A massive trove of over 20,000 pages of emails and photographs connected to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has been made public, sending shockwaves through political and royal circles.
The documents were handed over to the US House Oversight Committee by Epstein's estate and released to the public, containing numerous references to high-profile figures including former US President Donald Trump and Britain's Prince Andrew.
Key Revelations from the Epstein Files
The newly released correspondence provides several startling insights into the relationships and concerns of those within Epstein's orbit. Among the thousands of pages, several key exchanges stand out for their implications.
Trump Described as the 'Dog That Hasn't Barked'
In one particularly revealing email from April 2011, Epstein himself wrote to his associate Ghislaine Maxwell about Donald Trump. Epstein referred to Trump as "the dog that hasn't barked" and claimed the former president had spent "hours at my house".
Further compounding these references, a separate message from January 2019 to author Michael Wolff stated plainly: "Of course he knew about the girls as he asked Ghislaine to stop." These communications have emerged as part of an ongoing congressional investigation into the Epstein files.
In response to the document release, Donald Trump took to his Truth Social platform to denounce what he called "the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax", accusing Democrats of using it to distract from other political issues like the US government shutdown. Trump has consistently denied any knowledge of Epstein's crimes and maintains they had a falling out years before Epstein's 2019 death in a New York jail.
Prince Andrew's Pleas to Epstein
The documents also shed new light on Prince Andrew's communications with the disgraced financier. In one email, Andrew insisted he had "nothing" to do with sex abuse claims against Epstein and implored him to publicly state this.
"Hey there!" Andrew wrote. "What's all this? I don't know anything about this! You must SAY so please. This has NOTHING to do with me. I can't take any more of this."
Another significant revelation confirms the authenticity of the infamous photograph showing Prince Andrew with his arm around Virginia Giuffre. Epstein directly confirmed to a journalist that the photograph of Andrew and Giuffre was genuine, noting that "yes she was on my plane, and yes she had her picture taken with Andrew, as many of my employees have." Prince Andrew has repeatedly denied all accusations of wrongdoing.
Political Figures and Attempts to Manage Coverage
The email cache also implicates British political figure Peter Mandelson, who was sacked from his role by Labour leader Keir Starmer in September over his past association with Epstein.
According to the released documents, Mandelson advised against Epstein participating in an interview with BBC Radio 4's Today programme. The programme had requested an interview to discuss "stories which are circulating, however inaccurately, about both him and Prince Andrew".
When Epstein's attorney forwarded the request to Mandelson, his response was succinct: "No!!" In September, Lord Mandelson stated he felt "utterly awful about my association with Epstein 20 years ago and the plight of his victims".
The release of these documents represents the latest development in the ongoing scrutiny of Epstein's network and its connections to powerful figures across business, politics, and royalty.
