“I think you might suggest to Putin that [Siergiej] Lavrov gained insight into the conversation with me,” Epstein wrote in an e-mail dated June 24, 2018, to Thorbjorn Jagland, former Prime Minister of Norway, who headed the Council of Europe at the time of the exchange of correspondence.
In the email exchange, one of hundreds released Wednesday by congressional investigators, Epstein indicated that he had previously discussed Trump with Vitaly Churkin, the influential Russian ambassador to the United Nations, who died in 2017.
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What contacts did Jeffrey Epstein have?
What did Epstein say about Trump in emails?
How did the White House react to the leaked emails?
Who contacted Epstein about Trump?
Dozens of email exchanges
“Churkin was great,” Epstein wrote. “After our conversations, he understood Trump. It's not complicated. You have to see him to understand something, it's that simple.”
The exchange was one of dozens that show Epstein's extraordinary network of international associates with whom he frequently corresponded about Trump's policy decisions during his first term.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the emails, but press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a briefing Wednesday that the broader set of emails “proves absolutely nothing other than that President Trump did nothing wrong.”
Trump later wrote on Truth Social: “Democrats are trying to bring up the Jeffrey Epstein hoax again because they will do anything to distract from how poorly they handled the government shutdown.” He was referring to the US government shutdown.
In the emails, Jagland wrote that he was meeting with Lavrov's assistant the next day and would suggest contacting Epstein. It is unclear whether anything resulted from the proposed contact.
Epstein boasted about his contacts
Epstein, however, later spoke out about Trump's disastrous meeting with Putin, which drew criticism around the world for its apparent capitulation to the Russian dictator.
“Do the Russians have anything against Trump? Today was a terrifying day even by his standards,” wrote Larry Summers, former Treasury secretary in the Clinton administration and economic adviser to the Obama administration, in an email to Epstein on July 16, 2018, the day of the Helsinki summit with Putin.
“My mailbox is full of comments like this. Wow,” Epstein replied the next day. “I'm sure he thinks everything went super well. He thinks he's charmed his opponent… Admittedly, he has no idea about symbolism. He has no idea about most things.” He also called the way Trump handled the summit with Putin “predictable.” Summers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Days later, Epstein boasted about his foreign contacts in an email exchange with former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, telling him in a July 23, 2018 message that Bannon needed to have a physical presence in Europe to exert influence on the continent.
“If you want to play here you have to put in the time, Europe doesn't work remotely,” Epstein wrote. He also told Bannon he could arrange one-on-one meetings with foreign leaders but would have to stay for a few days.
“I'm afraid you'll raise their hopes and emotions and then abandon them. I think you want to be an insider, not an outsider who comes and goes.” Bannon's representative declined to comment.
Epstein often relied on his foreign contacts to learn their opinions about Trump, obsessively monitoring the new president's activities. Other times, he simply bragged about his deep connections around the world in emails to other colleagues.
“Can you believe MBS sent me a tent, carpets and everything else,” Epstein wrote to billionaire Tom Pritzker in December 2016, referring to Mohammed bin Salman, the current crown prince of Saudi Arabia.
“Tent? Hmmm…” Pritzker replied. “I think it's code for 'I love you'. Or maybe code for 'go get stuffed.' Better check your urban dictionary [Królestwa Arabii Saudyjskiej]” Pritzker did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Influential businessman on Epstein's list
A year before he asked Jagland for help with the Russians, Jagland asked Epstein to visit him in Strasbourg, France, so Epstein could help him “better understand Trump and what's going on in American society.”
Among Epstein's international contacts was Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, a businessman based in the United Arab Emirates. Sulayem asked Epstein two weeks before Trump's first inauguration whether he should “accept the invitation” extended to him by Trump associate Tom Barrack, who oversaw the event. Barrack did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Epstein replied that it would be “very busy,” but it might be worth networking in Washington or New York before and after the festivities.
“Do you think it will be possible to shake Trump's hand?” Sulayem replied. It is unclear whether Epstein responded.
Saudi Arabian officials declined to immediately respond to a request for comment, and the Russian embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Jagland could not be reached for comment, and Sulayem did not respond to a request sent to his Instagram account.
