Documents from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate, provided to Democratic lawmakers investigating his network of powerful political connections, indicate possible contact between Epstein and Elon Musk as well as Steve Bannon. The newly released files suggest that in the final years of his life, the convicted sex offender maintained ties with Musk, a former adviser to US President Donald Trump.Among the more than 8,500 documents turned over by Epstein’s estate to Democratic members of the House Oversight Committee, roughly six pages outline meeting schedules that appear to include appointments with Steve Bannon and venture capitalist Peter Thiel during Donald Trump’s first term.According to what appears to be a copy of Epstein’s itinerary, Musk was tentatively scheduled for a trip to Epstein’s island on December 6, 2014. A note attached to the plan asked, “is this still happening?” At the time, Epstein owned a private island in the US Virgin Islands.Musk’s name appearing in the files is noteworthy, as the billionaire clashed with Trump over their release, fueling a public rift that led to allegations Trump was involved in a cover-up to block their disclosure.“How can people be expected to have faith in Trump if he won’t release the Epstein files?” Musk said through a post on X earlier.“It should be clear to every American that Jeffrey Epstein was friends with some of the most powerful and wealthiest men in the world,” said Sara Guerrero, a spokesperson for Oversight Democrats, as reported by Politico. “Every new document produced provides new information as we work to bring justice for the survivors and victims,” she added.The newly released files are significant because they indicate that all three influential figures maintained ties with Epstein even after his controversial plea deal requiring him to register as a sex offender.The documents also include a May 12, 2000, flight manifest listing Prince Andrew as a passenger alongside Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell on a trip from New Jersey to West Palm Beach, Florida. The same email references a tentative breakfast meeting with Bill Gates.A GOP spokesperson for the Oversight Committee criticized Democrats for releasing the documents on their own.“It’s unfortunate that Democrats continue to meaninglessly cherry-pick documents and politicize this investigation,” the spokesperson said. “They are intentionally withholding documents that contain names of Democrat officials, and the information they released today is old news.”The documents from Epstein’s estate include previously released phone message logs, flight records from 1990 to 2019, and ledgers of cash transactions and schedules from 2010 to 2019.The latest batch of documents comes after extensive two-day congressional hearings with FBI Director Kash Patel, whose leadership has faced scrutiny following the bureau’s earlier decision that “no further disclosure” in the Epstein case “would be appropriate or warranted,” as cited by the Independent.
