Dalai Lama says he will appoint a successor after his death
His Holiness the Dalai Lama said the 600-year-old system would continue after his death and that a successor would be chosen after his death.
Vion – World News
The Dalai Lama said in a statement that he has never met or interacted with Jeffrey Epstein, following attempts to link him to the late sex offender.
“Some recent media reports and social media posts regarding the ‘Epstein File’ seek to connect His Holiness the Dalai Lama with Jeffrey Epstein,” the Office of the Tibetan Spiritual Leader said in a news release. “We can unequivocally confirm that the Pope has never met Jeffrey Epstein, nor has he authorized anyone on his behalf to meet or interact with him.”
It is not currently clear what kind of reports or posts His Holiness the Dalai Lama (90 years old) is referring to.
The statement comes after the Trump administration recently released files from a government investigation into the disgraced investor. Although the Dalai Lama’s work has been mentioned in several documents, he has never been formally accused of wrongdoing in connection with the accused sex traffickers.
The Justice Department released 3 million pages of Epstein files on January 30, according to a letter obtained by USA TODAY. Members of Congress will be able to see unredacted versions of the records starting Feb. 9, according to a letter obtained by USA TODAY.
Collectively, the released files and emails link dozens of celebrities to Epstein, including President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton, Elon Musk and others. No one was charged with any crime related to Epstein.
Many of the relationships had already been made public. Trump and Epstein, for example, were friendly decades ago but fell out in the 2000s.
Additionally, the recently released files also include a former U.S. senator, a Norwegian princess, a NASCAR driver, and several wealthy men who did business with Epstein. No one has been charged, and in some cases, their participation in Epstein’s orbit simply indicates that they had social or business ties to him.
USA TODAY’s Erin Mansfield, Kathryn Palmer and Jamie Fraser contributed to this report.
Kate Perez covers national trends and breaking news for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kperez@usatodayco.com or X @katecperez_.
