Global maelstrom whipped up by the Epstein files

From royals to intellectuals, politicians to sport moguls, tech magnates and CEOs, the latest tranche of published documents from the investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has spotlighted a staggering global web of influence.

Last week the US Justice Department published a new cache of nearly three million government documents related to Epstein, who died in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking.

The financier was long alleged to have been a purveyor of sex with underage girls to some of the world's most powerful men.

The mere mention of someone's name in the files does not, in itself, imply any wrongdoing by that person. 

However, the documents made public show at the very least connections between Epstein or his circle and certain public figures who have often downplayed -- or even denied -- the existence of such ties.

The latest files have highlighted just how broad his connections were as he sought influence with the world's most high-octane people, spotlighting the dark underbelly of the global elite.

Strategy

From the libertarian billionaire Peter Thiel to the banker Ariane de Rothschild and former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak, Epstein approached his contacts with targeted, tailored overtures -- sometimes insistently.

He strove to forge ties with political leaders, especially in France, asking several contacts if they had connections to President Emmanuel Macron, former economy minister Bruno Le Maire or former president Nicolas Sarkozy.

His relationships transcended ideological boundaries, ranging from hard-right US figure Steve Bannon to influential left-wing intellectual Noam Chomsky.

The continuous recruitment of young women meanwhile underpinned his activities, with the files corroborating the existence of a network of intermediaries tasked with identifying and introducing "assistants" to Epstein.

The files so far -- released in three major tranches since December -- show that misogyny, racism and homophobia permeated his correspondence, often including photographs of naked women.

The DOJ previously drew the ire of Epstein's victims when released documents exposed their identities. The documents were subsequently withdrawn.

The archive also reveals Epstein's detailed schedule and careful discretion. He often favoured phone calls and face-to-face meetings over written communication.

Fallout

While the DOJ has said it sees no grounds for new prosecutions, the latest release has triggered a landslide of repercussions for those mentioned in the files.

In the United States, Bill and Hillary Clinton have finally agreed to be questioned by a congressional committee about the former president's friendship with Epstein.

Britain's former minister and EU trade commissioner Peter Mandelson, already fired from his role as ambassador to Washington, is now under police investigation, dealing yet another blow to embattled UK leader Keir Starmer.

The pressure has also intensified for Britain's former prince Andrew -- now living far from Windsor -- with the emergence of new photos showing him with an unidentified young girl and exchanges with Epstein.

Emails to Epstein from Andrew's ex-wife Sarah Ferguson called the financier "the brother" she had "always dreamed of".

Royals under public scrutiny

Other royals across Europe are under public scrutiny for the first time. Epstein's previously unknown friendship with Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit has not done her reputation any favours.

Many who had played down or even denied their ties to Epstein -- including former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates, former Norwegian premier Thorbjorn Jagland and Los Angeles Olympics chief Casey Wasserman -- have seen their claims embarrassingly undercut.

Norwegian police said Thursday they had opened an "aggravated corruption" investigation into Jagland over his links to Epstein.

Some figures have left their posts following the latest publication: Slovakia's Miroslav Lajcak, former minister and adviser to Prime Minister Robert Fico, and French film producer Caroline Lang, the daughter of former minister Jack Lang.

Jack Lang himself was summoned to France's foreign ministry to explain his links with Epstein, a source close to the French presidency told AFP Thursday.

Norway meanwhile dismissed high-profile diplomat Mona Juul from her post as ambassador to Jordan.

Hard to analyse

The sheer quantity of difficult-to-download documents, many of which are redacted and duplicated, makes analysing the files a mammoth task.

The four data sets posted online on Friday amount to roughly 2.7 million pages, which is the largest batch released since late December.

Most are PDF documents and contain either text or photos. An empty PDF is also published for videos, which are stored elsewhere.

Emails may appear multiple times, and each reply becomes a new document that includes the previous messages. Some documents are also scans of handwritten notes that are sometimes illegible or incomprehensible.

Full download links were removed shortly after initial publication, and as a result, reconstruction requires the individual downloading of each folder.