Emails Highlight Jeffrey Epstein and former Trump strategist Ties
In November 2018, Steve Bannon, previously a top aide to Donald Trump, was in the UK to deliver a speech at the prestigious Oxford Union.
The event was disrupted by hundreds of protesters, and Bannon, scheduled to travel that evening, told Jeffrey Epstein in an email: "Protesters delayed speech I doubt I can catch the flight we r enroute to the airport".
Epstein replied: "There. Is a gulf air that leaves at 9:50 with a layover in Bahrain". Bannon replied: "U r an excellent helper".
These messages were released on Wednesday alongside more than 20,000 documents from the estate of Epstein, the deceased financier convicted of sex crimes.
The disclosure by the House oversight committee includes an iMessage chat where Bannon's name is redacted. Media outlets has been able to establish his involvement by matching the timeline, events, and places mentioned.
For example, Epstein discusses arranging a jet from the UK for the redacted user in the chat, and offers praise their "Oxford speech". Bannon participated in the Edinburgh conference on 14 November, and gave the speech at the Oxford 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 Trump's closest aides in the lead-up to the 2016 election and during the initial phase of his first administration, but resigned from the administration in 2017.
He has admitted he was making a documentary about Epstein before his death and allegedly has approximately 15 hours of footage. In a recording of his podcast recently, he stated: "We're going to release the series, the multi-part documentary, next year - early next year."
But the recently disclosed documents suggest Bannon's connection with Epstein went further than being his biographer, with the convicted paedophile occasionally seeming to act like a aide.
A few days before the exchange in which Epstein seemed to booked a charter jet for Bannon, Epstein said: "how does it feel to have the most highly paid travel agent in history ".
Bannon thanked him: "You are pretty good asst", to which Epstein responded "Therapies. Excluded".
Discussing a visit to "Abu Dhabi" in a separate text, Epstein told Bannon: "I'll make sure you're taken care of."
British Affairs Discussed in Exchanges
The released messages also reveal Bannon and Epstein talking about UK politics in 2018.
On the same day his address at the Oxford, Bannon messaged Epstein: "I became involved in the EU exit thing this day with Nigel, Johnson and Rees Mogg."
Then, in what appears to be a reference to the UK prime minister, the struggling British leader at the time, he continued: "They are trying to move on. may today / tomorrow…"
Epstein advised Bannon: "I think remaining as much as you can in the UK. Ideal- so people get the dedication of your follow-up."
Soon after, Epstein asked: "Will Theresa May survive". Bannon answered: "I don't see how however the people over here have no balls" and noted "Johnson ; Gove; Rees Mogg; David Davis - someone has to step up".
Theresa May was finally toppled in May 2019 after surviving multiple attempts of no confidence in December 2018.
A spokesman for Reform UK told media: "Farage has never been in a gathering with Bannon, Rees-Mogg and Boris Johnson." And there is no evidence such a meeting occurred.
The Congress will decide next week on whether the Department of Justice should make public all its records related to its investigation into Epstein, who died in jail in that year.
Interest in Epstein's associations with powerful figures was renewed recently after the publication of more than 20,000 documents from his archives.
Some of those referenced the former president, who has repeatedly rejected any wrongdoing. The president was a friend of Epstein's for years, but says they fell out in the early 2000s, a couple of years before Epstein was first arrested.