Epstein scandal broadens as trove of letters from famous figures published

The Guardian

2 days ago

The long-running scandal surrounding the disgraced late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein broadened on Tuesday after the New York Times published a trove of previously unseen letters to Epstein from numerous powerful figures as well as unseen photographs from inside his Manhattan mansion.
The letters, written to Epstein by a number of high-profile individuals, were reportedly compiled as a birthday gift for Epstein's 63rd birthday in 2016. Their publication comes amid intense speculation around Donald Trump's ties to Epstein, who was found dead in a New York jail in 2019 and had long cultivated a celebrity social circle of the rich and powerful.
In one letter, former prime minister of Israel Ehud Barak and his wife wrote 'there is no limit to your curiosity.'
'You are like a closed book to many of them but you know everything about everyone,' they wrote, describing Epstein as 'A COLLECTOR OF PEOPLE.'
They continued: 'May you enjoy long and healthy life and may all of us, your friends, enjoy your table for many more years to come.'
In a letter from film-maker Woody Allen, Allen reminisced about Epstein's dinner parties at his Upper East Side townhouse and described the gatherings as 'always interesting'. He noted that the parties included 'politicians, scientists, teachers, magicians, comedians, intellectuals, journalists' and 'even royalty'.
Allen also described the dinners as 'well served': 'I say well served – often it's by some professional houseman and just as often by several young women' who he said reminded him of 'Castle Dracula where Lugosi has three young female vampires who service the place.'
Other letter writers reportedly included billionaire media mogul Mortimer Zuckerman; Noam Chomsky and his wife, Joichi Ito; the former head of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab, physicist Lawrence M Krauss; and Harvard biologist and mathematician Martin Nowak.
Allen, Ito, Zuckerman and Nowak did not respond to requests for comment from the Times. Barak reportedly declined to comment, and Chomsky's wife responded on his behalf, also declining to comment. Krauss reportedly told the Times that he didn't recall the letter but did attend 'several lunches with very interesting discussions' with scientists, authors and others at Epstein's house.
In addition to the letters, the Times also published photos from inside Epstein's seven-story Manhattan mansion.
In his office, the images show a taxidermied tiger and reportedly show a green first edition copy of Lolita – the controversial 1955 novel about a middle-aged man's sexual obsession with and sexual abuse and rape of a 12-year-old girl – which the Times said was 'showcased'.
Surveillance cameras can be seen in Epstein's bedroom and an adjoining room. In his 'massage room', where many underaged victims said that they were sexually assaulted by Epstein, the Times reports that there were paintings of naked women, shelves of lubricant, and a large silver ball and chain.
Elsewhere in the house, dozens of framed photographs show Epstein pictured alongside longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking. They also pictured Epstein with notable figures such as Pope John Paul II, Mick Jagger, Elon Musk, Fidel Castro, Bill Clinton, Larry Summers, Richard Branson, Saudi Arabia crown prince Mohammed bin Salman and former Trump White House adviser, Steve Bannon.
One frame also displayed a dollar bill signed by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates with the message 'I was wrong!' which the Times said was 'possibly as payment of a bet'.
The Times also reported thatthe home's entryway featured framed prosthetic eyeballs, and that a suspended sculpture of a woman wearing a bridal gown and clutching a rope hung in the central atrium.
According to the Times, a map of Israel drawn on a chalkboard that had the signature of former Israeli prime minister Barak was also in the home.
Epstein died in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide.
The renewed scrutiny into Epstein's case comes as Trump and members of his administration had repeatedly vowed to release information related to the Epstein investigations.
But in July, the administration reversed course, and the justice department announced it would not release any further documents or details regarding the case, prompting bipartisan outrage, including from Trump supporters and conservative media figures.
Epstein's case has long been the subject of countless conspiracy theories, in part due to his ties to powerful people. His 2019 suicide has also fueled conspiracy theories for years.
The justice department's recent announcement also reignited scrutiny of Trump's years-long friendship with Epstein.
In July, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump allegedly wrote Epstein a birthday card as part of a 50th birthday album organized by Maxwell in 2003.
According to the report, Trump's letter featured a sketch of a naked woman with Trump's signature. Trump denied the Journal's report and sued the newspaper for libel.
Around a week layer, the Journal reported that justice department officials had informed Trump earlier this year that his name appeared in the Epstein files. The paper noted that being mentioned in the records isn't a sign of wrongdoing. Trump's spokesperson denied the report, calling it 'fake news'.
Facing growing pressure, the justice department sent Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general and one of Trump's former lawyers, to meet with Maxwell in late July to see whether she had 'information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims'.
The meeting, which lasted two days, was held behind closed doors. On Friday, Maxwell was transferred from a Florida prison to a lower-security facility in Texas.