Kathrine Frich
Years after the death of Jeffrey Epstein, his name continues to shadow American politics, especially where it touches former president Donald Trump.
The two men knew each other socially in the 1990s and early 2000s, appearing together at Mar-a-Lago and in photos from New York high society events.
While Trump later claimed he was “not a fan” of Epstein, their long acquaintance has continued to draw scrutiny each time new material surfaces from Epstein’s vast trove of correspondence and contacts.
That scrutiny deepened this week when congressional investigators released hundreds of Epstein’s emails, revealing fresh links between his international outreach and Trump’s presidency.
Among the most striking details is an exchange suggesting Epstein tried to position himself as an intermediary with Russian officials just before Trump’s 2018 summit with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki.
Talks before Helsinki
In an email dated June 24, 2018, Epstein wrote to Thorbjorn Jagland, then head of the Council of Europe and former Norwegian prime minister:
“I think you could suggest to Putin that Lavrov might gain useful information by talking to me.”
The reference was to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Epstein claimed he had already discussed Trump with Vitaly Churkin, Russia’s late ambassador to the United Nations, who died in 2017.
“Churkin was great. He understood Trump after our conversations,” Epstein wrote. “It’s not complicated. He has to be seen as getting something, simple as that.”
Jagland replied that he planned to meet Lavrov’s assistant the next day and would raise Epstein’s offer. It remains unclear whether such a meeting ever happened.
A web of contacts
The emails, among hundreds released this week by congressional investigators, shed light on Epstein’s extensive network of international figures and his fixation on Trump’s presidency.
They include exchanges with diplomats, billionaires, and former White House officials.
Following the publication, the White House dismissed the revelations. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the messages “prove absolutely nothing other than that President Trump did nothing wrong.”
Trump later wrote on Truth Social that Democrats were “trying to bring up the Jeffrey Epstein hoax” to distract from political setbacks.
Reaction to Helsinki summit
On the day of Trump’s July 16, 2018 meeting with Putin, former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers emailed Epstein:
“Do the Russians have compromising information on Trump? Today was terrible even by his standards.”
Epstein responded the next day, noting,
“My email is full of similar comments. Wow. I’m sure his opinion is that everything went very well. He thinks he charmed his opponent… He doesn’t know about symbolism. He doesn’t know about most things.”
He later described Trump’s conduct at the summit as “predictable.” Summers did not comment on the exchange.
Exchanges with Bannon
A week later, Epstein wrote to former Trump strategist Steve Bannon, advising him to spend more time in Europe if he wanted influence there.
“If you want to play here, you’ll have to invest time. Europe doesn’t work remotely,” he told Bannon, offering to arrange meetings with political leaders.
“The fear is that you raise their hopes and emotions and then abandon them,” he added. A representative for Bannon declined to comment.
Gifts and global ties
Epstein also flaunted his connections to foreign power brokers. In one 2016 email, he told billionaire Tom Pritzker that Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman had sent him “a tent, carpets and all the cutlery.”
Pritzker replied jokingly: “A tent? Hmmm… I think it’s code for ‘I love you.’ Or maybe code for ‘get lost.’”
Earlier correspondence shows Jagland had sought Epstein’s help a year before, asking him to explain “Trump and what’s happening in American society.”
Epstein’s circle extended further to business figures like Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem from the United Arab Emirates.
Two weeks before Trump’s inauguration, Sulayem asked Epstein if he should accept an invitation from Trump ally Tom Barrack.
Epstein said the event would be “very busy” but advised him to build ties in Washington or New York before and after the ceremonies.
“Do you think it will be possible to shake hands with Trump?” Sulayem asked. It is not known if Epstein replied.
Sources: Politico, Digi24, Reuters, AP
This article is made and published by Kathrine Frich, who may have used AI in the preparation
