New Epstein files expose Musk's secret note, Andrew's 'massage' payments; Trump ally, Theil in list too

Thousands of pages from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate have resurfaced, exposing how the disgraced financier kept in touch with high-profile political and business leaders, including Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and Steve Bannon, years after his 2007 plea deal that forced him onto the sex-offender registry.

The 8,544 records, handed to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and partly released by its Democratic members, cover nearly three decades of Epstein’s private schedules, flight logs, financial ledgers, and phone records.

Among the disclosures was a December 6, 2014 itinerary that appeared to list a tentative trip by Musk to Epstein’s private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands, marked with the handwritten query: “Is this still happening?” Another entry referenced a lunch with tech billionaire Peter Thiel in late 2017, and a breakfast with former Trump strategist Steve Bannon in February 2019 — just months before Epstein’s arrest on federal sex trafficking charges.

The documents also revealed financial ledgers recording payments for “massages” linked to Prince Andrew, alongside flight logs showing Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, Andrew, and others travelling between New Jersey and Florida as early as 2000. Epstein’s associations with Andrew and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates had already drawn scrutiny, but the new tranche added more detail. Maxwell is now serving a 20-year prison term for sex trafficking minors tied to Epstein’s crimes.

House Oversight Democrats said the files showed how Epstein cultivated ties with some of the world’s wealthiest men long after his plea deal. “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 Oversight spokesperson Sara Guerrero. “Every new document produced provides new information as we work to bring justice for the survivors and victims.”

Republicans criticised the unilateral release, calling it politically motivated. A GOP spokesperson accused Democrats of “cherry-picking documents” and withholding files that allegedly mentioned Democratic officials.

The committee said its review was ongoing, with many documents still redacted to protect victims, and more disclosures expected in the coming weeks.

Epstein, who had been a wealthy financier and socialite, died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. In the 1990s and early 2000s, he was seen socially with Donald Trump, who told New York magazine in 2002, “I’ve known Jeff for fifteen years. Terrific guy.”