New Epstein Files Reveal Connections to Powerful Figures: What We Know

The Justice Department’s latest release of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein has sent shockwaves through political and celebrity circles, exposing previously unknown details about the disgraced financier’s relationships with some of the world’s most influential people. Released on a Friday in late January 2026—more than 40 days past the December 19 legal deadline—these files are part of the Epstein Files Transparency Act that Congress passed and President Trump signed into law back in November. The documents include emails, photographs, transaction records, and even video footage that paint a troubling picture of Epstein’s social network during the height of his influence. While CBS News continues to review the materials alongside journalists from NBC, Versant, and The Associated Press, several names have already emerged as particularly noteworthy. It’s important to note that appearing in these documents doesn’t automatically indicate wrongdoing, but the revelations have raised serious questions about what these powerful individuals knew about Epstein’s criminal activities and when they knew it.

Prince Andrew’s Compromising Photos and Growing Pressure to Testify

Among the most disturbing revelations in this latest batch of files are photographs showing Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former Prince Andrew, in what can only be described as highly compromising positions. The images show him on all fours over an unidentified woman lying on the floor. While both are fully clothed in the photos, the optics are undeniably damaging—in one shot, he’s touching her abdomen, and in another, he stares directly into the camera while crouched over her. The documents provide no context for when or where these photos were taken, leaving the public to speculate about the circumstances. This discovery adds yet another layer to the scandal that has already stripped Andrew of his royal titles and duties, despite his repeated denials of any wrongdoing. The brother of King Charles and son of the late Queen Elizabeth has become an international embarrassment to the British monarchy, and these new photos only deepen that wound.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer weighed in on the controversy over the weekend, suggesting that Mountbatten-Windsor should cooperate fully with U.S. investigators and share whatever information he has about Epstein’s activities. Starmer emphasized that anyone claiming to be victim-centered must be willing to provide information when asked. This statement came as members of the House Oversight Committee revealed that Mountbatten-Windsor has ignored their request for a transcribed interview about his “long-standing friendship” with Epstein. The former prince’s silence speaks volumes, and his refusal to cooperate with investigators raises the obvious question: What is he hiding? His representatives have not responded to requests for comment from CBS News, maintaining a wall of silence that only fuels speculation about what he might know about Epstein’s criminal enterprise.

Elon Musk’s Caribbean Connections and “Wild Party” Inquiries

The documents reveal a series of email exchanges between Elon Musk and Jeffrey Epstein that span several years and suggest the tech billionaire may have visited Epstein’s private island at least once. In a November 2012 email, Epstein asked Musk how many people he’d be bringing for a helicopter ride to the island. Musk responded that it would probably just be himself and Talulah Riley, his wife at the time. But then Musk asked a question that has raised eyebrows: “What day/night will be the wildest party on your island?” On Christmas Day that same year, Musk sent another note asking about parties, explaining that he’d been working to the edge of sanity and wanted to “hit the party scene in St. Barts or elsewhere and let loose” after his kids went home. He specifically stated that “a peaceful island experience is the opposite of what I’m looking for”—a comment that takes on new significance given what we now know about the activities that took place on Epstein’s island.

The correspondence continued into 2013, when Epstein invited Musk to the Caribbean for Christmas, mentioning that Woody Allen was with him and that Musk “might enjoy” the trip. Musk responded with a simple “Yes.” The following year, in September 2014, Epstein again asked if Musk would join him for Christmas in St. Barts. While Musk’s response was noncommittal (“Don’t know”), a schedule note from Epstein’s assistant, Lesley Groff, indicated that Musk “is to go to the island on Dec. 6th,” though a follow-up email questioned whether this was still happening. Musk took to X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday to defend himself, claiming he had “very little correspondence with Epstein and declined repeated invitations to go to his island or fly on his ‘Lolita Express,'” while acknowledging that some email correspondence could be “misinterpreted and used by detractors to smear my name.” However, the emails paint a picture that’s hard to square with Musk’s characterization of their relationship as minimal.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s Island Visit Contradicts His Previous Claims

The documents reveal that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and his family spent time on Epstein’s island, Little Saint James, in 2012—a revelation that directly contradicts claims Lutnick made in an October interview with the New York Post. Emails show that Lutnick’s wife, Allison, coordinated a visit with their four children and another family around the end of 2012, working with Epstein’s assistant Lesley Groff to arrange their travel. Howard Lutnick himself was invited for lunch with Epstein on the island, and the emails suggest this meeting actually took place. On December 24, 2012, a person whose name was redacted wrote to Lutnick on behalf of Epstein saying “it was nice seeing you.” This timeline is problematic because Lutnick told the New York Post that he and his wife had cut ties with Epstein back in 2005, after taking a tour of his New York townhouse when they moved in next door to him.

According to Lutnick’s account to the Post, Epstein had shown them his massage room and made comments about the massages he received there. Lutnick claimed that he and his wife quickly left, and “in the six to eight steps it takes to get from his house to my house, my wife and I decided that I will never be in the room with that disgusting person ever again.” Yet the emails clearly show contact and visits occurring seven years after this alleged break. A Commerce Department spokesperson offered a carefully worded response to CBS News, stating that Lutnick “had limited interactions with Mr. Epstein in the presence of his wife and has never been accused of wrongdoing.” The statement notably doesn’t address the contradiction between Lutnick’s previous claims and what the documents actually reveal, leaving questions about the Commerce Secretary’s truthfulness and judgment.

Steve Tisch’s Disturbing Communications About Women and Epstein’s Matchmaking

New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch engaged in a series of email exchanges with Epstein in 2013 that reveal the financier’s role as a matchmaker who connected wealthy, powerful men with women—and the nature of these communications is deeply troubling. In one email, Tisch asked for details about a “Ukrainian Girl” he’d had lunch with after meeting her at Epstein’s house, calling her a “very sweet girl.” Epstein’s response was crude and objectifying, saying the woman had “a 10 ass” and promising to get “all info” on her. Tisch then asked if she was a “pro or civilian?”—essentially asking whether she was a prostitute or not—prompting Epstein to reply that he doesn’t “like records of these conversations.” This exchange alone reveals the transactional, predatory nature of how Epstein connected women with his wealthy friends, and Tisch’s willing participation in this system.

The emails show this wasn’t an isolated incident. Regarding a different woman, Tisch asked Epstein, “Is she fun?” Epstein replied that she was “a civilian, but russian, and rarely tells the full truth, but fun.” In yet another disturbing exchange, Epstein told Tisch that a “report” was “just in” from an encounter with a woman, informing the Giants owner that “you did very well… she is a little freaked by the age difference but go slow…” The implication that women were reporting back to Epstein about their encounters with his friends adds another layer of manipulation and potential coercion to the situation. Tisch also appeared to email directly with a woman Epstein introduced him to, writing, “Jeffrey Epstein is very excited about you and I meeting each other… I like that idea… do you?” When she apparently didn’t respond, Tisch wrote to Epstein, “Never heard back from her. Oh well…” In a statement to CBS News, Tisch acknowledged having “a brief association where we exchanged emails about adult women” and also discussed “movies, philanthropy, and investments,” claiming he never accepted Epstein’s invitations to his island and calling Epstein “a terrible person and someone I deeply regret associating with.”

Bill Gates, Steve Bannon, and the Growing List of Notable Figures

The documents include unverified but explosive allegations that Epstein made about Bill Gates in emails he sent to himself in July 2013. These emails claimed Gates had extramarital “sex with Russian girls” that resulted in a sexually transmitted infection requiring antibiotics, and that Gates sought to “surreptitiously” give antibiotics to his then-wife Melinda Gates. Epstein also drafted what appears to be a resignation letter from the perspective of someone named “Boris” (possibly Boris Nikolic, a physician and former Gates employee) that described being asked to participate in things ranging “from the morally inappropriate, to the ethically unsound” and potentially illegal, including “helping Bill to get drugs, in order to deal with consequences of sex with russian girls.” A spokesperson for Gates called these claims “absolutely absurd and completely false,” stating that “the only thing these documents demonstrate is Epstein’s frustration that he did not have an ongoing relationship with Gates and the lengths he would go to entrap and defame.”

Steve Bannon, President Trump’s former chief strategist, conducted a nearly two-hour video interview with Epstein that’s included in the files, though the date of the recording isn’t clear. In the interview, Bannon asked Epstein, “What are you, class three sexual predator?” to which Epstein replied, “Tier one.” When Bannon asked if tier one was “the highest and worst,” Epstein claimed he was “the lowest” and confirmed he was “a criminal.” Epstein also told Bannon, “I don’t know why I’m attracted to somebody. I don’t know people are attracted to each other.” Emails from late 2018 also show that Bannon and his son received expensive Hermes Apple watches from Epstein, valued at $1,499 each. Other notable figures appearing in the documents include filmmaker Brett Ratner, shown in photos with Epstein and two females; Dr. Mehmet Oz, now heading the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, whose travel Epstein paid for in 2004; Kathryn Ruemmler, former Obama White House counsel who wrote in 2015 that she “adores” Epstein (“It’s like having another older brother!”); Woody Allen, who texted about visiting the White House with Epstein; and references to Bill Clinton and Jeff Bezos attending a party together at Ghislaine Maxwell’s house. President Trump, meanwhile, maintains the documents exonerate him, pointing to testimony from Epstein’s former house manager that Trump never stayed overnight at Epstein’s Palm Beach home or received massages there, though hundreds of references to Trump appear throughout the document trove. As these files continue to be analyzed, the full scope of Epstein’s network and the activities of those who associated with him will likely continue to emerge, raising questions about accountability for those who enabled or turned a blind eye to his crimes.