Fresh Epstein disclosure spotlights Musk, RFK Jr, and multiple other Trump admin figures
WASHINGTON, DC: Newly released Justice Department records related to Jeffrey Epstein referenced at least half a dozen senior figures tied to the Trump administration, including Cabinet officials and former advisers.
The documents, part of more than 3 million files made public, showed a range of connections, from email exchanges and social invitations to flight logs and business documents.
None of the individuals named have been accused by law enforcement of wrongdoing connected to Epstein’s crimes, and several have publicly denied misconduct.
Elon Musk, RFK Jr, Howard Lutnick, and others appear in records
Among those named in the files was entrepreneur Elon Musk, as emails from 2012 and 2013 showed Epstein and him exchanging messages about potential visits to the late financier's private island.
In one November 2012 email, Epstein wrote, “How many people will you be for the heli to the island.”
Musk responded: “Probably just Talulah and me. What day/night will be the wildest party on your island?”
Musk later said that he had declined invitations to visit. After the emails were released, he said, “Never attended his parties or been on his ‘Lolita Express’ plane or set foot on his creepy island or done anything wrong at all.”
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr was also referenced in flight logs and email exchanges between Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
Kennedy had previously acknowledged flying on Epstein’s plane in the 1990s while traveling with his family.
“I knew nothing about Jeffrey Epstein,” he told NewsNation in 2024, adding that fossil-hunting trips with his children were “the extent of anything that I had to do with Jeffrey Epstein’s airplane.”
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick confirmed during a Senate hearing that he had visited Epstein’s island in 2012.
“My wife was with me, as were my four children and nannies. I had another couple with, they were there as well, with their children, and we had lunch on the island, that is true, for an hour,” he said, adding that there was nothing “untoward” about the visit.
Other officials named in the records included Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz, whose name appeared on a 2016 email invitation; Deputy Secretary of Defense Stephen Feinberg, referenced in business documents; Navy Secretary John Phelan, listed on a 2006 flight manifest; and Federal Reserve nominee Kevin Warsh, named in a 2010 email about a St Barts trip.
Former White House strategist Steve Bannon also appeared in text messages with Epstein in 2018 and 2019, including one message in which Epstein wrote, “Now you can understand why Trump wakes up in the middle of the night sweating when he hears you and I are friends.”
Mentions of Democratic leaders and President Trump
President Donald Trump's name was mentioned thousands of times in the files. Trump has said he cut ties with Epstein in the mid-2000s and has denied wrongdoing.
The files also included references to figures from previous Democratic administrations, including former President Bill Clinton and former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers. Neither has been accused of wrongdoing connected to Epstein’s crimes.
A prior joint DOJ-FBI memo concluded that there was no evidence of a “client list” and that no additional individuals would face charges.
The newly released records provided additional details about past associations but did not contain new criminal allegations against the political figures named.
