Khaberni - New documents released by the US Congress show the continuation of convicted sex offender businessman Jeffrey Epstein's relations with heads of state, business leaders, and prominent politicians for years after his 2008 conviction.
Despite media focus on Epstein's relationship with American President Donald Trump, which ended more than a decade before his election, the documents revealed Epstein's financial influence extended to prominent figures of both genders and from both the Republican and Democratic parties.
According to a report published by "The Washington Post" on Saturday, the records show regular correspondence between Epstein and Stephen Bannon, the strategic advisor to the White House during Trump's first term, in the months leading up to Epstein's arrest in 2019.
The messages reveal how Epstein repeatedly offered to provide a private jet to transport Bannon for a meeting in Paris, and how Bannon stayed at Epstein's home in the spring of 2019.
After Bannon was ousted from the White House, Epstein gave him advice on dealing with European leaders, writing in one of them: "Europe needs face-to-face time; it can't be managed remotely."
The list of Epstein's correspondents included Larry Summers, the former Treasury Secretary and President of Harvard University, whose correspondence continued for two years and covered various topics from ranked voting to personal issues. Ehud Barak, the former Israeli Prime Minister, was also seen in correspondence with Epstein in 2013.
The documents also revealed correspondence with billionaire Tom Pritzker, who discussed an issue related to his relative Penny Pritzker, Barack Obama's nominee for Commerce Secretary at the time.
The documents highlight Epstein's relationship with journalist Michael Wolff, who admitted Epstein was a source for his book "Fire and Fury". The messages revealed discussions on how to handle journalistic inquiries about Trump, with Wolff suggesting: "Let him hang himself."
The documents also included correspondence with Kathryn Ruemmler, the legal advisor to the White House under Obama, discussing topics including her potential appointment as Attorney General, and she later expressed regret for her association with Epstein.
The list also included Deepak Chopra, the writer on new age sciences, who exchanged messages with Epstein on spiritual topics, as well as Tom Barrack, the former US ambassador to Turkey.
The White House spokesperson commented on the documents saying, "These messages prove nothing," while journalist Wolff described them as "embarrassing" but defended his methods as "acting" to obtain information.
