Here's Donald Trump's phone number written in Jeffrey Epstein's personal black book from the 1990s. In 2021, Business Insider obtained an address book no one has ever seen before.
Jeffrey Epstein escaped punishment thanks to people included in his address book. This book is interesting because it introduces new characters. We didn't know beforehand that they had contact or cooperated with him
says John Cook, an investigative journalist at Insider.
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Epstein's secret book from the 1990s was found. It contains Donald Trump's number
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Business Insider
Jeffrey Epstein. What's in his address book?
The Trump administration says it will not release any more documents about Epstein. The older address book reminds us of Epstein's extensive ties to prominent figures, including Melania Trump's best friend, Christopher Cuomo's wife and an adviser to the Trump administration during his first term.
At the beginning, we felt that we had to do everything possible to verify that the book was real
– says Angela Wang, a journalist at Insider
-Hello? – asks a male voice on the phone.
— We obtained a copy of an address book that we believe belonged to Jeffrey Epstein. Your name and surname are in the book and contact information, Cook replies.
-Hello? – asks a female voice on the phone.
— I'm an Insider reporter. I am calling all people listed in this address book who have not previously been publicly associated with Jeffrey Epstein. “We need to make sure this is a real artifact that reveals something about Jeffrey Epstein and his connections to these people,” Cook says.
— This story doesn't sound very credible. Someone lost Jeffrey Epstein's address book in the '90s, and now it belongs to some guy on a farm in Vermont, Wang reminds us.
I am very careful not to leave fingerprints on the book or DNA in the form of hair. My name is Christopher Helali. Which way should I look? I currently live on my wife's farm.
As someone who studies national security and imperialism, I was fascinated by the Jeffrey Epstein case.
Some names are highlighted, and one of the most famous names highlighted is President Donald Trump
– says Christopher Helali, collector.
— My name is Denise Ondayko, and I think I found this book in the 1990s. I was walking along Fifth Avenue and noticed a little black book on the sidewalk, says the book's finder.
“Are you pretty sure it was somewhere on 54th Street?” – asks Wang
“Yes, it could have been here or there,” he replies.
“Denise and I talked at length and found her story credible,” says Wang.
—I saw the book, picked it up and looked through it. Chicken. It was full of names like Kennedy, Rockefeller, Trump, and I thought, “Oh man, that's weird.” So I kept it as an artifact of New York, Ondayko recalls.
— Did you know who Jeffrey Epstein was then? – asks the journalist.
– NO. “When I reopened the book last year, I thought, 'Oh shit, it's Jeffrey Epstein,'” she replies.
A billionaire from Manhattan was arrested yesterday on charges of sex trafficking
– thundered the TV journalist.
He is accused of indecent exposure, inappropriate touching and rape
— another journalist reported on television.
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Insider obtained Epstein's hidden book
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Business Insider
The Eppstein Affair. What names were in his address book?
— I went to the New York Times. I sent something to Rachel Maddow. I thought no one was interested. At the end of November, I needed new car brakes, but I had no money. I thought to myself, “What the heck? Fuck you, Jeffrey Epstein. You're going to pay for my brakes.” I put the book on eBay, recalls Ondayko
Anyone could buy it. Most people would think it was a fake or a forgery. I took a risk. When I received the book in the mail, my heart almost jumped out of my chest. I felt like Indiana Jones. It's a dark book. There is a lot of suffering, pain and evil behind it. I felt it was important for people to see who Epstein knew and the network of influence behind him. I'm currently packing up the book for forensic analysis and handing it over to a team of journalists. If it turns out not to be authentic, then it really is an amazing forgery
says Helay.
— One of the moments when the public became aware of the scale of Epstein's crimes was the publication of his address book in 2015. What was surprising was that it included the names of Donald Trump, Mick Jagger, Prince Andrew, Bill Clinton. “It made people realize that this was a man who had access to power,” Cook says.
“We found about 220 new names that did not appear in the second address book,” says Wang.
— If someone wanted to create a fake book, they would start by transferring the names from this other publicly known black book to this one. So we started by comparing names, and then we called people in the book whose names had not previously been linked to Jeffrey Epstein Cook recalls.
— Not everyone in his address book was Jeffrey Epstein's ally. It is rather a supplement to knowledge that allows us to gradually discover the secret, he adds.
— Here are some of the prominent people we contacted. None of them had previously been publicly associated with Epstein, Wang says.
- Suzanne Ircha, Melania Trump's best friend. She later married Woody Johnson, who currently owns the New York Jets
- Carl Icahnspecial adviser to Donald Trump during his first term
- Christina Greenevenwife of Christopher Cuomo
- Jill Hartwho accused Donald Trump of sexual harassment
- Steven Rattner he led Barack Obama's efforts to revive Detroit
- Marty Peretzlongtime mentor of former Vice President Al Gore
- Les Gelb was a legendary New York Times columnist
- Sandy Warner He was chairman and CEO of J.P. Morgan until 2000.
- Billionaire John Catsimatidis he told us he offered Epstein a ride, and Epstein sent him a meter-long bottle of champagne
Epstein's “Black Book” found after decades
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In the 1990s, Epstein was building a large network of influence, evidence of which would later emerge
“We also contacted a forensic specialist who verifies the authenticity of the documents,” says Cook.
Ryan: I was careful because I didn't want to step into an area that was under investigation by the FBI. My name is Dennis Ryan and I am a Document Forensic Specialist. I am convinced that the book dates from 1995 to 2000. One factor was the Gestetner imprint on the binding strip. The company certainly ended production between 1998 and 2000. It would be very difficult to create a book with such a print. The most important thing, however, is the issue of changing the area code
– explains Dennis Ryan, a forensic specialist.
— Here's an address book entry for Donald Trump from the 1990s. You'll notice that his phone numbers in Palm Beach have area code 407. If you look at the Trump address book entry from the early 2000s, you'll see that the phone numbers are the same, but they have a different area code – 561. This number was introduced in 1996. After his death, Jeffrey Epstein remains a mystery says Wang.
Jeffrey Epstein, accused of sex trafficking, is dead
— blared the headlines.
Jeffrey Epstein's attorneys question whether his death was a suicide
– said the TV journalist.
“The key is that Epstein had an extremely large influence, and we're not even sure how much,” Wang admits.
— This book develops a theme that takes place in another era, in another time and with previously unknown people from the circle that helped Jeffrey Epstein escape punishment for raping and abusing women and girls. It is important to remember how power can avoid responsibility says Cook.
The more we remember what Epstein's actions symbolize, the more we can prevent people from avoiding responsibility now and in the future
– he adds.
—What a strange and unexpected turn of events. It's unbelievable. I remember thinking, “Should I keep this book?” If it were something heavy, I probably would have thrown it away – says Ondayko, who found the address book.
—It's an interesting story. The fact that the FBI has one book and the other is on the farm is fascinating. Insider has contacted every person mentioned by name in this video. Suzanne Ircha, Carl Icahn, Cristina Greeven and Elena Hahn declined to comment. Steven Rattner, Les Gelb, Sandy Warner and Elena Barmakova did not respond to numerous emails and phone calls. Michael Cutlip hung up when a reporter asked him about Jeffrey Epstein – says Helali.
— Fourteen people have come forward and confirmed that they met Epstein in the 1990s, including Jill Harth, Marty Peretz and John Catsimatidis. Insider's reporting found no connection between the people listed in Epstein's address book and his crimes, he explains.
