Last week, the Department of Justice released its largest batch of files related to accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Several prominent figures are mentioned in the three million pages of documents included in the most recent tranche, from Bill Gates to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
Many of the men have attempted to distance themselves from Epstein, although newly released emails suggest they'd been in contact with the convicted sex offender. Here's a closer look.
Donald Trump
The files contained several documents that mentioned Trump, but no direct correspondences between him and Epstein. One was a summary compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigations that included more than a dozen unverified tips from the public accusing Epstein and Trump of sexual abuse.
There were also notes and transcripts of interviews that federal investigators conducted with Epstein’s victims, some of whom described interactions with Trump, the Times reports. Notes from one 2019 interview say that a victim, whose name has been redacted, recalled being taken to Mar-a-Lago to meet Trump. The notes don’t suggest misconduct by the president.
Bill Gates
In 2013, Epstein drafted an email to himself with notes regarding his relationship with Bill Gates. One of the emails, with the subject line “bill,” suggests the Microsoft co-founder requested medication for a sexually transmitted disease to “surreptitiously” give his now ex-wife Melinda French Gates, Business Insider reports.
Another email says an employee at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation helped the tech billionaire “get drugs” and facilitate “illicit trysts” with “Russian girls” and “married women.”
“These claims are absolutely absurd and completely false,” a spokesperson for Bill Gates told Business Insider in a statement. “The only thing these documents demonstrate is Epstein’s frustration that he did not have an ongoing relationship with Gates and the lengths he would go to entrap and defame.”
In a 2021 interview with CNN, Gates called his association with Epstein “a huge mistake.” Melinda has also said that her ex-husband’s ties to Epstein were part of what led to their divorce.
Elon Musk
At least 16 emails between Epstein and Elon Musk surfaced in the files. In them, the tech titan expressed interest in visiting Epstein’s notorious Caribbean island where several women and girls were allegedly abused, but it's not clear if that visit took place.
“What day/night will be the wildest party on your island?” Musk wrote in a November 2012 email.
The Tesla co-founder said in a 2019 Vanity Fair interview that Epstein “tried repeatedly to get me to visit his island” and that he considers the convicted sex offender a “creep.”
In a post on X, Musk denied attending any of Epstein’s parties and called for those who participated in sex trafficking to be prosecuted.
Prince Andrew
The former prince Andrew appears in several documents, including three undated photos in which he’s seen leaning over a woman lying on the ground.
In a 2010 email, the former royal invited Epstein for dinner at Buckingham Palace. It’s not clear whether that meeting occurred.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his royal titles last October over allegations that he sexually abused Virginia Giuffre when she was a teenager. He has repeatedly denied the allegations against him, though in 2022, he settled a $16 million sexual abuse lawsuit filed by Giuffre.
Howard Lutnick
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick appeared to plan a visit to Epstein’s island in 2012, although he previously said he’d cut ties with Epstein around 2005, the New York Times reports.
Emails between the two men suggest they met in December 2012. An assistant to Epstein forwarded a message to the former Cantor Fitzgerald CEO from Epstein that read, “Nice to meet you.”
Lutnick told the Times, “I spent zero time with him.”
Richard Branson
Richard Branson appeared in multiple documents. In a 2013 email, Epstein thanked the Virgin Group co-founder for his hospitality. Branson replied, “Any time you’re in the area would love to see you. As long as you bring your harem!” The two were also pictured together at a tropical island.
A spokesperson for Virgin Group says that Branson sent the email after hosting Epstein for a business meeting and that Epstein arrived with three adult women who were members of his team.
“Any contact Richard and Joan Branson had with Epstein took place on only a few occasions more than twelve years ago, and was limited to group or business settings, such as a charity tennis event," a Virgin Group spokesperson said in a statement. "When Epstein offered a charity donation, the Bransons asked their team to carry out due diligence before accepting the donation, which uncovered serious allegations. As a result of what the due diligence uncovered, Virgin Unite did not take the donation and Richard and Joan decided not to meet or speak with Epstein again. Had they had the full picture and information, there would have been no contact whatsoever — Richard believes that Epstein’s actions were abhorrent and supports the right to justice for his many victims.”
Brett Ratner
Brett Ratner, who directed the Rush Hour series and the new Melania documentary, was in a series of photographs taken at Epstein's New York townhouse. The two men are pictured sitting next to two women, who have been redacted, as well as Jean-Luc Brunel, a modeling agent and known Epstein associate, who died in prison awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Ratner told the Journal in 2023 that he didn't know Epstein and had never met him.
