- - The Prominent Men Named in the Latest Release of Epstein Files

Rachel Uda February 2, 2026 at 4:12 AM

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The Prominent Men Named in the Latest Release of Epstein Files

Last week, the Department of Justice released its largest batch of files related to accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Several prominent figures are mentioned in the three million pages of documents included in the most recent tranche, from Bill Gates to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

Many of the men have attempted to distance themselves from Epstein, although newly released emails suggest some of them were closely tied to the convicted sex offender. Here's a closer look.

Donald Trump

The files contained several documents that mentioned Trump, but no direct correspondences between him and Epstein. One was a summary compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigations that included more than a dozen unverified tips from the public accusing Epstein and Trump of sexual abuse.

There were also notes and transcripts of interviews that federal investigators conducted with Epstein’s victims, some of whom described interactions with Trump, the Times reports. Notes from one 2019 interview say that a victim, whose name has been redacted, recalled being taken to Mar-a-Lago to meet Trump. The notes don’t suggest misconduct by the president.

Bill Gates

In 2013, Epstein drafted an email to himself with notes regarding his relationship with Bill Gates. One of the emails, with the subject line “bill,” suggests the Microsoft co-founder requested medication for a sexually transmitted disease to “surreptitiously” give his now ex-wife Melinda French Gates, Business Insider reports.

Another email says an employee at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation helped the tech billionaire “get drugs” and facilitate “illicit trysts” with “Russian girls” and “married women.”

“These claims are absolutely absurd and completely false,” a spokesperson for Bill Gates told Business Insider in a statement. “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.”

In a 2021 interview with CNN, Gates called his association with Epstein “a huge mistake.” Melinda has also said that her ex-husband’s ties to Epstein were part of what led to their divorce.

Elon Musk

At least 16 emails between Epstein and Elon Musk surfaced in the files. In them, the tech titan expressed interest in visiting Epstein’s notorious Caribbean island where several women and girls were allegedly abused, but it's not clear if that visit took place.

“What day/night will be the wildest party on your island?” Musk wrote in a November 2012 email.

The Tesla co-founder said in a 2019 Vanity Fair interview that Epstein “tried repeatedly to get me to visit his island” and that he considers the convicted sex offender a “creep.”

In a post on X, Musk denied attending any of Epstein’s parties and called for those who participated in sex trafficking to be prosecuted.

I have never been to any Epstein parties ever and have many times call for the prosecution of those who have committed crimes with Epstein.The acid test for justice is not the release of the files, but rather the prosecution of those who committed heinous crimes with Epstein.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 31, 2026

Prince Andrew

The former prince Andrew appears in several documents, including three undated photos in which he’s seen leaning over a woman lying on the ground.

In a 2010 email, the former royal invited Epstein for dinner at Buckingham Palace. It’s not clear whether that meeting occurred.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his royal titles last October over allegations that he sexually abused Virginia Giuffre when she was a teenager. He has repeatedly denied the allegations against him, though in 2022, he settled a $16 million sexual abuse lawsuit filed by Giuffre.

Howard Lutnick

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick appeared to plan a visit to Epstein’s island in 2012, although he previously said he’d cut ties with Epstein around 2005, the New York Times reports.

Emails between the two men suggest they met in December 2012. An assistant to Epstein forwarded a message to the former Cantor Fitzgerald CEO from Epstein that read, “Nice to meet you.”

Lutnick told the Times, “I spent zero time with him.”

Richard Branson

Richard Branson appeared in multiple documents. In a 2013 email, Epstein thanked the Virgin Group co-founder for his hospitality. Branson replied, “Any time you’re in the area would love to see you. As long as you bring your harem!” The two were also pictured together at a tropical island.

A spokeswoman for Virgin Group told the Wall Street Journal that Branson sent the email after hosting Epstein for a business meeting and that Epstein arrived with three adult women, who didn’t participate in the meeting. She also said that any contact between the two “was limited to group or business settings” and that “Richard believes that Epstein’s actions were abhorrent.”

Brett Ratner

Brett Ratner, who directed the Rush Hour series and the new Melania documentary, was in a series of photographs taken at Epstein's New York townhouse. The two men are pictured sitting next to two women, who have been redacted, as well as Jean-Luc Brunel, a modeling agent and known Epstein associate, who died in prison awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Ratner told the Journal in 2023 that he didn't know Epstein and had never met him.

The post The Prominent Men Named in the Latest Release of Epstein Files appeared first on Katie Couric Media.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”