Names of Modi, Trump and his predecessors recently released among disgraced financier’s vast orbit
US President Trump (top left clockwise), Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US financier Jeffrey Epstein and Indian businessman Anil Ambani. Photos: File
KARACHI:
If ever there was a record of the dirty dealings of the global elite, it would be the Epstein files. From Donald Trump to Bill Clinton, including the ultra-religious Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, there are few among the political and social elite who seem spared from the network of the disgraced financier.
The scandal that plagued Trump’s second presidency from the start has taken an explosive new turn, with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) releasing a new batch of notorious Epstein files.
The revelation has the effect of a political bombshell, drawing public attention to a troubling list of world leaders, self-proclaimed philanthropists such as Bill Gates and tech barons including Elon Musk, widening a controversy long associated with elite excesses, influence peddling and whispered improprieties.
Even accessing the materials comes with an unusual caveat: Visitors must confirm they are over 18 before continuing. That warning alone signals the disturbing nature of the material, showing how Jeffrey Epstein’s dark legacy continues to make international headlines more than seven years after his mysterious death in a New York prison cell.
Newly leaked files suggest the disgraced financier’s influence may have seeped into the highest circles of global power, with references linking him to former presidents Bill Clinton, George W Bush, Hillary Clinton and George HW Bush.
Among the most explosive elements are the allegations contained in the documents accusing a former US president of sexual assault aboard a yacht.
Although these claims remain unproven, their presence, experts say, adds to the atmosphere of elite excess, secrecy and alleged exploitation that defines Epstein’s shadowy network.
In Epstein’s orbit were celebrities from almost every sphere of influence. Football icon David Beckham, Queen Consort Camilla Parker Bowles, Prince Andrew – the disgraced royal whose association with Epstein came to eclipse even his birth in the House of Windsor – and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who was recently appointed to serve on Trump’s Peace Council, all appear in the financier’s vast gallery of notoriety, laid bare to the public through millions of DOJ documents.
One revelation is particularly cruelly ironic: Bill Gates, the billionaire philanthropist whose public image revolves around saving lives, is mentioned in documents containing allegations that he contracted a sexually transmitted infection following an encounter allegedly facilitated by Epstein, a man infamous not only for trafficking but also as a convicted sex offender.
Buried in the trove is a 2015 email exchange in which Epstein aides toyed with the idea of supporting Malala Yousafzai and her foundation to allegedly further their own interests.
It’s unclear whether Malala received any help, but the discussion itself reveals how Epstein sought to attach himself to globally admired figures and causes.
In another email, his longtime assistant, Lesley Groff, flagged the vacant position for executive director of the Malala Fund, apparently seeking any connection Epstein might have to securing a paid position.
In the case of Pakistan, it appears that the national polio program remained on Epstein’s radar. The financier was briefed on the situation by Terje Rod-Larsen, a prominent Norwegian diplomat known for his role in the Oslo Accords.
So much so that he was even informed of the measures taken by Bill Gates to eradicate polio, particularly during his meetings and discussions with senior Pakistani officials.
In iMessages exchanged in July 2018, a year before his arrest, Epstein’s open hostility toward Pakistan’s new leaders is also laid bare in the files.
He reacted to Imran Khan’s election as prime minister with utter contempt, calling him “a far greater threat to peace than Erdogan, Khomeini, Xi or Putin”, invoking some of the world’s most controversial leaders to make his point.
As bold as it may seem, no issue seemed off-limits to Epstein. In another 2018 email, forwarded from a redacted account, discussions surface around the Indus Water Cooperation – the controversial “water wars” between India and Pakistan that have recently made headlines amid threats from India to suspend the agreement some seven years later.
The email, sent to Adam Lupel and copied to Nadia Al Said, both then at the Peace Institute, hints at Epstein’s interest in sensitive, high-stakes geopolitical conflicts long before they surfaced publicly.
Just across the border in Pakistan, Epstein reportedly gained significant access to India’s Narendra Modi, the BJP leader whose Hindu religious image has earned him near-reverential treatment from millions at home.
Emails and text messages in the documents reveal previously unknown efforts by the convicted financier to exert influence in Indian political circles, including direct interactions with a senior leader in Modi’s Hindu nationalist party – hinting at the financier’s ambition to seize power far beyond the West.
Modi, who has denied any association through the Indian Foreign Ministry, reportedly sought advice from Epstein regarding his visit to Israel, where he allegedly sang and danced.
Epstein also tried to arrange a meeting between Modi and former Trump strategist Steve Bannon in 2019, less than two months before his arrest.
Observers who have scoured the Epstein connection believe these documents do more than portray him as a man unafraid to pass judgment on the world stage.
They reveal a figure who wove a complex web within the political elite, shaping his influence wherever and whenever it suited him, embedding himself in the corridors of power with frightening calculation.
The latest files also include internal memos and advice summaries submitted by members of the public. Many are referring to President Trump regarding sexual misconduct.
Newly revealed and unverified allegations of sexual assault involving Trump have surfaced alongside new testimonies from Epstein victims describing interactions with the future president.
The documents further shed light on connections to other prominent figures. Elon Musk appears in emails arranging possible meetings with Epstein in Florida and the Caribbean between 2012 and 2014, although Musk has repeatedly denied any engagement.
Bill Gates is mentioned in correspondence regarding meetings and arrangements, which he also denies. Others, including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, British billionaire Richard Branson and former White House advisers like Steve Bannon and Kathy Ruemmler, appear everywhere, indicating that Epstein’s web expands without any limits or barriers.
Perhaps most frightening is the confirmation that Epstein’s abuse was reported to law enforcement long before the public knew about it. Internal FBI memos reveal that agents were aware as early as 2006-2007 of multiple allegations involving underage girls at Epstein’s Florida property, but federal prosecutors largely ignored them.
Epstein ultimately took a plea deal at the state level, pleading guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor and serving only 18 months. The international reach of Epstein’s influence is further highlighted by his ties to British royalty.
Prince Andrew, now the former Duke of York, appears extensively in the files, with multiple references to dinners, guest lists and emails documenting repeated interactions.
The statement also exposes Epstein’s manipulations to rehabilitate his image through elite networks. Sarah Ferguson, former wife of Prince Andrew, emerges as someone Epstein allegedly tried to recruit to repair his public reputation.
Even as legal scrutiny intensified, Epstein continued to maintain high-level contacts, exploiting his professional and personal connections to maintain his influence.
Despite the scope of the new version, experts caution that much of Epstein’s operations remain somewhat unclear in legal terms. Of the six million potentially explosive pages initially identified by the Justice Department, only half have been released, and many files are heavily redacted to protect victims’ identities or to withhold sensitive documents describing political influence campaigns or even abuse.
President Trump, whose name appears more than 1,000 times in the documents, initially opposed the disclosure, but ultimately, under political pressure and growing appeals, he signed the bill requiring the release of the records.
Experts say the massive revelation, years after Epstein’s death, has reignited scrutiny of powerful figures who had once frequented or been contacted by him, raising new questions about the complicity, conscience, responsibility and extraordinary reach of a man whose influence extended even into the corridors of global geopolitics.
With millions of pages still unpublished and numerous redactions hiding damaging details, the dark story of Epstein’s influence is far from over, wrote Moira Donegan, writer-in-residence at the Clayman Institute, in a recent article published by The Guardian.
Donegan notes that the documents constitute a grim testament to the dangers of concentrated power, the vulnerabilities of the marginalized, and the lasting consequences when justice is delayed or denied.
