Epstein Records Turn Spotlight on Musk, Bannon, Thiel

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have released a set of documents from Jeffrey Epstein's estate that reference several high-profile individuals, including Elon Musk, Steve Bannon, Peter Thiel, Prince Andrew, and Bill Gates. The six pages, part of a much larger batch of 8,544 records, include pieces of Epstein's daily schedule, a 2000 flight manifest with Prince Andrew's name on it, and ledgers mentioning massages for "Andrew," per USA Today. Among the scheduled meetings were breakfasts with Gates and Bannon, as well as a lunch with Thiel. One 2014 entry notes a possible trip by Musk to Epstein's island, which Musk has since publicly denied.

These records are part of ongoing efforts by lawmakers to bring transparency to Epstein's connections and activities. Per Politico, the documents are notable in that they show, according to the dates listed, that Musk, Thiel, and Bannon all had ties to Epstein even after he'd taken an eyebrow-raising plea deal that required he register as a sex offender. Democrats on the Oversight Committee assert they're committed to identifying anyone complicit in Epstein's crimes, while the Republican-led committee has accused Democrats of selectively releasing information and withholding documents that might implicate Democratic officials, per USA Today. The panel says it plans to release all records soon.

The release follows earlier disclosures, including a controversial birthday note to Epstein, allegedly signed by Trump—a claim he has denied. Epstein, who died by suicide in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, owned a private island in the US Virgin Islands where much of the alleged criminal activity took place. Prince Andrew settled a sex abuse lawsuit related to Epstein's activities in 2022, though he continues to deny the allegations. "Oversight Democrats will not stop until we identify everyone complicit in Epstein's heinous crimes," says spokesperson Sara Guerrero in a release. "It's past time for Attorney General [Pam] Bondi to release all the files now."