By Khadeeja Safdar and Jaclyn Jeffrey-Wilensky
The Justice Department released what it says is its final trove of files related to the late Jeffrey Epstein, including emails between Epstein and Elon Musk and Bill Gates as well as new photos with some famous associates. We will continue to update this article as we sift through the files.
1. NEW: Nathan Myhrvold 2. Mohammed bin Salman 3. Steve Bannon 4. Peter Mandelson 5. Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem 6. Marc Rowan 7. Brad Karp 8. George Mitchell 9. Brett Ratner 10. Elon Musk 11. Bill Gates 12. Richard Branson 13. Andrew Mountbatten Windsor 14. Kathryn Ruemmler 15. Sergey Brin 16. Howard Lutnick 17. Steve Tisch 18. Melania Trump
NEW: Nathan Myhrvold
The billionaire and former Microsoft executive had a known association with Epstein, including submitting a bawdy letter for Epstein's 2003 birthday book that included photographs of animals mating. The latest DOJ files show that Myhrvold also exchanged a bawdy joke with Epstein a decade later.
In a 2013 exchange, Epstein wrote: "thanks for the books. pistachio icecream didn't make it."
Myhrvold responded: "....p -- y doesn't FedEx well either! Some things you have to be there."
Myhrvold previously told The Wall Street Journal that he only knew Epstein because he attended TED conferences and was a donor to scientific research. Myhrvold didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.
Mohammed bin Salman
Epstein kept mementos of the famous and powerful people he met, including photos with world leaders that he framed and displayed in his homes. Among the images released on Friday are a pair of undated photographs taken with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. It is unclear where the photos of the two men sharing smiles were taken or what association Epstein had with the Saudi leader. A spokesman for the Saudi embassy in Washington had no immediate comment.
Steve Bannon
Epstein's relationship with Steve Bannon was already known, but the new documents shed further light on how much the two men corresponded in 2018 and 2019. Messages show that Bannon offered Epstein media tips, coaching him as he faced increasing media scrutiny in early 2019. In one exchange, Bannon wrote, "...we need to push back on the lies; then crush the pedo/trafficking narrative; then rebuild your image as a philanthropist."
The numerous messages show a familiar tone, with the men making off-color remarks as they discuss international geopolitics and other matters. In one exchange, Bannon wrote that "... time in hell would be the fishbowl White House and married to Hillary," with Epstein responding with a crude remark.
Bannon didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Peter Mandelson
Though the British politician's ties to Epstein had already surfaced and even cost Mandelson his ambassadorship, the documents released Friday further underscored the extent of the two men's long relationship.
The files appeared to show that Mandelson leaked confidential correspondence to Epstein and that Epstein wired $75,000 to his friend. Mandelson also appears in multiple undated photos, including dozens of him on a boat with Epstein.
Mandelson has said he regretted his association with Epstein. On Sunday, he said that he had no recollection or record of receiving the funds and that he wanted to repeat "my apology to the women and girls whose voices should have been heard long before now."
Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem
The new documents show that Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, chief executive of ports operator DP World, communicated with Epstein for years and visited his private island, Little St. James. In one 2017 email exchange between the two men, they discussed arranging for a woman described as "the personal masseuse at the private Spa of our friend Jeffery Epstien (sic)" to work at a hotel in Turkey. Epstein later followed up writing "i suggest I send my other assistant along."
In 2016, Epstein bought a second private island in the Caribbean using the Dubai businessman to disguise his identity because the owner of the island didn't want to sell to Epstein, according to previously released documents and people familiar with the matter. In 2019, a spokesman told the Journal that Bin Sulayem wasn't aware that his name was being used for the transaction and that he was considering legal options against media outlets for associating Bin Sulayem with the sex offender.
A spokesman for Bin Sulayem didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.
Marc Rowan
Apollo co-founder Leon Black was one of Epstein's biggest financial clients and the newly released files show the investment firm's current CEO, Marc Rowan, also exchanged emails with Epstein about accounting matters. In one 2016 email, Rowan was copied on an email exchange in which Epstein's assistant said her boss was interested in a potential purchase of Rowan's private jet.
An Apollo spokesman said Rowan provided information to Epstein in connection with his tax work for Black. "While Mr. Epstein sought to do work with the Apollo co-founders other than Mr. Black, Mr. Rowan had neither a business nor any other relationship with Mr. Epstein," the spokesman said. "As previously stated, Apollo never did any business with Mr. Epstein."
Black, who submitted a poem for Epstein's 2003 birthday book, has said that he regretted having had any involvement with him.
Brad Karp
Brad Karp, chair of law firm Paul Weiss, asked Epstein to help his son get a job on an upcoming Woody Allen film, according to an exchange from June 2016. "He would love to work, in any capacity, with Woody on his upcoming film project, if that's a possibility. He certainly doesn't need to be paid and he's a really good, talented kid," Karp wrote.
Karp has previously appeared in the Epstein files because he represented Leon Black, a longtime client of Paul Weiss. The latest batch shows that Karp and his family attended screenings of Allen films through Epstein, and he had been a guest at the financier's home.
A Paul Weiss spokesman said, "Mr. Karp never witnessed or participated in any misconduct. Mr. Karp attended two group dinners in New York City and had a small number of social interactions by email, all of which he regrets."
George Mitchell
Documents released Friday showed that former U.S. senator and diplomat George Mitchell continued to associate with Epstein after his 2008 conviction. There are exchanges setting up meetings and a 2011 email in which Epstein wrote that "George Mitchell is my very close friend and chairman of piper," referring to the law firm DLA Piper.
Mitchell traveled on Epstein's plane and submitted a birthday letter for his 2003 book, previously released documents showed. He had denied associating with Epstein after his 2008 jail sentence.
"At no time did Senator Mitchell observe, suspect, or have any knowledge of Epstein engaging in illegal or inappropriate conduct with underage women," a spokesman said. After Epstein's conviction, members of Epstein's staff extended invitations that Mitchell declined or deflected, the spokesman said. "Senator Mitchell profoundly regrets ever having known Jeffrey Epstein and condemns, without reservation, the horrific harm Epstein inflicted on so many women."
Brett Ratner
One collection of newly released images shows Hollywood filmmaker Brett Ratner in a series of photos in Epstein's New York townhouse, sitting with Epstein and women who have been redacted as well as Jean-Luc Brunel, a modeling agent who died in 2022 in prison awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.
Ratner, director of the newly released "Melania" documentary, told the Journal in 2023 that he didn't know Epstein and had never met him. Through a spokeswoman, Ratner said, "Those photos are from over 20 years ago, from an event I attended with my then-fiancée, who I'm pictured with. I did not know Jeffrey Epstein and do not recall having any subsequent contact with him."
Elon Musk
The trove released Friday contained numerous references to Musk, including some private correspondence between Musk and Epstein. One email exchange, which runs from mid-December 2013 to early 2014, shows the two men coordinating a possible holiday visit to Epstein's compound in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
In a post on X, Musk said, "I have never been to any Epstein parties ever and have many times call (sic) for the prosecution of those who have committed crimes with Epstein. The acid test for justice is not the release of the files, but rather the prosecution of those who committed heinous crimes with Epstein."
There are also references to other planned get-togethers between 2012 and 2014, including island visits, meals and meetings at SpaceX -- though it couldn't be learned whether they actually happened.
In another email exchange from earlier in 2013, shortly after the successful launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, Epstein congratulates Musk and later asks if he has tried the wakefulness medication Nuvigil.
Bill Gates
In 2013 emails that Epstein sent to himself, Epstein referenced a "marital dispute" between Bill and Melinda Gates. It couldn't be learned whether the emails were ever sent to anyone, or whether Epstein was writing them for himself or for someone else.
A spokeswoman for Bill Gates called the claims in the emails "absolutely absurd and completely false. 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." A spokeswoman for Melinda French Gates didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.
Richard Branson
The billionaire businessman, best known for co-founding Virgin Group, appeared in multiple documents produced Friday, including email threads with Epstein and his assistant, and an undated image of Branson with Epstein on a tropical island.
(MORE TO FOLLOW) Dow Jones Newswires
February 05, 2026 07:49 ET (12:49 GMT)
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