Emails Highlight Jeffrey Epstein and former Trump strategist Relationship
In November 2018, Steve Bannon, previously a top aide to Donald Trump, was in the UK to deliver a address at the prestigious Oxford Union.
The speech was disrupted by hundreds of demonstrators, and Bannon, scheduled to board a flight that night, informed Jeffrey Epstein in an message: "Activists delayed my talk I doubt I can catch the plane we are heading to the airport".
Epstein replied: "There. Is a gulf air departing at 9:50 with a stop in Bahrain". Bannon replied: "U r an excellent assistant".
These exchanges were released on Wednesday alongside over 20,000 pages from the estate of Epstein, the deceased financier convicted of sex crimes.
The disclosure by the House oversight committee contains an text conversation where Bannon's identity is redacted. Media outlets managed to establish his involvement by matching the dates, events, and places mentioned.
For instance, Epstein talks about arranging a jet from Scotland for the redacted user in the chat, and commends their "Oxford speech". Bannon took part in the News Xchange conference on 14 November, and delivered the speech at the Oxford Union two days later.
Bannon, who is not accused of any wrongdoing, did not reply on the request for comment.
'I'll make sure you're well looked after'
Bannon was one of the president's closest advisers in the run up to the 2016 election and in the early days of his presidency, but stepped down from the administration in 2017.
He has acknowledged he was making a documentary about Epstein prior to his passing and reportedly has approximately 15 hours of footage. In a recording of his show recently, he stated: "We plan to publish the film, the multi-part documentary, next year - early next year."
But the recently disclosed documents suggest Bannon's relationship with Epstein went further than being his biographer, with the disgraced financier occasionally appearing to serve like a personal assistant.
A few days prior to the conversation in which Epstein appeared to have arranged a charter jet for Bannon, Epstein remarked: "how does it feel to have the most highly paid booking agent in history ".
Bannon expressed gratitude: "You are pretty good assistant", to which Epstein replied "Massages. Excluded".
Discussing a visit to "Abu Dhabi" in another message, Epstein told Bannon: "I will ensure you are taken care of."
UK Politics Discussed in Messages
The published messages also show Bannon and Epstein talking about UK politics in that year.
On the day of his speech at the Oxford, Bannon messaged Epstein: "I've gotten pulled into the EU exit thing this morning with Nigel, Johnson and Rees Mogg."
Then, in what seems like a reference to the UK prime minister, the struggling UK prime minister at the time, he added: "They are attempting to proceed. May soon…"
Epstein advised Bannon: "In my view staying as long as you can uk. Best-- so people get the commitment of your follow-up."
Shortly after, Epstein asked: "Will Theresa may survive". Bannon replied: "It seems unlikely BUT the guys over here have little courage" and noted "Boris ; Michael Gove; Rees Mogg; David Davis - somebody has to step up".
May was eventually toppled in 2019 after surviving two votes of lack of support in December 2018.
A spokesman for Reform UK told media: "Farage has not been in a meeting with Steve Bannon, Rees-Mogg and Boris Johnson." And there is nothing to suggest such a meeting took place.
The US House of Representatives will decide next week on whether the justice department should make public all its records related to its probe into Epstein, who passed away in prison in that year.
Attention in Epstein's relationships with influential individuals was reignited this week after the publication of more than 20,000 pages from his archives.
A portion of those referenced the former president, who has repeatedly rejected any wrongdoing. The president was a acquaintance of Epstein's for a long time, but claims they parted ways in the 2000s, a couple of years prior to Epstein was first arrested.