Andrés Gil Domingo, 01 de Febrero del 2026, 00:00
The documents also raise renewed questions about institutional failures that allowed Epstein to evade full accountability for years.
By Andrés Gil
WASHINGTON — Newly released files from the U.S. Department of Justice provide extensive new detail about the relationships Jeffrey Epstein maintained with wealthy, powerful and well-known figures after serving a brief jail sentence in Florida in 2008, and reveal how much federal investigators knew about his sexual abuse of minors when they chose not to pursue federal charges nearly two decades ago, according to reporting by The Associated Press.
The Justice Department on Friday made public more than three million pages of records, along with more than 2,000 videos and roughly 180,000 images. The materials span years of correspondence, investigative notes and internal communications tied to Epstein and multiple criminal inquiries.
Among the files are compromising photographs of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew of Britain, as well as emails between Epstein and prominent figures including Elon Musk, Steve Bannon, Steve Tisch and others in political, business and philanthropic circles.
Political fallout abroad
The release has already triggered political consequences overseas. Miroslav Lajcak, who served for a year as president of the United Nations General Assembly, resigned from his post as Slovakia’s national security adviser after emails and photographs revealed meetings with Epstein in the years following Epstein’s release from jail.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico confirmed on Saturday that he had accepted Lajcak’s resignation. Lajcak, a former foreign minister, has not been accused of any crime, but the newly released correspondence shows Epstein inviting him to dinners and meetings in 2018.
One email from March 2018 shows Epstein’s office inviting Kathy Ruemmler, who served as general counsel in President Barack Obama’s White House, to a meeting with Epstein, Lajcak and Bannon, the conservative activist who served as a White House strategist under President Donald Trump in 2017.
What investigators knew
The records show the FBI began investigating Epstein in July 2006 and expected federal charges to be filed by May 2007. A federal prosecutor drafted a proposed indictment after multiple underage girls told police and the FBI they had been paid to give Epstein sexually charged massages.
According to the draft, prosecutors were preparing to charge not only Epstein but also three people who worked for him as personal assistants.
Interview notes released Friday describe testimony from an employee at Epstein’s Florida estate who told the FBI in 2007 that Epstein once asked him to buy flowers for a high school student at Royal Palm Beach High School to mark her performance in a school play.
The employee, whose name was redacted, said his duties included fanning $100 bills on a table near Epstein’s bed, placing a firearm between the mattresses in Epstein’s bedroom and cleaning up after frequent massages involving young girls, including disposing of used condoms.
Despite the evidence, then–U.S. Attorney in Miami Alexander Acosta approved a plea deal that allowed Epstein to avoid federal prosecution. Epstein pleaded guilty to a state charge of soliciting prostitution from a minor under 18 and was sentenced to 18 months in jail, serving only part of that time. Acosta later became Trump’s first labor secretary.
Extensive references to Trump and others
The files contain thousands of references to Donald Trump, including emails in which Epstein and associates shared news articles about Trump, commented on his policies and political life, or gossiped about him and his family.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s name appears hundreds of times, including in Epstein’s private emails. In a 2010 exchange, Epstein appeared to be attempting to arrange a meeting for him.
“I have a friend who I think you would enjoy meeting for dinner,” Epstein wrote. Mountbatten-Windsor replied that he “would love to see her.” Epstein added: “She is 26, Russian, intelligent, beautiful, trustworthy and yes, she has your email.”
Victims criticize release
Victims of Epstein sharply criticized the Justice Department’s handling of the disclosure. In a statement, a group of survivors said the newly released files made it easier to identify victims while failing to clearly name or hold accountable those who may have facilitated Epstein’s crimes.
“As victims, we should never be the ones named, scrutinized and revictimized, while those who enabled Epstein’s abuse continue to benefit from secrecy,” the statement said.
Longstanding ties to powerful figures
The records confirm Epstein maintained friendships with Trump and former President Bill Clinton. None of Epstein’s victims who have spoken publicly have accused either man of wrongdoing. Both Trump and Clinton have said they were unaware Epstein was abusing underage girls.
Epstein died by suicide in a New York jail in August 2019, a month after he was formally charged with sex trafficking.
In 2021, a federal jury in New York convicted his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell of sex trafficking for helping recruit underage girls. She is serving a 20-year prison sentence.
No other individuals have been federally charged in connection with Epstein’s abuse. One victim, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, sued Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, alleging she was forced to have sex with him starting at age 17. He denied the allegation but later reached an out-of-court settlement for an undisclosed sum.
Giuffre died by suicide last year at the age of 41.
Source: elDiario.es
