Why couldn't the rich and powerful say no to Epstein?

Newly released documents shed light on the shocking influence of Jeffrey Epstein and the power he wielded over high-ranking politicians, academics and businessmen, even after his conviction. From secret advice to congressmen, to connections with world leaders and the search for favors, to the fear and shame that destroyed reputations years later - his story shows how the American elite often did not know or dared to say "no". In this web of power and manipulation, some sought his help, while others turned away in disgust at the first meeting.

In 2019, one of the most important political moments in Washington captured everyone's attention. It was the testimony of Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's former lawyer, before a House committee.

At one point, the camera captures Democratic Rep. Stacey Plaskett texting on her phone as she prepares to question Cohen.

This week, the identity of the person she was writing to was revealed - convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Emails released by his foundation after a subpoena revealed that Epstein had urged Plaskett to ask a question about a Trump Organization employee. After her question, Epstein wrote back: "Good job."

How great was his influence?

Over time, the episode has taken on special meaning for many, who say it clearly shows how powerful Epstein remained in American elite circles. Plaskett, a representative from the U.S. Virgin Islands, has denied seeking advice from Epstein, saying she had written to many people that day, including Epstein, who was one of her constituents.

She emphasized that, as a former lawyer, she was used to seeking information from all sources, even from people she didn't like.

"I am disgusted by Epstein's deviant behavior. I strongly support his victims and admire their courage. I have long called for the full Epstein file to be released," she told the BBC.

She explained that this communication took place before his arrest for sex trafficking, but long after Epstein's 2008 conviction for soliciting illegal sexual services. Meanwhile, his private island - part of the territory she represents - was named in a shocking Miami Herald investigation just a year ago as one of the places where he had sexually abused underage girls.

Just six months after their exchange of messages, Epstein would be found dead in his cell - a suicide, according to the coroner. His death and the theories that followed caused a great shock in Washington and on Wall Street, "devastating" even some of his former friends.

This exchange of messages was just one of thousands of new documents - over 20.000 pages - recently released, which once again show Epstein's ability to maintain connections with powerful people, even after the Herald's conviction and investigation.

How some of these relationships survived, while others abandoned him, sheds light not only on Epstein's influence, but also on the dynamics of elite circles at the top of American society.

"Epstein was a real monster, but at the same time he was also in some ways brilliant, because he managed to maintain an extraordinary network of some of the most powerful individuals in the world," says Barry Levine, author of the book "Spider: Inside the Criminal Web of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell."

"He had a kind of charisma that put him in a position where people would turn to him."

“He used the information he received”

According to Barry Levine, Epstein considered himself a “relationship manipulator,” who formed connections with people solely for profit. He says that “he would use the information he obtained with the intention, at the end of the day, of either getting favors or money from them, or — in a darker sense — perhaps even blackmailing some of them.”

The relationship between Epstein and Lord Peter Mandelson has been the focus of much of the British public’s attention, and Mandelson was eventually removed from his post as British ambassador to the United States in September. Documents released by Congress show that Mandelson maintained contact with Epstein until late 2016 — before the Miami Herald investigation but after his conviction.

In a November 2015 email, Epstein wrote: “63 years old. Here we are.” Mandelson replied less than 90 minutes later: “With difficulty. I have decided to prolong my life by spending more of it in the US.” He categorically denies any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and has expressed regret for continuing to communicate with him.

Documents released by Epstein’s foundation reveal his wide circle of acquaintances: prominent academics, powerful businessmen and politicians. Levine says it’s possible that some of his more distant acquaintances were unaware of the abuse, or ignored it because of his immense influence. “People forget,” he said. “He had a high reputation in powerful circles, and many of them probably ignored his conviction.”

Journalists and people who knew him say others may simply have been charmed by his wealth. “In New York, a prison sentence doesn’t matter anymore,” David Patrick Columbia, founder of New York Social Diary, told the Daily Beast in 2011, after Epstein’s first conviction. “The only thing that excludes you from New York society is poverty.”

Larry Summers, a former U.S. Treasury secretary and then president of Harvard University, had asked Epstein for romantic advice. In a November 2018 text exchange — the same month the Miami Herald investigation was published — Summers apparently forwarded Epstein an email from a woman, asking for his opinion on how to respond. Epstein replied, “She’s starting to look like a hooker, beautiful.” The relationships damaged Summers, forcing him to step back from public engagements and to stop teaching at Harvard. He said, “I am deeply ashamed of my actions and understand the pain they have caused.”

Epstein is also said to have used his financial knowledge to help the renowned linguist Noam Chomsky, with whom he exchanged messages over the years and invited him to stay at his homes. In an undated letter included in the email file, Chomsky praises Epstein, saying they had “many long and deep conversations”. He previously told the Wall Street Journal that Epstein had helped him transfer money between accounts “without a penny from him”. Chomsky said: “I knew him and we met from time to time. What was known was that Epstein had served his sentence. Under American law and norms, this is a new page”. He did not respond to a BBC request for comment.

According to Levinet, Chomsky was one of Epstein's famous financial clients, and he saved them billions of dollars. This was possible because "Epstein understood the tax code and finance better than many of the highest-paid people on Wall Street," he said.

Those who severed ties

In the 23.000 pages of Epstein documents, one name appears more often than many others: Donald Trump.

Trump did not send or receive any messages from these documents, after he had severed ties with Epstein.

In 2002, Trump described Epstein as a “wonderful guy.” Epstein even once said, “I was Donald’s closest friend for 10 years.”

But their relationship soured. Trump has said they drifted apart in the early 2000s, two years before Epstein's first arrest. As recently as 2008, Trump claimed he had not been a "fan of his."

Trump has denied any knowledge of Epstein's sex trafficking. The White House has also said that Trump had kicked Epstein out of his club "decades ago because he behaved in a disgusting manner with female employees."

According to Levine, there are many people who will feel ashamed of the messages they wrote to Epstein after his convictions, even though that doesn't mean they participated in any of his crimes.

"Every single one of them, without exception, regrets the day they communicated or spent time with Jeffrey Epstein," he said. "It's one of the most incredible stories of our time - power, privilege, plunder."

But there was at least one person who said they immediately knew Epstein was "disgusting."

Howard Lutnick, the administration's commerce secretary and Epstein's neighbor for 10 years, told a New York Post podcast that his first meeting with Epstein was also his last.

Shortly after Lutnick moved into his Upper East Side apartment in 2005, he says Epstein invited him and his wife for a tour of his large mansion.

In Epstein's dining room, after seeing a massage table surrounded by candles, Lutnick asked him how often he used it.

“He says, ‘Every day.’ Then he comes up to me strangely close and says, ‘And every proper kind of massage is done,’” Lutnick explains.

Lutnick says he and his wife looked at each other, made excuses, and left.

"I decided I would never stay in the same room with that disgusting man again."