The papers that were made public include emails between Epstein and people who used to work for the White House, a part-owner of an NFL team, and rich people like Bill Gates and Elon Musk.
The Justice Department under President Trump said they would release millions of pages of documents, videos, and pictures collected during the investigation of Epstein.
The files show Epstein’s friendship with Prince Andrew and his emails with Steve Bannon, a former advisor to President Trump, and Steve Tisch, a co-owner of the New York Giants.
The documents also give a look into the investigations that led to charges against Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell for sex trafficking, as well as an earlier investigation that found Epstein with underage girls but did not lead to federal charges.
The FBI started looking into Epstein in 2006. A draft indictment shows that prosecutors were planning to charge Epstein and three of his assistants after young girls said they were paid to give Epstein massages.
An employee at Epstein’s Florida home told the FBI that he had to buy flowers for a student and deliver them to her. He also said he had to fan money, place a gun in Epstein’s bedroom, and clean up after massages with young girls.
Alexander Acosta, who was the U.S. attorney in Miami at the time, made a deal that allowed Epstein to avoid federal charges. Epstein pleaded guilty to a state charge and got a short jail sentence. Acosta later worked for President Trump as his labor secretary.
The files also mention Trump, with Epstein and others sharing news about him. There is also a list of claims about wrongdoing by Trump, but they have not been proven.
Prince Andrew’s name appears many times in the files, and the records show prosecutors tried to interview him.
Elon Musk contacted Epstein to plan visits to an island where the abuse supposedly took place. Musk has said he turned down Epstein’s offers.
Emails show Epstein tried to connect Tisch with women. Tisch said he had a brief connection with Epstein and regrets knowing him.
Bannon and Epstein talked about politics and planned meetings. In 2019, Bannon asked Epstein to use his plane to pick him up in Rome.
Howard Lutnick, a Wall Street billionaire, was invited to Epstein’s island for lunch. Lutnick has said he cut ties with Epstein a long time ago.
Epstein also contacted Kathy Ruemmler, who used to work for President Obama. Epstein told Ruemmler that Democrats should not call Trump a mafia figure.
Last month, the government released flight logs showing Trump flew on Epstein’s jet in the 1990s and pictures of former President Bill Clinton. No one has accused Trump or Clinton of wrongdoing. Both men said they did not know Epstein was abusing young girls.
Epstein killed himself in jail in 2019 after being charged. Maxwell was found guilty of sex trafficking and is serving a long prison sentence.
Prosecutors have not charged anyone else in connection with Epstein’s abuse. Virginia Roberts Giuffre sued Prince Andrew, saying she had sex with him when she was underage. The prince denied the claims but settled the lawsuit.
