A Guardian analysis of over a million emails from the Jeffrey Epstein files has revealed the financier's deep and longstanding ties with a number of high-profile figures, including Prince Andrew, former UK ambassador Peter Mandelson, and former Trump strategist Steve Bannon. The release of the documents has led to at least nine resignations and investigations.
The analysis identified more than 150,000 unique emails between Epstein and a select group of elites. The first part of the series examined correspondence involving Prince Andrew, Mandelson, Bannon, and Emirati billionaire Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem. The second part focuses on director Woody Allen, former Barclays chief Jes Staley, and former US treasury secretary Larry Summers.
Bannon exchanged nearly 1,500 emails with Epstein, mostly in 2018. They discussed politics and film, with Bannon sending Epstein a Guardian article about a Dutch exhibition on propaganda, likening the Nazi filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl to “his hero”. In another email, Bannon forwarded plans for a rightwing foundation called “The Movement”, and Epstein advised him to spend more time in Europe.
Epstein also acted as an informal adviser on Bannon's media projects, including the documentary American Dharma and the film Trump @War. He introduced Bannon to figures including Kenneth Starr, Tom Pritzker, Noam Chomsky, and Bin Sulayem.
Bin Sulayem and Epstein exchanged nearly 4,200 emails from 2005 to 2019. The correspondence included travel plans, business ideas, and sexual references. In one 2013 email, Bin Sulayem complained about the appearance of women he met through Epstein, describing a Ukrainian woman as “very beautiful” but a Moldavian as “not as attractive as the picture”.
