WASHINGTON, D.C.: A massive new tranche of files on millionaire financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, released on January 30, revealed details of his communications with the wealthy and powerful, including Elon Musk, Steve Bannon, and Howard Lutnick, not long before he died by suicide in 2019.

The Justice Department said it released more than three million pages of documents, along with thousands of photos and videos, as required by a law passed by Congress. Over 600,000 of these documents were posted online. However, millions of other files that prosecutors said could also fall under the law have not been released, drawing criticism from Democrats.

The documents show that Jeffrey Epstein exchanged hundreds of friendly text messages with Steve Bannon, a close adviser to President Donald Trump, months before Epstein's death. They talked about politics, travel, and a documentary that Bannon was reportedly planning to help repair Epstein's public image. In March 2019, Bannon asked Epstein if he could use his plane to pick him up in Rome.

A few months later, Epstein texted Bannon, saying, "Now you can understand why Trump wakes up in the middle of the night sweating when he hears you and I are friends." The message's meaning is unclear because many documents were heavily edited and poorly organized.

Another message exchange in 2018 focused on Trump's threats at the time to remove Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, whom Trump had appointed the year before.

Around the same period, Epstein also communicated with Kathy Ruemmler, a lawyer and former Obama White House official. In an email filled with typos, Epstein warned Democrats to stop portraying Trump like a Mafia boss, even while calling the president a "maniac."

Bannon did not respond to requests for comment. Ruemmler said through a spokesperson that she worked with Epstein professionally while in private legal practice and now regrets ever knowing him.

Musk and Lutnick Appear in Files

The records also show that billionaire Tesla founder Elon Musk emailed Epstein in 2012 and 2013 about possibly visiting Epstein's private island, where many sexual abuse allegations later emerged. Epstein asked how many people Musk would want flown by helicopter. Musk replied that it would likely be just him and his partner at the time, and asked, "What day or night will be the wildest party on our island?"

It is unclear whether Musk ever visited the island. Spokespeople for Tesla and X did not respond to requests for comment. Musk has said he repeatedly refused Epstein's invitations, writing on X in 2025 that Epstein tried to get him to go to the island and that he refused.

Epstein also invited Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to the island in December 2012. According to records, Lutnick's wife accepted the invitation and said they would arrive by yacht with their children. Lutnick and Epstein also had drinks together in 2011 and exchanged emails years later about construction near their homes.

Lutnick has since distanced himself from Epstein, calling him "gross" and saying in 2025 that he cut ties with him decades ago. He did not respond to a request for comment.

Epstein was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges in July 2019 and was found dead in his jail cell just over a month later.

The newly released documents include emails between investigators about Epstein's death, including one investigator noting that Epstein's last message did not look like a suicide note. Still, multiple investigations have concluded that Epstein died by suicide.

The records also describe how jail staff misled reporters waiting outside the jail when Epstein's body was removed. They used boxes and sheets to make it look like a body was being loaded into a white van marked as belonging to the medical examiner's office. Reporters followed that van, not knowing that Epstein's real body was taken away in a black vehicle that left without being noticed.