The Epstein files emerged from the United States, but most of their fallout has been concentrated across the Atlantic in Europe. The US Justice Department’s release last month of millions of pages of documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has shocked Europe, with a prince, an ambassador, senior diplomats and top politicians downplaying the revelations.
Newspapers sold in London show headlines about Epstein file, Thursday, February 5, (AP)The files ended careers and sparked political and criminal investigations in multiple countries.
Interestingly, the US is largely left out of the files, even with big names like President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton mentioned in them.
The fall of the United KingdomThe United Kingdom has seen the end of public careers – from Prince Andrew stepping down from the royal family to Peter Mandelson, the country’s former ambassador to the US, resigning from the House of Lords.
Mandelson is now under criminal investigation, while British Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces a leadership crisis over his appointment.
Mandelson, a veteran of the ruling Labor Party and once one of the most influential politicians of his generation, has long downplayed his relationship with Epstein, despite calling him “my best friend” in 2003.
Newly released documents show that contact continued for years after Epstein’s 2008 prison sentence for sex crimes involving a minor. In a July 2009 message, Mandelson referred to Epstein’s release as “Emancipation Day”.
Starmer fired Mandelson as ambassador in September after the earlier revelations. But after the latest revelations, British police have launched a criminal investigation into whether Mandelson committed misconduct in public office by giving Epstein sensitive government information. He resigned from the House of Lords and the Labor Party earlier this week due to the fallout.
PM Starmer has apologized to Epstein’s victims and promised to release public documents he says Mandelson lied about when vetted for the ambassadorship. The prime minister now faces an open revolt from within her own party over what critics have described as a catastrophic failure of judgment.
A royal scandalAs for Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, brother of King Charles III, he lost his military honors, royal title and taxpayer-funded residence before the latest revelations. But with more revelations, he seems to be falling into a deeper hole.
None of the figures, except Andrew, have faced accusations of sexual misconduct. What brought them down was maintaining a friendly relationship with Epstein long after he was a convicted sex offender.
“Epstein collected powerful people the way others collect frequent flyer points. But the receipts are now public, and some might wish they had traveled less,” the Associated Press quoted Mark Stephens, an international and human rights law expert at Howard Kennedy in London, as saying.
Rest of EuropeThe fallout has been far greater in Europe, and few countries have been as destabilized by the Epstein file as Norway.
Norway’s economic crimes unit has launched a corruption investigation into former prime minister Thorbjorn Jagland, who once headed the Nobel Peace Prize committee. His lawyer said Jugland would cooperate with investigators.
Also ensnared is a high-profile diplomatic couple, Mona Jull and Terje Rode-Larsen, key figures in the Oslo accords. Juhl was fired as Norway’s ambassador to Jordan after it was revealed that Epstein left $10 million in a will shortly before his death in a New York prison in 2019.
Another royal scandalPublic confidence in Norway’s monarchy has also been shaken. The files detail friendly, joking exchanges between Epstein and Crown Princess Mate-Merritt, including emails planning visits, dental appointments and shopping trips.
Princess Mette-Merritt is mentioned at least 1,000 times in the last batch of Epstein files. He issued a public apology on Friday, saying he was “sorry to everyone I let down”.
The revelations add to her problems as her son from a previous relationship, Marius Borg Hoibeo, is also facing trial in Oslo on rape charges, which she denies.
The resignation letter fliesIn Slovakia, former foreign minister Miroslav Lajak resigned as national security adviser after documents revealed extensive contacts with Epstein, including with “beautiful” girls. There are messages of discussions and meetings with political leaders.
In Sweden, UN official Joanna Rubinstein resigned following the revelations of Epstein’s 2012 trip to the Caribbean island.
Latvia, Lithuania and Poland have launched wide-ranging official investigations into the documents. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said his government would review files on potential Polish victims and any links between Epstein and Russian intelligence services.
Poland has framed its investigation as a national security issue, citing concerns that Epstein’s operation could be used to collect compromising, compromising material for foreign intelligence services. The document is said to contain thousands of references to Russia and mentions of President Vladimir Putin.
Why is America not affected?The release of documents related to Epstein came after public pressure mounted on the issue in a political crisis for US President Donald Trump’s administration, prompting a rare bipartisan push to open federal investigative files, the Associated Press reported. Yet the long-awaited revelations have not produced the same degree of political consequence in the country, at least so far.
“If you’re in those files, that’s immediately a big story. It suggests to me that we have a more effective media, we have a more effective accountability structure, that there’s still a level of shame in politics,” the AP quoted Rob Ford, a political science professor at the University of Manchester, as saying.
According to Alex Thomas, executive director of the Institute for Government think tank, parliamentary systems increase accountability.
“There’s something about parliamentary democracy that requires a prime minister to have the confidence of parliament, which I think helps drive accountability,” he said.
A handful of high-profile Americans have suffered consequences. Former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers took a leave of absence from an academic role. Brad Karp has resigned as chairman of the law firm Paul Weiss. The NFL is investigating the relationship between Epstein and New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch.
Former President Bill Clinton has been forced to testify before Congress, while Trump faces questions about his past relationship with Epstein.
Neither Clinton nor Trump have alleged wrongdoing by Epstein’s victims.
