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Jeffrey Epstein cast himself as a political insider after President Donald Trump’s first election, newly released House Oversight emails show, offering foreign leaders “insight” into the new president and boasting that he’d already briefed a top Russian diplomat on how to handle him.
The trove of emails, made public this week by the House Oversight Committee, spans 2016 to 2018 and reveals Epstein trying to reestablish himself on the world stage by courting heads of state, billionaires and diplomats.
The convicted sex offender, who died in federal custody in 2019, positioned himself as a man with rare access and understanding of Trump, offering his analysis to global figures eager to make sense of the new administration.
In one 2018 exchange, former Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland thanked Epstein for a “lovely evening” and said he would meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s assistant.
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Epstein replied that Jagland should tell Russian President Vladimir Putin that Lavrov “can get insight on talking to me,” adding that “Vitaly Churkin was great — he understood Trump after our conversations.”
Churkin, Russia’s longtime ambassador to the United Nations, died in 2017.
The messages show Epstein repeatedly pitching himself as an interpreter of Trump’s behavior.
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“It is not complex,” he wrote to Jagland. “He must be seen to get something its that simple.”
Earlier emails show Epstein attempting to broker access around Trump’s 2017 inauguration.
Dubai ports magnate Sultan bin Sulayem asked whether he should accept an invitation from Trump ally Tom Barrack and whether it would be possible to shake the president’s hand. Epstein advised that the events would be “very crowded” but offered to help arrange meetings before or after in Washington or New York.
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Epstein also stayed in touch with prominent American financiers and political figures. In December 2016, he exchanged notes with Hyatt heir Tom Pritzker, boasting that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had sent him “a tent, carpets and all.” Pritzker joked the gesture might be “code for ‘I love you.’”
In a separate 2018 chain following Trump’s summit with Putin in Helsinki, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers asked Epstein, “Do the Russians have stuff on Trump? Today was appalling even by his standards.”
Epstein dismissed the idea, replying that Trump was “totally predictable” and offering to explain by phone.
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“He thinks he has charmed his adversary,” Epstein wrote. “He has no idea of the symbolism. He has no idea of most things.”
Together, the communications paint a picture of Epstein trying to leverage his reputation and relationships for renewed influence, using his connections in Washington, the Middle East and Europe to insert himself into the Trump era’s global intrigue.
When reached for comment, the White House told Fox News Digital, “These emails prove literally nothing.”
The House Oversight Committee released the cache of Epstein-related documents this week as part of its ongoing probe into the Justice Department’s handling of the financier’s previous plea deal and his wider network of contacts.
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