Fresh allegations have emerged that the Trump administration sought to protect alleged associates of the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Newly released documents suggest at least ten other individuals were involved in his child sex trafficking ring, yet their identities remain concealed.
Damning Email Reveals FBI's Pursuit of 'Co-Conspirators'
The evidence surfaced in an email, shared online by Miami Herald reporter Julie K Brown, sent between federal investigators just one day after Epstein's arrest in July 2019. The communication, part of a trove of files published by the Department of Justice on Tuesday, shows agents scrambling to contact around ten alleged accomplices.
In the email, an unidentified sender with an 'FBI New York' signature asks a colleague for 'an update on the status of the 10 co-conspirators'. A reply several hours later detailed efforts to locate individuals in Florida, Boston, New York, and Connecticut. All names were redacted except three: Ghislaine Maxwell, convicted of sex trafficking in 2021; Jean-Luc Brunel, a former French modelling agent found dead in his Paris jail cell in 2022; and retail magnate Leslie Wexner.
Lawyers for Wexner, the former Victoria's Secret CEO, told BBC News he was 'neither a co-conspirator nor target' and had fully cooperated by providing background on Epstein.
Political Pressure Mounts for Full Disclosure
The redactions have sparked fury among Democratic lawmakers, who accuse the Department of Justice of shielding powerful figures. The files were released under the Epstein Victims' Compensation Fund Transparency Act, which lawmakers argue prohibits redactions to prevent 'reputational harm'.
California Congressman Ro Khanna, who pushed for the release, raged that the DoJ was 'more concerned with protecting the reputations of these men' than the survivors. He claimed to have spoken with survivors' lawyers who attended FBI interviews and insisted the files contain the names of 'Wall Street tycoons' and politicians who visited Epstein's private island.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer declared the documents offered 'more questions than answers' and demanded to know why co-conspirator memos and grand jury records remain hidden. He is pushing the Senate to sue the DoJ for missing a deadline to publicise all documents.
An Investigation Labelled 'Ongoing' Yet Only One Charged
Prosecutors noted in September 2019 that the investigation into Epstein's alleged co-conspirators was 'ongoing' and that several individuals had agreed to cooperate. They later detailed a seven-page memo on 'co-conspirators we could potentially charge' and an 86-page update.
Despite this, Ghislaine Maxwell remains the only co-conspirator ever charged in connection with Epstein's ring. In September this year, FBI Director Kash Patel insisted no other cases could be made, stating Epstein worked alone—a claim starkly contradicted by the newly revealed email.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the redaction process, stating hundreds of lawyers were working to protect victims' names and information, as required by the Transparency Act.
The released files also provided chilling new details, including an account of a man who argued with Epstein at a strip club and was allegedly warned by a chauffeur, 'remember what I buried'. Another document claims Donald Trump flew on Epstein's private jet 'many more times than previously reported', listing him as a passenger on eight flights between 1993 and 1996. Trump has not been accused of any wrongdoing concerning Epstein.
As pressure builds from both sides of the aisle, with Republican Congressman Thomas Massie also considering contempt charges, the central question remains: who were the other alleged co-conspirators, and why does the Department of Justice continue to withhold their names?
