Epstein emails show adviser to powerful

Correspondents sought advice, money from him

By: Josh Meyer
USA Today

WASHINGTON - the emails came at all hours of the day and night from the world's rich and powerful. They all wanted advice from disgraced financier convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, especially after his former friend Donald Trump became president.
..... Political adviser, sure. And, the course, to tap into Epstein's much-toughed - albeit murkily obtained - financial acumen.
..... But there was so ,much more that the boldface names sought from Epstein - and what he gave them in response - according to a USA Today review of the bombshell revelations in the more than 20,000 pages of Epstein emails released November 12 [2025] by the House Oversight Committee.
..... Epstein died in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges in April 2019.
..... "Who is your colonoscopy man?" friend and writer Michael Woliff asked on May 20, 2017, after Epstein nixed a Manhattan breakfast meeting because he was ahivng the procedure. at the time - Woliff was writing a book about Trump's 2016 campaign and his ascension to the White House.
..... Department store scion, Jonathan Farkas, the husband of Trump's ambassador to Malta, asked Epstein on May 8, 2017, what he thought of a woman he was seeing who was not his wife.
..... "careful she is no-trustworthy at ALLL, Epstein said in one of his typically cryptic typo-riddled and shorthand responses. (The periods at the end of Epstein's quotes at the end of sentences have been added by USA Today. Epstein didn't waste his time ending most of his sentences with punctuation.)
..... "a 2 timer?" asked Farkas?
..... "worse," Epstein said
..... "Jeffrey please help me here is she a hooker," Farkas asked.
..... Epstein's response: "alcoholic, drugs, unstable, consummate (sic) liar. CAREFUL."
..... As an aside in the conversation, Farkas mentioned hat his wife, Somers, "got an appointment from Trump" on a White House commission "because she bundled," presumably in reference to collecting Trump presidential campaign contributions.

Seeking relationship advice

..... Epstein bantered regularly with Lawrence Summer, or Larry as he called the former Harvard president and treasury secretary under Bill Clinton, One of their favorite topics was Trump and his transition form real estate mogul to candidate and then president. But Summers also wanted relationship advice from Epstein.
..... In an email March 16, 2019, Summers complained that an unidentified woman with whom he was involved was favoring another man.
..... "I said what are you up to. She said 'I'm busy.' I said awfully coy u are," Summers wrote Epstein, saying the woman had blown off their weekend plans in favor of "guy number 3."
..... "I said ok I got to gall call me when u feel like it. Tone was not of good feeling," Summers wrote. "I didn't want to be in a gift giving competition while begin the friend without benefits."
..... Epstein wrote back minutes later with praise for Summers; response.
..... "shes smart. making you pay for past errors," Epstein wrote. "ignore the daddy I'm going to gou out with the motorcycle guy, ' you reacted well. . annoyed shows caring. , no whining showed strength."
..... When Summers emailed the November before that to say he was going radio silent on another women, Epstein replied: "She's already beginning (sic) to sound needy :) nice."

'Thank you a million times'

..... There was virtually never a stated reason why all of these bigwigs - mostly men but also some women - assumed Epstein would be able to provide insight into whatever was on their minds.
..... Epstein had no college degree; his first job was a math and physics teacher at the elite Dalton School in Manhattan.
..... Despite that unconventional start, and with no clear or easily explainable path to riches, Epstein emerged as a globe-trotting fixer who spent his time shuttling between luxury homes, private jets and his Caribbean island. His financial empire was opague, seemingly built largely on connections, secrecy and he perception of influence.
..... On occasion, the messages hinted at, or outright asked for, money.
..... "Larry, has told me that you and a friend would like to contribute to my project (hallelujah and thank you a million times, Jeffrey) and that I ought to... write up a proposal asking for 500,000," summers; wife Lisa New, wrote in an email October 27, 2014.
..... New, an American literature professor at Harvard,w anted to do "post-production and distribution of a whole historical period of American poetry" from 1914 to 1945, including three TV sidesteps for her "Poetry in America" PBS series.

'Trump is truly stupid'

..... Obama administration White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler, who had famously taken down energy giant Enron as a star Justice department prosecutor, talked about Trump a lot with Epstein.
..... "Trump is truly stupid," Ruemmler wrot4e ion an email July 21, 2017. In another, she said, he was "so gross."
..... In one - email to Ruemmler, Epstein downplayed Trump's wealth, saying, "Donald doesn't really own very much, he rents out his name."
..... In another, Epstein wrote Ruemmler that, "You see, I know how dirty Donald is." that was in response to one of many news articles the two shared with each other, this one about Trump's "high Crimes and Misdemeanors" as outlined in a New York Times column in August 2018.
..... Epstein also liked to introduce his various friends and acquaintances to each other as part of his relentless campaign to cultivate relationships with the rich, powerful and merely famous.
..... It was in that spirit that Epstein introduced Wolff to one of his former defense lawyers, Kenneth Starr, for help with research. Starr had been the independent counsel leading the exhaustive "Whitewater" investigation into Bill and Hillary Clinton in the 1990s while Clinton was president.
..... "With tanks to Jeffrey, I'm delighted to come into your orbit, and look for ward to conversation," Starr wrote to Woliff, in an email shared with Epstein.

Offers of help in return

..... While many of those communicating with Epstein hoped to benefit from their conversation, some - like Woliff - also offered to help the disgraced financier in return.
..... "There's an opportunity to come forward this week and talk about Trump in such a way that could garner you great sympathy and help finish him," Woliff emailed Epstein on October 29, 2016, right before Election Day. "Interested?"
..... There's no indication in the emails that Epstein responded, or that he acted on Woliff's request.

Transparency Note

..... Michael Woliff was a freelance USA Today contributer form 2012 to early 2017. USA Today had no knowledge of any relationship between him and Jeffrey Epstein, nor any actions beyond his submissions for publication. We are committed to integrity and transparency, as we uphold our editorial standards and maintain the trust of our readers.

HOME