Text messages released by the US House oversight committee show that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein acted as a behind-the-scenes adviser to former Trump official Steve Bannon during an August 2018 media campaign. The exchanges, spanning six days from 17 to 23 August, reveal Epstein coaching Bannon on television appearances and political messaging to support Donald Trump and promote Bannon's media ventures.
The messages, sent from an iMessage account linked to Epstein's email, have the other participant's name redacted. However, contextual references to Fox News appearances, Bannon's August 2017 firing from the White House, and his work on the documentary Trump @War identify the recipient as Bannon. Bannon did not respond to requests for comment, but earlier this year he called for a special investigator to examine all Epstein documents.
The texts detail Epstein's involvement in crafting messaging on tax cuts, immigration, and security clearance revocations. When Bannon appeared on MSNBC on 17 August, Epstein offered live feedback, commenting on his appearance and advising on camera angles. Epstein also provided talking points on tax cuts, arguing that criticism of the cuts benefiting the rich was misleading and that corporate tax breaks lead to hiring before wage increases.
The pair also discussed breaking scandals. On 23 August, when news broke that National Enquirer publisher David Pecker had received immunity in the Michael Cohen case, Bannon texted: 'Huge event huge', followed by 'More women payoffs coming.' Epstein complained about a man, Steven Hoffenberg, who had been sending letters about him to agencies. Hoffenberg was imprisoned in 1998 for a $500m Ponzi scheme.
