Democratic lawmakers on Friday released a six-page batch of documents from the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, revealing potential interactions between the disgraced financier and prominent conservatives, including Elon Musk, Steve Bannon and Peter Thiel. The redacted records, provided by the justice department to the House oversight committee, are part of an inquiry into how Epstein's sex-trafficking case was handled before his death in 2019.
Copies of Epstein's calendar show a breakfast planned with Steve Bannon, a key ally of Donald Trump, in February 2019. Other schedules mention a lunch with Peter Thiel in November 2017 and a potential trip by Elon Musk to Epstein's private island in December 2014. A 2000 flight manifest includes Prince Andrew, whose ties to Epstein are well-documented, while a financial disclosure shows Epstein paying someone listed as “Andrew” for “Massage, Exercise, Yoga” that same year.
The release comes after Musk publicly criticised Trump over the Epstein files, stating in July: “How can people be expected to have faith in Trump if he won’t release the Epstein files?” In response, Democratic Representative Eric Swalwell wrote on X: “Trump OUTS @elonmusk as being in Epstein Files. Revenge for Elon outing Trump? Elon, what do you know about Trump’s involvement?”
The Republican-led committee accused Democrats of selectively releasing records, saying on X: “This is old news. It’s sad how Democrats are conveniently withholding documents that contain the names of Democratic officials. … We are releasing them all soon.” Ranking member Robert Garcia countered: “We don’t care how wealthy or powerful you are – or if you are a Democrat or Republican. If you are in the Epstein documents … we are going to expose it.”
The documents are the latest in a saga over the government's handling of the Epstein case. In the House, Democrats have joined a small group of Republicans on a petition to force a vote on legislation compelling the release of all Epstein files. The push needs 218 signatures, expected soon after Democrat Adelita Grijalva won a special election in Arizona. However, any bill would require Senate approval and Trump's signature—Trump has called the furor a “Democrat hoax”.
