Jeffrey Epstein client list

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Not to be confused with the "black book".

The belief that the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein maintained a client list first rose in popularity following his death,[1] and re-gained prominence in 2025.[2] This hypothesized list has formed part of conspiracy theories that Epstein used such a list to blackmail prominent and wealthy individuals as part of his international sex trafficking ring.[2][3] The terms "Epstein list" and "Epstein files" also refer to the myriad of court documents relating to Epstein, some of which have been publicly released.[4][5] For example, court documents and flight logs have already named various prominent individuals as having travelled with Epstein, or been in contact with him.[6]

The United States Justice Department (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated the existence of such a list and concluded that it did not exist. An unsigned and undated memo, reported in July 2025, stated that there was " ... no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions. We did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties".[2] This announcement was criticized from many right-wing figures including the Hodgetwins, Alex Jones, Rogan O'Handley, and Liz Wheeler.[2][7]

Contents

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Epstein Files: First Phase.

The hypothesized client list refers to, according to PBS, "a list of clients to whom underage girls were trafficked".[8] Epstein's financial clients, some of whom are publicly known, have also been reported to have been stored in a list format.[9][10] According to a 2019 report by the New York Times, the latter list of financial clients was "not as extensive as believed, and the services he offered were less remarkable than once portrayed".[11] According to a 2024 article by BBC News, "The names of dozens of people connected to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were made public with the release of court documents. Who are they?". the article goes on to allegedly list clients names from the "Jeffrey Epstein list".[1]

History

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Avatar of Elon Musk
Avatar of Elon Musk
 Elon Musk
@elonmusk

Time to drop the really big bomb:

@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public.

Have a nice day, DJT!

Jun 5, 2025[12]

After Epstein's death, New York judge Loretta Preska ordered a list with names of more than 170 Epstein associates to be unsealed on January 1, 2024.[13] Anyone on the list had until January 1 to appeal to have their name removed.[14]

During the presidency of Joe Biden, many right-wing figures hypothesized of a list of Epstein's clients not disclosed by the Biden administration.[15] Kash Patel, who was not the director of the FBI at the time, claimed that the FBI was keeping Epstein's "black list", and encouraged a potential administration of Donald Trump to release them if he were to be elected. During the Turning Point Action convention in June 2024, Donald Trump Jr. accused the Biden administration of keeping the list secret to protect pedophiles. In October 2024, JD Vance said "we need to release the Epstein list".[16]

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi was asked in February 2025 by Fox News journalist John Roberts on whether the Justice Department would be publishing "the list of Jeffrey Epstein's clients", to which Bondi responded: "It's sitting on my desk right now to review. That's been a directive by President Trump. I’m reviewing that."[7][17] On July 7, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Bondi had been referring more generally to the accumulated evidence against Epstein, stating: "[Bondi] was saying the entirety of all of the paperwork, all of the paper, in relation to Jeffrey Epstein's crimes, that’s what the attorney general was referring to, and I’ll let her speak for that".[18]

Lawyer and law professor Alan Dershowitz said in an interview with Sean Spicer on March 19, 2025, that he knew the names of individuals on such a list and unreleased files relating to Epstein, adding that "I know why they're being suppressed. I know who's suppressing them" and that he was " ...bound by confidentiality from a judge and cases, and I can't disclose what I know".[19][3] Dershowitz had been part of the legal team that negotiated a non-prosecution agreement for Epstein in 2006.[3]

During the Trump–Musk feud, Musk claimed that Trump was in the Epstein files and that this "is the real reason they have not been made public", though it is unclear if he specifically meant Epstein's client list.[20]

In a July 7 memo, the Department of Justice stated it would not release any more documents relating to Epstein. At a cabinet meeting, as Trump criticized reporters for focusing on the Epstein case, Bondi clarified when she said “it’s on my desk” that she meant he was in possession of child pornography.[21][22] At a July 9 meeting that included Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino, FBI Director Kash Patel, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, Bongino and Patel were confronted on this decision, according to CNN. Bongino has reportedly considered his resignation in the wake of the meeting.[23][24] Bondi was criticized by many in the MAGA movement.[25][26][27] Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives began an effort to, according to Axios, "force a House vote on making Attorney General Pam Bondi release all records related to Jeffrey Epstein" with Ro Khanna and Marc Veasey stating they intended to introduce separate measures to compel Bondi to release "the Epstein files".[28] Meanwhile, Jamie Raskin and 15 other members of the House of Representatives, penned a letter to Bondi accusing her of withholding documents so as to protect Trump from potentially damaging disclosures; in their letter, Raskin and other House members cited Musk's earlier post to X accusing Trump of being "in the Epstein files".[29] Khanna's measure failed to pass in the House, 211-210, along party lines.[30]

As of July 13, 2025, Trump claims that the Epstein files are falsified documents created by his political opponents, such as the Biden Administration.[31] During his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump talked about releasing the Epstein files if elected.[32]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Jeffrey Epstein list: Who is named in court filings?". BBC News. January 2, 2024. Archived from the original on July 13, 2025. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d Glenza, Jessica (July 8, 2025). "Rightwing influencers indignant over FBI claim that Jeffrey Epstein's client list doesn't exist". The Guardian. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c Kilander, Gustav (July 7, 2025). "Former Trump lawyer claims he knows Epstein client list names: 'But I'm bound by confidentiality'". The Independent. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  4. ^ "Elon Musk says Donald Trump is in the Epstein files — here's the background". ABC News. June 6, 2025. Archived from the original on July 9, 2025. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  5. ^ "Epstein files: Names in disgraced financier's contact book released by Pam Bondi". The Independent. February 28, 2025. Archived from the original on June 17, 2025. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  6. ^ "Jeffrey Epstein: Prince Andrew and Bill Clinton named in court files". BBC News. January 3, 2024. Archived from the original on July 8, 2025. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  7. ^ a b Debusmann, Bernd Jr (July 7, 2025). "US justice department finds no Epstein 'client list'". BBC News. Archived from the original on July 9, 2025. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  8. ^ "Epstein client list doesn't exist, DOJ says, walking back theory Bondi promoted". PBS. July 7, 2025. Archived from the original on July 9, 2025. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
  9. ^ Balmert, Jesse (July 1, 2019). "Ohio's Richest Man Once Close to Epstein". Newark Advocate. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  10. ^ Stewart, James B. (July 22, 2019). "Jeffrey Epstein's Deep Ties to Top Wall Street Figures". New York Times. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  11. ^ Weiser, Benjamin (August 11, 2019). "Jeffrey Epstein Dead in Suicide at Jail, Spurring Inquiries". New York Times. Archived from the original on August 10, 2019. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  12. ^ Musk, Elon [@elonmusk] (June 5, 2025). "Time to drop the really big bomb:" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 5, 2025. Retrieved July 12, 2025 – via Twitter.
  13. ^ "US judge orders names of more than 170 Jeffrey Epstein associates to be released". BBC News. December 20, 2023. Archived from the original on January 4, 2024. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  14. ^ Helmore, Edward (January 2024). "Nearly 200 names linked to Jeffrey Epstein expected to be made public". The Guardian. Archived from the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  15. ^ Blanco, Andrea; Sharp, Rachel; Bedigan, Mike; Muzaffar, Maroosha (January 14, 2024). "Epstein list: New documents reveal paedophile's responses to sex trafficking claims". The Independent. Archived from the original on July 15, 2025. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
  16. ^ Bagchi, Aysha. "Trump's team promised transparency on Epstein. Here's what they delivered". USA TODAY. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  17. ^ Blake, Aaron (July 7, 2025). "Pam Bondi's botched handling of the Epstein files". CNN. Archived from the original on July 9, 2025. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
  18. ^ Galbraith, Alex (July 7, 2025). "Leavitt defends Bondi's Epstein bluff to Fox News". Salon.com. Archived from the original on July 8, 2025. Retrieved July 12, 2025.
  19. ^ Fields, Ashleigh (July 10, 2025). "Dershowitz says he knows Epstein client list names: 'But I'm bound by confidentiality'". The Hill. Archived from the original on July 11, 2025. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  20. ^ Helmore, Edward (July 7, 2025). "Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide, justice department and FBI review confirms". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  21. ^ "Trump comes to Bondi's defense amid uproar from his base over Jeffrey Epstein files flop". WRAL.com. July 8, 2025.
  22. ^ Abels, Grace (July 8, 2025). "What the Trump admin has said about Epstein files release". Politifact. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  23. ^ Holmes, Kristen; Collins, Kaitlan; Rabinowitz, Hannah; Perez, Evan (July 11, 2025). "Deputy FBI Director Bongino has told people he is considering resigning amid Epstein files fallout, sources say". CNN. Archived from the original on July 11, 2025. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  24. ^ Collins, Kaitlan; Holmes, Kristen; Perez, Evan; Reid, Paula (July 14, 2025). "Bongino still in limbo as Trump fumes and JD Vance seeks to play mediator, sources say". CNN. Archived from the original on July 14, 2025. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  25. ^ "Trump defends Bondi amid MAGA fallout over her handling of Epstein investigation". CNN. July 13, 2025. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  26. ^ "'I don't like what's happening': Trump tries to quell MAGA blowup over Epstein". Politico. July 12, 2025. Archived from the original on July 14, 2025. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  27. ^ Sexton, Karl (July 13, 2025). "Trump urges MAGA supporters to forget about Epstein files". DW. Archived from the original on July 13, 2025. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  28. ^ Solender, Andrew (July 15, 2025). "House Democrats try to force release of Epstein files". Axios. Archived from the original on July 15, 2025. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  29. ^ Stein, Chris (July 15, 2025). "Top House Democrats demand release of Epstein files that mention Trump". The Guardian. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  30. ^ Ferguson, Malcolm (July 15, 2025). "211 House Republicans Vote to Block Release of Epstein Files". The New Republic. ISSN 0028-6583. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  31. ^ "Trump admin says Democrats created Epstein files, denies 'client list' exists - National". globalnews.ca. Archived from the original on July 15, 2025. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  32. ^ "Trump promises to release Epstein 'client list' if he wins the election". Archived from the original on July 9, 2025. Retrieved July 15, 2025.