The public to "judge" for themselves in the Epstein case

In the years since Jeffrey Epstein's 2019 arrest and his death, ruled a suicide, in a Manhattan jail, some of the world's richest and most powerful people have rushed to distance themselves from the disgraced man with whom they once did business, dined in lavish settings, or flew on private jets.

But the release of documents and other revelations over the past few months, culminating in the release of nearly three million pages on Friday, has highlighted the depth, intensity and persistence of his ties to the global elite, contradicting or undermining years of carefully crafted denials.

Over three million pages, 2.000 videos, 180.000 photos have been published. But despite these staggering numbers, Todd Blanch, the second-in-command of the US Justice Department, indicated on Sunday that there will be no additional prosecutions related to the Epstein controversy.

"We have to separate those two ideas - the fact that there are Epstein files and the question of whether there is someone there who we can prosecute," Blanche told CNN. "There is a lot of correspondence. A lot of emails. A lot of photographs. A lot of horrific photographs that appear to have been taken by Mr. Epstein or people around him. But that doesn't necessarily allow us to prosecute anyone," Blanche said.

One of the most significant documents released is a draft of a 2007 federal indictment, which was ultimately dismissed in favor of Florida courts. The draft describes the extent of the sex crimes committed in that state and the trafficking of minors organized for Epstein’s benefit. The youngest of the 11 victims was 14 years old. They were lured to the financier’s house, raped, then given several hundred dollars, and then subjected to intense pressure to remain silent and to recruit other minors.

The documents have also sparked renewed interest in Epstein's friendships with President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton. Trump and Clinton deny any knowledge of Epstein's crimes, and neither has been charged with any wrongdoing related to those past relationships, the New York Times reported.

The new files have added to the drama surrounding the British royal family after Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the former Prince Andrew should testify before the US Congress about his long-standing relationship with Epstein. In one undated photo, the brother of King Charles III is shown leaning over a woman or girl lying on the floor. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, as he is now known, has denied all allegations and said he never saw anything suspicious while in Epstein's company.

Former British ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson accepted money from Jeffrey Epstein and gave him the contents of a confidential government briefing, new files show, sparking calls yesterday for a police investigation. Late on Sunday, Mandelson quit the Labour Party to prevent “further embarrassment”, having been sacked from his diplomatic post last year following revelations about his links to the late convicted sex offender.

He said he did not remember any payments, although files appear to show he received donations of $25.000 from Epstein. The Financial Times reported that he received a total of $75.000.

Starmer said Mendelson should be removed from the upper house of parliament.

Miroslav Lajčák resigned from his position as national security advisor to the Prime Minister of Slovakia over the weekend due to correspondence with Epstein.

Prominent members of the Norwegian elite, including the princess, a former prime minister who later headed the Nobel Committee and the head of the World Economic Forum, are also mentioned in documents from the Epstein investigation.

The involvement of Princess Mette-Marit, who exchanged more than 100 friendly emails with a convicted sex offender and stayed at one of his homes, further deepens a series of scandals that have rocked the Norwegian royal family. Mette-Marit's eldest son will face a 38-count indictment in court today, including rape and drug-related offenses.

In some cases, the documents shed additional light on Epstein associates whose ties to him were already known, while others revealed relationships that had remained hidden for years, the Times writes.

Elon Musk, one of the world’s richest men, has not only previously denied visiting Epstein’s island, but has portrayed his decision as an act of principle. In a social media post last September, Musk wrote that Epstein “tried to talk me into going to his island and I REFUSED.” But documents released Friday suggest that Musk was at one point eager to visit. “What day/night will be the wildest party on your island?” Musk wrote to Epstein in an email in November 2012.

Musk posted on social media on Saturday: "I had very little correspondence with Epstein and declined multiple invitations to go to his island or fly on his 'Lolita Express,' but I knew full well that some of my email correspondence with him could be misinterpreted and used by adversaries to smear my name."

In a podcast last year, Howard Latnick, the Commerce Secretary, described how he was disgusted by a visit to Epstein's Manhattan mansion in the mid-2000s, so much so that he decided to "never be in the same room with that disgusting person again."

But Latnik’s disgust didn’t seem to last long, according to the New York Times. In 2012, he corresponded with Epstein to arrange a visit to his private island with his wife and children, just before Christmas. Epstein’s assistant later forwarded him a message from Epstein: “Nice to see you,” it said.

Early last year, billionaire venture capitalist Peter Thiel wrote an essay for the Financial Times arguing that Trump’s reelection would mean that closely guarded state secrets — including those about Epstein’s death — would finally come to light. In the months since, instead, the spotlight on Epstein has revealed that an investment firm Thiel co-founded received $40 million from Epstein, and that Epstein and Thiel had been corresponding for at least five years before Epstein’s death.

“Visit me in the Caribbean,” Epstein urged the tech billionaire in 2018. Jeremiah Hall, a spokesman for Peter Thiel, declined to comment on the relationship, but said Thiel “never went to Epstein’s island.”

Although many of the documents were redacted, according to criteria that remain unclear, their publication on Friday sparked huge interest. However, some media outlets point out that it is wrong to leave the public to draw its own conclusions about the possible involvement of the actors mentioned in the files.

The French newspaper Le Monde writes that “the Epstein case has become a poisoned well, the stench of which feeds every conspiracy theory.” “The files contain the financier’s private email correspondence, text messages, court documents and police notes, tracing a vast web of connections between the powerful at the crossroads of politics, diplomacy, the entertainment industry and business. But when it is no longer possible to distinguish established facts from incomplete information and unfounded accusations, when the mere mention of a public figure in a document is enough to insinuate complicity, one can only drown in this well.”

In a functioning state based on the rule of law, federal investigators should have sorted out the evidence and brought the investigation to a conclusion, the French newspaper points out, adding that the only person who holds the keys to the truth is his main accomplice and companion, Guillain Maxwell.

Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison, received special treatment from the Trump administration. In July 2025, it was Todd Blanch who visited Maxwell in prison and interviewed her for two days. Two months later, in September 2025, he declared that it was “impossible” to assess the quality of the witness. “It’s really up to the American people to decide” on the credibility of her testimony, Blanch said.