Overview of the release
The Justice Department has made public millions of internal documents connected to Jeffrey Epstein, the financier who pleaded guilty in 2008 to prostitution-related charges, including the solicitation of an underage girl, and who was later arrested in 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges involving minors. The newly disclosed material contains a mix of emails, photographs, notes and other records that reference or depict interactions between Epstein and a wide range of people in politics, finance, academia and business.
Officials at the department have cautioned that the compilation may include doctored images, untrue allegations, pornographic content and other material that is not verified. Following the release, the department said it had removed several thousand documents that had inadvertently identified some of Epstein's victims. The Justice Department's No. 2 official, Todd Blanche, has stated the material does not amount to proof of criminal sexual conduct by those whose names appear in the files.
Key actors identified in the files
The released records highlight Epstein's connections with an array of public figures. The files include photographs in which faces have been redacted, email exchanges, notes and other items that document social interactions and communications. Below is a presentation of the notable individuals named in the documents and the details included about their associations with Epstein as presented in the records and related filings.
Donald Trump
The documents show that Donald Trump socialized extensively with Epstein in the 1990s and 2000s. A magazine profile from that period quotes Trump as saying Epstein likes women "on the younger side." The Justice Department papers include photographs of Trump with several women whose faces are redacted and a suggestive note to Epstein framed by the outline of a naked woman that appears to bear what the documents present as Trump’s signature.
Evidence and testimony submitted in the 2021 trial of Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell indicate that Trump traveled on Epstein's plane multiple times. In one email, Epstein wrote that Trump "knew about the girls," although the documents do not clarify the meaning or intent behind that statement. Trump has denied any knowledge of Epstein's crimes, said he ended his relationship with Epstein in the early 2000s, and has denied flying on Epstein's plane while asserting the suggestive note was fabricated.
Bill Clinton
According to the public records, former President Bill Clinton socialized with Epstein after leaving office and flew on Epstein’s plane several times in the early 2000s. The Justice Department release includes photographs that show Clinton in a swimming setting and posing with women whose faces are redacted. Clinton has denied any wrongdoing and has said he regrets the association.
Andrew, Duke of York (Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor)
The files show a social relationship between the former Prince Andrew and Epstein. The Duke of York has been stripped of his royal title in connection with the fallout from that association. The Justice Department sought cooperation from the former royal in several criminal investigations but was rebuffed, according to the records. He settled a lawsuit brought by one of Epstein's victims in 2022 with an undisclosed payment and without admitting wrongdoing.
The files include several photographs of the former prince with women, including one where he is shown kneeling over a woman and another where he is lying across the laps of multiple women; in the records those women’s faces appear redacted. Mountbatten-Windsor has denied engaging in wrongdoing, has expressed regret for the friendship, and has said he never witnessed sex crimes.
Howard Lutnick
The documents indicate that Howard Lutnick visited Epstein’s private island for lunch in 2012 and later invited Epstein to a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton in 2015, according to email exchanges. Those details contrast with Lutnick’s prior statements that he had vowed never to "be in a room" with Epstein following an incident in 2005 in which Epstein allegedly showed Lutnick a massage table at his New York townhouse and made a sexually suggestive remark. At the time of the 2005 encounter, Lutnick was reported to be living next door to Epstein in New York.
A spokesperson for the Commerce Department said Lutnick had limited interactions with Epstein and that he has never been accused of wrongdoing.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk appears in the documents in a limited context. In 2012 he asked Epstein whether there were any parties planned on Epstein's island, but decided not to visit after Epstein replied that "the ratio on my island" might make Musk’s female companion uncomfortable. Epstein also received an invitation from Musk to visit for drinks on another island a few days later; the documents do not make clear whether the two met in person. Musk has said he had few interactions with Epstein and declined repeated invitations to visit the island or fly on Epstein's plane.
Larry Summers
Records indicate that Larry Summers, the former U.S. Treasury Secretary and president of Harvard University, flew on Epstein's jet several times as far back as 1998. The files show he met with Epstein to discuss economic and business matters during his tenure at Harvard. Communications between the two continued into 2019, with emails showing Summers seeking advice from Epstein about a romantic interest.
There is no evidence in the released material indicating wrongdoing by Summers, but the revelations prompted him to step down from positions at Harvard, OpenAI and other institutions in November. In a statement following the document release he said he was "deeply ashamed" of his conduct and that he would step back from public roles to "repair relationships with the people closest to me."
Kevin Warsh
Kevin Warsh's name appears in an email from a publicist to Epstein that listed 43 people, including celebrities such as Martha Stewart, who were headed to a Christmas gathering in 2010. The correspondence does not clarify whether Warsh knew Epstein or the reason Epstein was sent the message. The records do not include a response from Warsh to inquiries about the email.
Melania Trump
The materials include a 2002 email from Melania Trump to Ghislaine Maxwell about a magazine piece on Epstein. The brief email reads, "You look great." This item is part of the larger set of communications and photographs made public by the department.
Bill Gates
According to the files, Bill Gates and Epstein met repeatedly after Epstein's 2008 prison term, with discussions focused on expanding Gates's philanthropic activities. The documents include photographs of Gates posing with women whose faces are redacted. Gates has said the relationship with Epstein was confined to philanthropy-related discussions and has described meeting with Epstein as a mistake.
Jes Staley
Jes Staley, the former executive at JPMorgan and Barclays, is listed in the documents as a participant in gatherings hosted by Epstein. Court records show he exchanged roughly 1,200 emails with Epstein between 2008 and 2012, with some messages referring to Disney characters and including photographs of young women, according to the filings. Staley has denied any knowledge of Epstein's criminal activities. He has been barred from the UK financial industry and sued by JPMorgan, which alleges he concealed information about Epstein's misconduct.
Peter Mandelson
UK police are reported to be reviewing allegations of misconduct following the release of emails that suggest Peter Mandelson shared information with Epstein on topics such as possible UK asset sales and tax changes during the financial crash, and that Epstein recorded payments to Mandelson or his then-partner. Mandelson was dismissed as ambassador to the United States last year after earlier emails showed him referring to Epstein as "my best pal" and advising him on seeking early release from jail. He has apologized to Epstein’s victims and denied wrongdoing.
Peter Attia
Peter Attia's name appears more than 1,700 times in the recently released records. Attia has said he met with Epstein seven or eight times at Epstein's New York home between 2014 and 2019, asserting he never saw illegal activity or observed Epstein with anyone who looked underage.
Brad Karp
Brad Karp, head of the law firm Paul Weiss, resigned after the release of emails showing longstanding personal and business communications with Epstein through 2019. The correspondence indicates Karp attended dinners with Epstein and sought assistance in obtaining a job on a Woody Allen film. The firm stated Karp regrets those interactions and said he never saw or participated in any misconduct.
Borge Brende
Documents show Borge Brende, head of the World Economic Forum, attended dinners with Epstein in 2018 and 2019 and exchanged emails with him. Brende said he would not have taken part in those gatherings had he known about Epstein's criminal record. The World Economic Forum has opened an internal investigation into the matter following the revelations.
Casey Wasserman
Casey Wasserman, the senior U.S. official responsible for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, has faced calls to resign after the release of flirtatious emails between him and Ghislaine Maxwell dating as far back as 2003. Wasserman has denied having a personal or business relationship with Epstein.
Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit
The records include extensive email correspondence between Epstein and Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit. She apologized for those exchanges, saying she exhibited poor judgment.
Ariane de Rothschild
Ariane de Rothschild, who heads the family-owned Edmond de Rothschild Swiss bank, agreed to multiple meetings with Epstein in New York and Paris before his 2019 arrest, according to emails. The communications do not show any criminal activity, and a bank spokesperson said she had no knowledge of Epstein's conduct.
Kathy Ruemmler
Kathy Ruemmler, formerly a top lawyer at Goldman Sachs and a White House counsel under President Barack Obama, accepted gifts from Epstein and provided him with public relations advice between 2014 and 2019, as shown in the emails. Ruemmler has said she acted in the role of a defense attorney and was not aware of any ongoing criminal conduct.
Legal context and official statements
The release of the documents comes amid ongoing scrutiny of Epstein's criminal conduct and his network of contacts. The Justice Department has been explicit that the material is not an adjudication of guilt for those whose names appear in the files, and has taken steps to remove items that could identify victims. Todd Blanche, the department’s second-ranking official, said the material does not constitute evidence of criminal sexual activity by everyone named in the files.
Separately, Epstein was arrested in 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges and later died in a Manhattan jail cell; his death was ruled a suicide. His 2008 guilty plea on state prostitution-related charges, which involved an underage girl, and subsequent legal proceedings have been central to multiple civil and criminal filings that produced much of the evidence referenced in the newly released material.
What the files show about documentation and verification
The trove includes visual material such as photographs with faces redacted, notes, and numerous email exchanges. Justice Department officials have warned users of the files that not all items are reliable; some material could be fabricated or misleading. The department's removal of several thousand inadvertently identifying documents underscores the sensitivity around victim privacy and the limits of what the released files can definitively establish.
Scope and limits of the release
The documents illuminate connections and communications but do not, by themselves, resolve questions about illegal conduct by the many people whose names appear. In several instances the files show communications or social interactions without accompanying evidence of criminal actions. In other cases, court filings and testimony from related cases, such as the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, provide additional context about travel or meetings involving Epstein.
Concluding summary
The Justice Department's disclosure reveals a web of relationships between Jeffrey Epstein and a wide array of well-known individuals. The materials consist of emails, photographs and other records that document social interactions and communications. Officials have warned that the files may contain inaccurate or fabricated content and have removed documents that inadvertently identified victims. Senior Justice Department officials emphasize the files do not amount to proof of criminal sexual activity by everyone named in the records. The release has prompted scrutiny, denials, apologies and, in some instances, personnel consequences for those connected to items in the trove.