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Who鈥檚 in the Epstein files, from the former Prince Andrew to Lawrence Summers

The arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor 鈥� formerly known as Prince Andrew 鈥� on suspicion of misconduct in public office, marks a significant development in the ongoing fallout from the release of documents related to the investigation of Jeffrey Epstein. Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor is just one of many public figures facing renewed scrutiny over their relationships with the convicted sex offender 鈥� as details continue to emerge from the files about the various elite figures in Mr. Epstein鈥檚 extensive network.

Speculation about the extent of Mr. Epstein鈥檚 ties to some of the world鈥檚 most powerful people has swirled for weeks as the U.S. Justice Department has made more documents from its yearslong investigation public.聽

While other prominent people 鈥� from university professors to business leaders 鈥� have faced professional consequences from revelations about their connections to the convicted sex offender, Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor is the highest-profile figure thus far to face criminal charges. If convicted, the younger brother of Britain鈥檚 King Charles III could potentially spend the rest of his life in prison. He also symbolizes a larger pattern: The fallout for people who associated with Mr. Epstein has been greater, and faster, for those outside the United States than within it.

Other figures with known ties to Mr. Epstein have recently been the target of scrutiny but have yet to face any formal accusations of wrongdoing. They include President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton, among others. On Feb. 14, the Justice Department sent Congress a 聽people who appear in the released files, which now total some 3.5 million pages. The list named government officials or 鈥減olitically exposed鈥� people whose names appear in the files at least once.

Being in the files does not by itself indicate wrongdoing. Some of those whose names are mentioned appear to have had only fleeting contact with the disgraced financier, who was found dead, hanging in his jail cell, in 2019. The records comprise years of investigative material, not all of which appears directly related to Mr. Epstein or his criminal activities, and much of which has not been vetted.

Yet the documents have begun to paint a clearer picture of the extent of Mr. Epstein's聽influence. He had numerous contacts at elite universities, from Harvard and Columbia to Stanford; with celebrities such as filmmaker Woody Allen and New York Giants co-owner Steven Tisch; with political figures such as right-wing commentator Steve Bannon; and with billionaire business leaders, including Google co-founder Sergey Brin and Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel.

News organizations are still combing through the documents to better understand who is mentioned in them and why. Here鈥檚 a look at some of the prominent figures who appear in the files.

People named in the files, who have faced consequences

Ghislaine Maxwell. The socialite daughter of publisher Robert Maxwell, she became Mr. Epstein's longtime associate starting in the 1990s. She was convicted in 2021 by a jury in U.S. federal court on sex trafficking charges tied to Mr. Epstein, for her role in the recruitment and abuse of girls under 18.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. On Feb. 19, the former Prince Andrew was arrested on charges of misconduct in public office, and accused by police of sharing confidential information with Mr. Epstein. For his part, Charles III issued a statement saying he supports a full investigation. Earlier, the king had stripped Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor of his royal titles and forced him to move out of his taxpayer-funded residence in Windsor over long-standing accusations that the former prince had participated in Mr. Epstein鈥檚 sex crimes. Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide last year, had alleged to the former prince and forced to engage in sexual activities with him at least three times before she turned 18. In 2022, Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor settled a civil lawsuit with Ms. Giuffre for an undisclosed sum but did not admit to any of her accusations. He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

Sarah Ferguson. Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor鈥檚 ex-wife had also come under scrutiny for her relationship with Mr. Epstein. In 2011, she publicly apologized for letting Mr. Epstein pay some of her debts and vowed not to ever have contact with him again. Later that year, she emailed Mr. Epstein and asked how she should respond to questions about their relationship. 鈥淚 just want to make sure you are aware of this and seek your advice on how you would like me to answer,鈥� she wrote.

Thorbj酶rn Jagland. Mr. Jagland, who served as prime minister of Norway in the late 1990s, was charged with 鈥済ross corruption鈥� because of his relationship with Mr. Epstein. Emails show that the two men had a close relationship, exchanging notes about visits, sharing meals, and more. , Mr. Jagland discusses staying at Mr. Epstein鈥檚 apartment in Paris with an unidentified person who appears to be Mr. Epstein鈥檚 assistant. In another , an assistant discusses using Mr. Epstein鈥檚 credit card to pay for trips for Mr. Jagland and his family to visit Palm Beach, Florida, and Mr. Epstein鈥檚 private island in the Caribbean.

Peter Mandelson. Mr. Mandelson resigned on Feb. 2 from the House of Lords, after emails suggested he might have leaked confidential government information to Mr. Epstein. , while Mr. Mandelson was Britain鈥檚 business secretary, he forwarded the financier a document, intended for the prime minister, that outlined a plan for a potential 拢20 billion ($27 billion) asset sale. Britain鈥檚 Cabinet secretary is said to be investigating the emails.

Kathryn Ruemmler. Ms. Ruemmler, who served as White House counsel under Barack Obama, announced Feb. 12 that she would resign from her position as the top lawyer at Goldman Sachs after newly released she had a close relationship with Mr. Epstein. In numerous email exchanges, she advised Mr. Epstein on how to push back on unflattering media scrutiny, including in the run-up to his 2019 arrest, and referred to him as 鈥渟weetie鈥� and 鈥淯ncle Jeffrey.鈥� Emails showed she also from Mr. Epstein. Previously, Ms. Ruemmler has said that she only knew him in a professional capacity and offered him legal advice.

Lawrence Summers. A treasury secretary under Bill Clinton and a former president of Harvard University, Mr. Summers last year resigned from roles at OpenAI and stopped teaching at the university as it sought to investigate his ties to Mr. Epstein. Mr. Summers with the financier up until Mr. Epstein鈥檚 death in 2019, and sought his advice as he . The Harvard Crimson, the university鈥檚 student newspaper, and his wife, Elisa New, spent part of their honeymoon on Mr. Epstein鈥檚 island in 2005 鈥� as police in Palm Beach had started to pursue a criminal case against Mr. Epstein. Last year, PBS said it would no longer distribute Ms. New鈥檚 television series, 鈥淧oetry in America,鈥� after revelations that Mr. Epstein had helped her secure funding.

Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem. Mr. Bin Sulayem as head of DP World, a global logistics and port giant based in Dubai, on Feb. 13. For years following Mr. Epstein鈥檚 first conviction, the two men corresponded by email, including about women. 鈥渨here are you? are you ok, I loved the torture video,鈥� Mr. Epstein . What the video was is unclear.

Thomas Pritzker. Mr. Pritzker, a cousin of Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, announced as executive chairman of Hyatt Hotels to protect the company after documents showed that he had an extensive relationship with Mr. Epstein. The two men corresponded for years, new documents show, including making references to scheduling meetings well into 2018. Mr. Pritzker also wrote to Ms. Maxwell on numerous occasions. In 2023, The Wall Street Journal reported that Mr. Pritzker was a frequent guest at Mr. Epstein鈥檚 townhouse.

Jean-Luc Brunel. The late French model scout was of grooming girls for Mr. Epstein鈥檚 sex-trafficking operation. He associated with Mr. Epstein for years, but denied being involved in illegal activities with him. He was arrested by French authorities in 2020 and charged with the rape of minors. Like Mr. Epstein, he was found hanged in his cell .

Other people named in the files

Again, showing up in the Epstein files or even visiting with him does not indicate wrongdoing. But a number of high-profile people had significant relationships with Mr. Epstein that are being scrutinized through the documents that have been released.

President Donald Trump. Mr. Trump appears in the files thousands of times. He and Mr. Epstein socialized extensively in the 1980s and 1990s, when they both lived in Palm Beach. An from a federal prosecutor noted that Mr. Trump flew on Mr. Epstein鈥檚 private plane 鈥渁t least eight times between 1993 and 1996.鈥� In an article from 2002, Mr. Trump described Mr. Epstein as a 鈥渢errific guy鈥� and said he had known him for 15 years. More recently, Mr. Trump has said that he and Mr. Epstein had a falling out sometime in the mid-2000s, and he has denied knowledge of the financier鈥檚 criminal activities.

In early February, The Miami Herald reported that, in July 2006, at the start of the investigation into Mr. Epstein, Mr. Trump called then-Palm Beach Police Chief Michael Reiter and said, 鈥淭hank goodness you鈥檙e stopping him; everyone knows he鈥檚 been doing this.鈥� He also called Ms. Maxwell 鈥渆vil.鈥�

President Bill Clinton. Like Mr. Trump, Mr. Clinton socialized with Mr. Epstein frequently, and flew on his private plane. The New York Times reported on Feb. 8, citing documents released by the Justice Department, that Ms. Maxwell in setting up the Clinton Global Initiative 鈥� an arm of the Clinton Foundation 鈥� established in 2005.聽

Both Bill and Hillary Clinton are expected to soon give closed-door depositions about their relationship with Mr. Epstein. They had originally resisted congressional subpoenas but bowed to pressure after Democrats and Republicans alike voted to hold them in contempt. The former president has said that he cut ties with Mr. Epstein before his first indictment and had no knowledge of his criminal activities.

Howard Lutnick. While he was a financial executive, Mr. Lutnick at one point lived next door to Mr. Epstein in Manhattan. Now Mr. Trump鈥檚 commerce secretary, Mr. Lutnick testified before Congress on Feb. 10 that he and his family spent 鈥渁n hour鈥� on Mr. Epstein鈥檚 private island in 2012 鈥� years after Mr. Epstein鈥檚 first conviction for sex crimes. The files also show that Mr. Lutnick and Mr. Epstein exchanged emails in 2018. The secretary had previously said that he vowed in 2005 to 鈥渘ever be in a room鈥� with Mr. Epstein again. Mr. Lutnick has faced bipartisan calls to resign. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters the president 鈥渇ully supports the secretary.鈥�

Steve Bannon. Mr. Bannon, a MAGA influencer and podcast host who was once one of Mr. Trump鈥檚 closest advisers, appears to have exchanged friendly text messages with Mr. Epstein up until 2019. In several messages, Mr. Bannon advised the financier on how to rehabilitate his image. 鈥淲e need to push back on the lies; then crush the pedo/trafficking narrative; then rebuild your image as philanthropist,鈥� he wrote in 2019. In a , Mr. Bannon said his focus was on convincing Mr. Epstein to participate in a documentary that would 鈥渄estroy the very myths he created.鈥�

Elon Musk. In 2012 and 2013, the two men discussed the possibility of Mr. Musk visiting Mr. Epstein鈥檚 private island. 鈥淲ill be in the BVI/St Bart鈥檚 area over the holidays. Is there a good time to visit?鈥� Mr. Musk . Earlier, in 2012, the Tesla CEO (and last year the leader of President Trump鈥檚 so-called Department of Government Efficiency) asked Mr. Epstein 鈥淲hat day/night will be the wildest party on your island?鈥� It鈥檚 unclear whether the visits ever took place. On his X last year, Mr. Musk said that 鈥淓pstein tried to get me to go to his island and I REFUSED.鈥�

Les Wexner. The former chief executive of retail conglomerate L Brands has faced scrutiny for his longtime relationship with Mr. Epstein, including tapping the financier to manage his fortune. One in the files names Mr. Wexner as a 鈥渃o-conspirator,鈥� though he has not been charged with a crime. Ms. Giuffre once alleged that Mr. Wexner was one of the people she was trafficked to within Mr. Epstein鈥檚 circle. Mr. Wexner , and has said he broke his ties to Mr. Epstein in 2007. He also accused Mr. Epstein of stealing money from him. He answered questions before members of Congress during a in Ohio on Feb. 18.聽

Bill Gates. Newly released documents include emails Mr. Epstein drafted to himself about the billionaire founder of Microsoft, suggesting that Mr. Gates had engaged with 鈥淩ussian girls.鈥� It鈥檚 not clear whether he ever shared those notes with Mr. Gates. Mr. Gates has called the allegations 鈥渁bsolutely absurd and completely false.鈥� In 2021, he told CNN鈥檚 Anderson Cooper that he regretted his relationship with Mr. Epstein. The New York Times reported in 2019 that Mr. Gates met Mr. Epstein numerous times beginning in 2011. The released files include numerous communications between the two men, as well as photos.

Editor's note: A description of allegations against Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was revised for clarity on Feb. 20, the date of initial publication.