House Democrats released a small but notable sample of documents obtained from the estate of Jeffrey Epstein on Friday. And one line really sticks out.
The line appears to be from a 2014 schedule for the late sex trafficker, dated Saturday, Dec. 6, 2014: “Reminder: Elon Musk to island Dec. 6 (is this still happening?)”
It’s unclear which “island” the line may be referring to, but the obvious suggestion is that it could be a private island in the Caribbean owned by Epstein himself. The island is known as Little Saint James, but most people online just call it Epstein Island.
The press release from Democrats even refers to it as “evidence of a pending trip by Elon Musk to Epstein’s island.”
The fact that this line appeared in a schedule for 2014 seems notable. Musk has repeatedly denied being involved in Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes. But internet commenters have frequently raised questions about a Vanity Fair Oscars party on March 2, 2014, where Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell and Musk were photographed together.
Back in 2020, Musk addressed the frequent questions about his photo with Maxwell in a tweet, writing, “Don’t know Ghislaine at all. She photobombed me once at a Vanity Fair party several years ago. Real question is why VF invited her in the first place.”
Maxwell was interviewed by the U.S. Department of Justice in August and told Todd Blanche, President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney and now a top official at the DOJ, that she first met Musk at a birthday party for Sergey Brin in 2010 or 2011.
“I met him in—I don’t remember the year, but it’s going to be in 2010, ’11, something like that, I think, if my memory serves,” Maxwell said. “And I was at an event for Sergey Brin, the co-founder of Google. And Sergey had arranged for—it was for his birthday.”
Maxwell said that Epstein was not present for the birthday party, but the New York Times reported in August that Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse included photos of the late sex offender “alongside” famous people like Pope John Paul II, Mick Jagger, Elon Musk, and Fidel Castro.
Representatives for Musk didn’t respond to an email on Friday, but he’s previously said he had nothing to do with Epstein. However, the billionaire Tesla CEO hasn’t been shy about accusing others of being affiliated with the late pedophile.
Musk accused President Donald Trump of being “in the Epstein files” in early June, not long after the two men had a very public falling out. Musk later deleted the tweet, and the two men were photographed sitting together at a memorial service for Charlie Kirk last weekend.
Shortly before the 2024 presidential election, Musk also complained to Tucker Carlson that the Epstein client list hadn’t been released. “You know, I think part of why Kamala’s getting so much support,” Musk said, “if Trump wins, that Epstein client list is going to become public.”
Musk suggested that Reid Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn, and Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, were on “the list.” Hoffman reportedly visited Epstein’s island in 2014, according to a 2023 article from the Wall Street Journal.
Musk isn’t the only name mentioned in the six pages released by House Democrats on Friday. Bill Gates is also on Epstein’s schedule for Dec. 5, 2014, in New York. It’s listed as a “TBD TENTATIVE Breakfast Party” with Bill Gates.
Gates met with Epstein several times, and the Wall Street Journal reported in 2023 that Epstein had blackmailed the Microsoft co-founder over an alleged affair with a Russian bridge player in 2017. Epstein reportedly wanted Gates to donate to a charitable foundation he was trying to set up with JPMorgan Chase, according to the Journal.
The newly released files also include an email sent to Epstein with his schedule on Nov. 27, 2017, that lists a lunch with Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel in New York.
Epstein was found dead in his jail cell in 2019, and his death was declared a suicide. But many people don’t think that’s how he died, and roughly 70% of Americans think the federal government is hiding something about Epstein.
Julie K. Brown, the journalist who’s arguably most responsible for bringing Epstein’s crimes to broader public attention in the late 2010s, tweeted “Have these been redacted by @GOPOversight @OverSightDems or by the Estate?”
We don’t have an answer to that question yet, but the press release from House Democrats notes, “Extensive redactions have been made to protect victims as Committee investigators continue to analyze the new documents.”
Democrats clearly aren’t going to stop asking about Epstein, who was friends with President Trump for about 15 years before they had a falling out.
“It should be clear to every American that Jeffrey Epstein was friends with some of the most powerful and wealthiest men in the world,” Dem Oversight spokesperson Sara Guerrero said in a statement posted online.
“Every new document produced provides new information as we work to bring justice for the survivors and victims. Oversight Democrats will not stop until we identify everyone complicit in Epstein’s heinous crimes. It’s past time for Attorney General Bondi to release all the files now.”
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