Public Figures With Epstein Ties Are Facing Swift Accountability… In Europe

Members of the political elite are facing near-immediate consequences as the ongoing dump of Jeffrey Epstein files reveals their association with the convicted sex offender.

At least, that’s the case in Europe. In the United States, not so much.

The Epstein documents released by the U.S. Justice Department have led to swift repercussions for public figures in Europe who were found to have ties to the American financier. Accountability has come in the form of political and criminal investigations, as well as ousters from positions of power.

Most high-profile American figures have yet to face serious consequences. There has been some movement: Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers left his position at Harvard University last year. Brad Karp stepped down as chair of the major law firm Paul Weiss, though he remains employed there. The NFL announced an investigation into New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch over his emails with Epstein.

But big names like far-right figure Steve Bannon, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, billionaire Elon Musk and President Donald Trump himself have so far managed to skirt any public reckoning. Trump’s name comes up thousands of times in the latest documents, though Epstein’s victims have not accused the president of any wrongdoing.

“People are losing their jobs in England right now, it is a huge political scandal there,” Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said Monday of the files. “I’m just afraid that the general coarsening and degradation of American life has somehow conditioned people not to take this as seriously as we should be taking it.”

Here are the major European figures who have faced Epstein-related consequences:

Former Prince Andrew is so far the only major figure in Europe who has faced specific allegations of sexual misconduct related to Epstein. The disgraced royal paid millions in 2022 to settle a lawsuit with Virginia Giuffre, a prominent Epstein victim who said the prince sexually assaulted her when she was 17. Giuffre died by suicide last year at 41.

British police said Monday that they are investigating claims that Mountbatten-Windsor also shared confidential trade reports with Epstein while holding public office. The correspondence was among the document batch released last month. King Charles III said he will support police in their probe, though it appears his brother is still staying at the king’s private Sandringham estate.

Mountbatten-Windsor lost his honors, princely title and mansion before the latest Epstein documents were even released. His ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, also shut down her charity last week after the files revealed the former Duchess of York had maintained contact with Epstein while he was in prison, calling him “the brother I have always wished for.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer appointed Mandelson as U.K. ambassador to the U.S. before firing him in September for keeping friendly ties with Epstein even after the latter’s conviction.

Despite downplaying his relationship with the financier, Mandelson maintained contact long after Epstein’s prison term for child sex abuse ended. In 2009, Mandelson sent a message that appeared to call Epstein’s prison release “liberation day.”

Mandelson’s association with Epstein has shaken the U.K. government. British police are now investigating whether the politician passed on sensitive government information to Epstein while holding public office. Mandelson quit the Labour Party and the House of Lords.

Starmer’s chief of staff and his communications director also resigned for advising him to appoint Mandelson as ambassador, though the prime minister himself faces intense backlash over his poor judgment in the appointment. Anas Sarwar, who leads Scotland’s Labour Party, called for Starmer’s resignation on Monday.

Juul resigned on Sunday as Norway’s ambassador to Jordan while the country’s Foreign Ministry investigates her contacts with Epstein. She was suspended from her position days earlier, according to Foreign Minister Espen Barthe Eide.

The resignation came after reports that Epstein left $10 million to the children of Juul and her husband, Rød-Larsen, in a will the financier drew up before his 2019 death in prison.

The ministry is also reviewing its funding of the International Peace Institute while the think tank was led by Rød-Larsen. Eide said the couple, both of whom helped facilitate the Oslo Accords, demonstrated poor judgment in their Epstein ties.

The Norwegian Economic Crime Investigation Service is investigating the country’s former prime minister over whether his recently revealed ties to Epstein resulted in political corruption.

The files included emails between Jagland and Epstein that showed the Norwegian leader made plans to visit the convicted sex offender’s island with his family in 2014, and that an Epstein assistant organized the flights. Jagland was chairing the Norwegian Nobel Committee at the time.

The revelation has resulted in authorities looking into whether Jagland received gifts, travel or loans in connection with his titles. Norwegian broadcaster NRK said that Jagland is cooperating with the probe.

France’s former culture minister has resigned as head of the Arab World Institute in Paris after his reported business ties with Epstein resulted in authorities investigating him for alleged “aggravated tax fraud laundering.”

Lang — who was mentioned more than 600 times in the files, according to The Associated Press — maintained financial ties with Epstein via an offshore company in the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to French investigative news outlet Mediapart. He denies the allegations, his lawyer told RTL radio on Sunday.

The official submitted his resignation before he was set to appear at the French Foreign Ministry, which oversees the institute Lang had led since 2013. The ministry said it has “taken note” of his resignation.

The Slovakian prime minister’s national security adviser resigned on Saturday over last week’s document release that revealed his past communications with Epstein.

The files included messages from 2018 between Epstein and Lajčak, in which the financier appears to offer girls to the veteran politician during a conversation about the then-foreign minister’s meetings with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.

Lajčak said he did not recall the text exchange, but told Radio Slovakia on Monday that he felt like a “fool” reading them again. The official said the conversation about girls was “nothing more than foolish male egos” and “self-satisfied male banter.”