On Friday, January 30, the U.S. Department of Justice released over 3 million additional pages from the files of the convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, including more than 2,000 videos and approximately 180,000 images. This new wave of documents, released under the mandate of a law passed by the U.S. Congress, includes the names of many dozens of members of the international elite who were linked to Epstein, demonstrating the extent of the network built by the financier. This network, cemented by Epstein’s sex trafficking of minors, sheds a harsh light on the corruption and impunity of the ruling class.

Epstein, a New York financier with close ties to numerous political and economic leaders, was indicted in 2019 for sex trafficking of minors. He died a few weeks later in his prison cell, officially by suicide, but under unclear circumstances. The trafficking operation he had built involved recruiting young teenage girls, who were invited to “parties” at Epstein’s private properties (in Manhattan, Palm Beach, or on his Caribbean island), where they were sexually abused by him and his guests. This system was conceived as a service that Epstein offered to his associates, sometimes in private encounters. Much of Epstein’s vast network of connections and allies was built on this sex trafficking scheme, although the documents currently published do not allow for a definitive determination of who actually participated.

For several months, successive declassifications (emails, messages, photos, and videos) have fueled the anger of a segment of public opinion, including within the MAGA sphere, further weakening Trump and dividing his coalition. This new tranche of information, however, far from providing real clarity, has only added to the confusion with its arbitrary selection of documents and their opaque redaction by the Department of Justice. The information contained in this new wave of releases nevertheless marks a turning point, revealing the clearly international nature of the Epstein network: the case is no longer limited to a few New York financiers or American elites, but now includes links to sectors of the ruling classes in numerous imperialist countries.

A wave of Resignations

The political consequences of these new revelations have unfolded with incredible speed and have been followed by a series of resignations across Europe. In Slovakia, former Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajčák resigned from his position as advisor to Prime Minister Robert Fico after the revelation of messages exchanged with Epstein in 2018, in which Epstein promised him women. In the United Kingdom, pressure mounted on several key figures: Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that Peter Mandelson, former European Commissioner, former minister under Tony Blair, and former ambassador to Washington, had “betrayed” and “let down his country” after the publication of emails demonstrating regular contact with Epstein, even after his initial conviction in 2008, revealing confidential British government information. These revelations — including a photograph of him in his underwear, and documents indicating that he allegedly received £75,000 (€86,775) in payments from Epstein — led to Mandelson’s resignation from the Labour Party.

The British monarchy is also directly affected: Prince Andrew, already stripped of his royal titles for his ties to Epstein, is once again in the spotlight after the publication of a photograph showing him in a compromising position over a young woman or girl lying on the floor. His ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, is also implicated for having received money from Epstein and for maintaining friendly relations with him despite his conviction.

In Norway, the revelations also triggered a political earthquake: Crown Princess Mette-Marit, whose name appears at least a thousand times in the documents, issued a public apology for what she called an “embarrassing friendship” with Epstein, and according to a recent poll, nearly half of Norwegians now oppose her becoming queen. Beyond the princess, the affair also implicates former Labour Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland, who appears to have met Epstein on several occasions and vacationed with his family at his Palm Beach residence in 2014 and 2017, as well as Børge Brende, former foreign minister and current president of the World Economic Forum in Davos, who acknowledges having met Epstein several times and says he regrets not having examined his past more closely.

In Sweden, the Epstein Files also led to the immediate resignation of Joanna Rubinstein, president of Sweden for UNHCR, after the revelation of her 2012 visit to Epstein’s private island in the Caribbean, accompanied by her family. She claimed she had not grasped the extent of the crimes.

Meanwhile, in France, several names have emerged or been confirmed. The most publicized case is that of Caroline Lang, daughter of former Minister of Culture Jack Lang, who resigned as president of the Independent Producers Union after the publication of documents attesting to direct business ties with Epstein. These ties notably involve the creation of a company in a tax haven and offshore real estate transactions for tax optimization purposes. Here too, the relationship between Caroline Lang and Epstein took place after Epstein’s first conviction, in which he pleaded guilty to soliciting and engaging in child prostitution.

The documents also cite former Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire, banker Ariane de Rothschild, mathematician and former MP Cédric Villani, who wrote to Epstein in 2017, and Olivier Colom, former diplomatic advisor to Nicolas Sarkozy, who exchanged racist and sexual emails with Epstein.

An email exchange from 2018, sent by a journalist to Epstein, also indicates that Steve Bannon met with Louis Aliot, then Marine Le Pen’s partner, to discuss the financing arrangements for the National Rally (RN), although the available evidence does not establish that the party officially solicited or received these funds. Again, the mere mention of these names does not constitute proof of criminal activity, but the collection paints a picture: that of sectors of the French bourgeoisie and elites, perfectly integrated into Epstein’s networks of influence. These links with European elites add to the already known evidence of Epstein’s close ties with several Israeli and American leaders.

A Thorn in Trump’s Side

In the United States, the affair has plunged Donald Trump and his entourage back into the eye of the storm. His name appears tens of thousands of times in the new documents, directly or indirectly, as well as the names of several of his advisors who maintained close ties with Epstein throughout his political career. The resurgence of the Epstein affair could not have come at a worse time for Trump, who has been weakened by a historic uprising in Minneapolis against ICE, which is already beginning to have political repercussions. Just last week, in fact, Trump and his party faced a resounding electoral defeat in the Republican stronghold of Texas. Steve Bannon, a central figure in the MAGA network and strategist for the international far right, also appears repeatedly in the file, revealing a close relationship with Epstein.

Already mentioned in previous declassifications, Elon Musk appears again in the documents published Friday, which reveal that, contrary to his earlier claims, he had repeatedly considered visiting Epstein’s island in 2012, even inquiring when “the party would be the wildest .” More broadly, the documents reveal Epstein’s ability to bring together figures from seemingly opposing political camps. The presence of Noam Chomsky, a prominent American intellectual and anarchist, who is revealed to have tried to reassure Epstein about the sex trafficking allegations against him, but who also appears in exchanges with Steve Bannon, illustrates this strange political dynamic. Other names, such as Michael Jackson, Bill Clinton, and Larry Summers, had already been revealed in previous documents. Bill and Hillary Clinton, after having long refused, have finally agreed to testify under oath before a Congressional committee on the matter, illustrating a widespread desire to hold the American political class accountable.

Demand An Independent Investigation

These new revelations reveal clearly the international nature of the Epstein network. Far from being a scandal confined to New York or a few American figures, the affair shows the close ties between sectors of the bourgeoisie in the main imperialist countries. If this network was able to reach such a scale, it was not simply because of Epstein’s wealth, but because that wealth permanently entrenched him in circles where mutual protection operates.

Even though public accusations against him had been leveled since 1996 and his 2008 conviction for sexual crimes was well-established and widely known, these events never led to a break in his social connections. Until his death, Epstein remained fully integrated into the social circles of the ruling classes and continued to be received, invited, and hosted by European political figures, members of royal families, leaders of international institutions, tech billionaires, bankers, and media intellectuals, all linked by opaque business relationships and funding. In the ruling classes, impunity is not an anomaly, but a common product of class solidarity. It is neither a secret conspiracy nor a satanic cult that explains the magnitude of the Epstein scandal, but the workings of capitalism itself, where the accumulation of wealth by a minority allows them to buy their immunity and organize or profit from the worst forms of sex trafficking.

The Epstein affair is an extreme example of the pervasive corruption of the bourgeoisie on an international scale, and of the impunity enjoyed by its members within the capitalist system. The sex trafficking organized by the financier was one of the means by which he lured new billionaires and other members of the bourgeoisie to expand his network. Through this network, Epstein had become an indispensable intermediary in financial, diplomatic, and artistic circles: the “parties” and other gatherings he organized were then a crucial venue for socializing, exchanging favors, and settling business deals for certain segments of the global ruling classes.

In this context, the investigation into the crimes committed by Epstein and his associates cannot be left in the hands of a state controlled by this same bourgeoisie. Far from satisfying the victims’ need for justice, recent publications have been a further act of violence: hundreds of them have denounced the release of their names, personal identifying information, and nude photographs, sometimes unredacted, without their consent or adequate protection. Some forty photos of young, possibly teenage, nude women from Epstein’s “personal collection” have thus been made public. This exposure adds to the sexual violence they have suffered and demonstrates once again that state institutions prioritize the political management of the scandal over the protection of victims.

This is precisely where the question arises of forms of justice capable of breaking with this logic, and of not depending on institutions designed by and for the dominant classes, which have historically protected them by organizing their impunity. In this sense, we must demand an independent commission of inquiry, free from state control and organized by workers and the popular classes, which are not only the only way to establish the truth, but also to place victims at the heart of the process by directly involving them in the investigations.

This article was first published in French on February 4 in Révolution Permanente

It was translated and adapted for a U.S. audience.

The post Latest Epstein Files Shine Harsh Light on International Bourgeoisie appeared first on Left Voice.

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