Epstein networked as Trump admin ‘insider’ in talks with prominent businessman: report

In the early days of President Donald Trump’s first term, Jeffrey Epstein presented himself as a Trump administration “insider” with close ties to the White House, Business Today reported on Saturday.

According to newly unearthed files released by the Justice Department (DOJ), Epstein had communicated frequently with Indian businessman and former lawmaker Anil Ambani – once the sixth wealthiest person on earth – and offered to introduce him to “key figures close to the Trump administration,” suggesting he had “strong links to people around the president,” Business Today reported.

“Epstein reportedly offered to introduce Ambani to individuals considered close to the White House, including former Trump strategist Steve Bannon and businessman Thomas J. Barrack Jr., who chaired Trump’s 2017 inaugural committee,” Business Today reported. “These discussions came as Ambani appeared interested in understanding the direction of US national security and economic policy under the new administration.”

Epstein’s past ties with both Trump and many of those who make up his administration have continued to plague the president more than a year into his second term. The DOJ was compelled to release all of its files on Epstein last year after the passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA), which Trump had initially fought fiercely against.

Even with the passage of the EFTA, the DOJ has admittedly withheld millions of files on Epstein, which critics say is a blatant violation of the EFTA.

Of the files related to Epstein the DOJ has released, new details have emerged about Trump’s past ties with the disgraced financier, including Epstein having once claimed to have been Trump’s “closest friend for 10 years,” Trump having flown on Epstein’s personal jet at least eight times in the 1990s, and Trump potentially having “spent hours” with one of Epstein’s victims at his home in New York.