Epstein did not just circulate among the rich and powerful; he embedded himself into their shared infrastructure, including the World Economic Forum in Davos
Behind the closed doors of major capitals, on private islands, and at elite galas, convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein managed to entangle the world of billionaires, politicians, and royal families into a web of influence. In total, emails released by the US Department of Justice show how Epstein, who died in prison in 2019, positioned himself at the center of a sort of underground Davos: a global network that included a Norwegian princess, top financial officials, and former leaders of European states.
Meeting Sarkozy
When Jeffrey Epstein wanted to make the acquaintance of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, he turned to a well-connected friend. "I would like to meet him," he wrote to Olivier Colom, a former French diplomat, in October 2013, "If you think he is fun." "I'll ask," Colom replied. "He can be fun. And now he can speak English!"
It is not clear from the emails if Epstein ever managed to meet Sarkozy. However, Epstein did go to Paris. He was a frequent visitor to the French capital, where he owned an apartment on Avenue Foch, near the Arc de Triomphe. In March 2019, Epstein sent Steve Bannon, former chief strategist to US President Donald Trump, a photo of himself outside the Louvre with former French Culture Minister Jack Lang. "Now at the pyramid," he wrote. "With the whole government." "Fantastic photo," Bannon replied. "Powermove."
The Epstein method
This episode captures the Epstein method: leveraging existing connections and often exaggerating their significance to bolster his standing among the wealthy and powerful—a practice he continued until his arrest in July 2019 on charges of sex trafficking of minors. At the time Epstein was photographed with the former Culture Minister at the Louvre, Lang's political career had long since ended. The photo was likely taken on the sidelines of a ceremony for the 30th anniversary of the museum's iconic glass pyramid, to which Lang would have been invited as the minister who initiated its construction in the 1980s.
Exaggeration was part of a broader pattern of relentless persistence, clearly visible in Epstein's correspondence. Over the years, Epstein's conversations regularly blended personal and professional matters, with offers of material favors or moral support flowing easily between business relationships that turned into friendships and vice versa. Whether proposing tea in Paris, meetings in Davos, or invitations to his private island in the Caribbean—where prosecutors alleged he trafficked and sexually abused underage girls—Epstein presented himself as an attentive, sympathetic friend to the rest of the financial elite, who shared personal details with him while seeking his advice on business or personal matters.
Often collaborating with Ghislaine Maxwell, later convicted for her role in Epstein's ring, the financier entered the highest echelons of global wealth and power. "Billionaires and very rich people really want to stay together," William Cash, founder and former owner of Spear’s magazine and editor-in-chief of The Mace, told Politico. "They are in a club of their own and they like to stick together." "You see it in Davos," he added. "It's a social tribe in its own right. And Epstein and Maxwell understood that and exploited it and became masters." This dynamic explains how figures like Colom—a senior French diplomat with no obvious reason to approach Epstein—found themselves in his circle.
A graduate of the École nationale d’administration (ENA), an elite French school for civil servants, Colom coordinated global summits such as the G20 or UN climate talks for Sarkozy, transitioning to the private sector after the French president's 2012 election defeat. Three French officials who worked with him at the time described him as a capable diplomat and reliable colleague. He appears in Epstein's correspondence in an email from a Norwegian diplomat who offered to introduce the financier to Sarkozy's then-advisor in 2011. The connection continued after Colom left Sarkozy's circle to work at the Edmond de Rothschild private bank. In the emails, the former diplomat seems eager to please Epstein, offering to put him in touch with ambassadors, a Member of the European Parliament, "a rising star of Indian politics," and "the Russian Deputy Minister of Economy." He even suggested he could provide "a good French butler."
"I am interested in meeting anyone you think I would like," Epstein wrote to him in June 2013. "When you are in Paris, what kind of people do you want to meet?" Colom asked a few weeks later, in September. That month, Colom brought Bruno Le Maire, a prominent French politician who would later become Finance Minister, to Epstein’s home in New York. A person close to Le Maire told Politico that Colom had invited Le Maire to meet people from the business world, but he did not know whose house he was going to and left quickly once he saw Epstein.
The help flowed in both directions. In 2014, Colom thanked his "great friend" for his support during his marital problems and sought Epstein's advice on his personal finances. "I want to make a lot of money," he wrote the following year before one of Epstein's many trips to Paris. "I'm not making enough now. I'd love to come see you." The two men also joked and commented on women. "Where are you now?" Colom asked, in an exchange that had begun with a potential business opportunity for Rothschild. "On my island in the Caribbean, with an aquarium full of girls," Epstein replied. "I'd certainly like the view," Colom wrote.
The emails with Ariane de Rothschild
During the same period, the billionaire was in regular contact with Colom’s director, Ariane de Rothschild, to whom he offered similar professional and personal assistance. In an email to Rothschild, Epstein gave security advice ahead of a trip she was taking to Nicaragua. "I have dealt with children of the wealthy who for many reasons want to live, experience, enjoy what they consider a 'normal' life. The problem is that we are in a different world with different views," he wrote.
After Epstein advised her not to travel alone by car in Nicaragua, Rothschild assured him she would fly by private plane and hire a driver. In another exchange, in December 2018, during the "Yellow Vest" protests, Rothschild complained about protesters trying "to rob" her family sailboat in Brittany and, a few weeks later, one of her banks. When she mentioned the anti-Semitic attacks targeting the Rothschild family, Epstein offered sympathy—and practical security advice. "I suggest you protect the windows," he wrote. "And the doors... for more aggressive ones, there are microwave crowd deterrents or very loud sonic projectors."
A spokesperson for Rothschild stated that she "had no knowledge of Epstein's behavior and actions." "She has been deeply shocked by the revelations of recent years and wishes to reiterate that she unequivocally condemns these behaviors and the crimes for which he is guilty," they added. In his correspondence with the rich and connected, Epstein seemed capable of offering his interlocutors whatever they wanted, whether it was travel and business advice, sexual banter, or a walk through the streets of Paris to admire the monuments. Lang, the former Culture Minister, described Epstein as a sophisticated "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." "I met him through Woody Allen," who is "my friend," Lang told BFM TV. "He came regularly to Paris for art exhibitions... The Jeffrey I knew was passionate about art, charming." Despite the fact that Epstein had pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution, he managed to gain the favor of high-ranking executives, powerful politicians, and members of the royal family, who entrusted him with details of their daily lives while tolerating his flirtatious tone.
Contacts with Mette-Marit of Norway
"Come and save us. I'm dying of boredom," wrote the Crown Princess of Norway, Mette-Marit, in a 2012 email. "I'm on a woman hunt. Paris is proving interesting, but I prefer Scandinavians," Epstein replied a few weeks later. "Paris good for adultery," the princess replied. "Scandinavians better material for a wife. But who am I to speak?"
Epstein... at Davos
Epstein did not just circulate among the rich and powerful. He embedded himself into their shared infrastructure, including the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. He was close to the event's leadership. In the emails, associates call on him to secure access to the invitation-only gathering, to mediate meetings there, and to help those hoping to participate in WEF-related mentoring programs. When former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers complained to Epstein in 2018 that he had been ignored, Epstein offered to "ask" his "good friend," Børge Brende, who is president and CEO of the WEF.
The following month, Summers asked Epstein: "If you can, can you bring me as a guest to the next Davos?". Brende, a former Norwegian Foreign Minister, dined with Epstein at least three times in 2018 and 2019, and the two exchanged messages and emails. Until November, Brende denied any contact with Epstein—but he changed his story after their relationship came to light through the latest emails. The WEF confirmed to Politico that Brende participated in "three professional dinners with Jeffrey Epstein, along with subsequent email and SMS exchanges." An independent investigation has been launched into the relationship, which he requested and is cooperating with.
The first dinner, at Epstein's home in New York in 2018, was Brende's birthday. "Candles," Epstein wrote in an email before the dinner. The two also exchanged views on the future of Davos. "We need a new global architecture," Brende wrote. "The World Economic Forum (Davos) is uniquely positioned – public-private." "Davos can truly replace the UN," Epstein replied. "Show me trust," Brende answered. "I believe it, 100% :)," Epstein shot back.
Brende stated that he "had no knowledge of Epstein's past and criminal activities" and would have declined any invitations or communication had he known. "I recognize that I could have done more thorough research into Epstein's background and I regret that I did not," he said. Before another dinner in June 2019, Brende emailed Epstein's assistant. "I'm looking forward to it — the sushi would be amazing," he wrote. Three weeks later, Epstein was arrested, and a month later he died in prison.
www.bankingnews.gr
Σχόλια αναγνωστών