory comments about New Jersey people in emails with Mr. Epstein. On March 24, 2018, she shared an article titled “How Close Is Donald Trump to Mental Illness?”
Later in the thread, Epstein wrote, “There’s a lot of blame, mostly feminists.” Rümmler replied: “If we’re not careful, the pendulum will swing far in the other direction and feminists will be blamed for everything.” Mr. Epstein said he was joking, and Mr. Ruemmler responded, “I almost did too. :-).”
“See you at 2 o’clock, I ordered sushi for you,” Epstein said.
Tony Fratto, a Goldman Sachs spokesperson, told CNBC that “these emails were personal communications from Kathy Ruemmler long before she joined Goldman Sachs.”
transparent notebook:
Michael Wolff was a freelance USA TODAY contributor from 2012 to early 2017. USA TODAY had no knowledge of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein or any of his activities beyond his publication submissions. We value integrity and transparency in order to uphold our editorial standards and maintain the trust of our readers.
Contributor: Josh Meyer, Zach Anderson
