Emails Highlight Jeffrey Epstein and former Trump strategist Connection
In late 2018, Steve Bannon, previously Donald Trump's chief strategist, was in the UK preparing for a speech at the prestigious Oxford Union.
The speech was interrupted by hundreds of demonstrators, and Bannon, scheduled to board a flight that night, told Jeffrey Epstein in an email: "Activists slowed down speech I doubt I can make the plane we r enroute to the airport".
Epstein replied: "That. Is a gulf air departing at 950 with a stop in Bahrain". Bannon replied: "U r an excellent assistant".
These exchanges were released on this week alongside over 20,000 documents from the records of Epstein, the deceased financier convicted of sex crimes.
The disclosure by the Congressional committee includes an iMessage chat where Bannon's name is redacted. The BBC managed to confirm his identity by cross-referencing the dates, events, and locations referenced.
For example, Epstein talks about chartering a jet from Scotland for the redacted user in the chat, and commends their "address at Oxford". Bannon took part in the News Xchange conference on November 14, and delivered the speech at the Oxford two days later.
Bannon, who faces no allegations of any wrongdoing, did not reply on the inquiry.
'I'll make sure you're well looked after'
Bannon was one of the president's key aides in the lead-up to the presidential election and during the initial phase of his first administration, but resigned from the White House in August 2017.
He has admitted he was making a film about Epstein before his passing and allegedly has approximately 15 hours of recordings. In a recording of his show earlier this year, he said: "We plan to release the film, the multi-part documentary, in the coming year - at the start of next year."
But the newly released materials indicate Bannon's connection with Epstein went further than documenting his life, with the disgraced financier occasionally seeming to act like a personal assistant.
A short time prior to the exchange in which Epstein seemed to arranged a charter jet for Bannon, Epstein said: "how does it feel to have the most highly paid booking agent in the world ".
Bannon thanked him: "U r quite capable assistant", to which Epstein replied "Massages. Not Included".
Discussing a trip to "AD" in a separate text, Epstein told Bannon: "I'll make sure you're taken care of."
UK Politics Mentioned in Exchanges
The released messages also reveal Bannon and Epstein discussing UK politics in that year.
Earlier on the day of his speech at the Oxford Union, Bannon messaged Epstein: "I've gotten pulled into the Brexit issue this day with Farage, Johnson and Mogg."
Then, in what appears to be a allusion to Theresa May, the struggling British leader at the time, he added: "The guys are trying to move on. May soon…"
Epstein advised Bannon: "In my view staying as much as you can in the UK. Best-- so others get the dedication of your follow-up."
Soon after, Epstein inquired: "Can Theresa may survive". Bannon replied: "I don't see how BUT the people over here have no balls" and noted "Boris ; Gove; Jacob Rees-Mogg; David Davis - someone has to step up".
May was finally removed in 2019 after surviving two votes of lack of support in late 2018.
A spokesman for Reform UK informed media: "Nigel Farage has never been in a meeting with Steve Bannon, Rees-Mogg and Boris Johnson." And there is nothing to suggest such a meeting occurred.
The Congress will decide next week on whether the justice department should release all its records concerning its probe into Epstein, who passed away in jail in 2019.
Attention in Epstein's relationships with influential individuals was renewed recently after the release of over 20,000 documents from his estate.
A portion of those referenced Trump, who has consistently denied any impropriety. The president was a acquaintance of Epstein's for a long time, but says they fell out in the 2000s, a couple of years before Epstein was initially charged.