Messages Highlight the late financier and Steve Bannon Ties
In November 2018, Steve Bannon, formerly a top aide to Donald Trump, visited the UK preparing for a address at the Oxford Union.
The speech was interrupted by numerous demonstrators, and Bannon, scheduled to travel that evening, informed Jeffrey Epstein in an email: "Activists slowed down speech don't think I can catch the plane we r enroute to the airport".
Epstein replied: "There. Is a gulf air departing at 9:50 with a stop in Bahrain". Bannon answered: "You are an excellent assistant".
These exchanges were published on this week alongside over 20,000 pages from the records of Epstein, the late financier convicted of sex crimes.
The disclosure by the House oversight committee contains an text conversation where Bannon's name is withheld. Media outlets managed to confirm his identity by matching the timeline, occurrences, and locations mentioned.
For example, Epstein talks about chartering a plane from the UK for the unnamed individual in the chat, and offers praise their "Oxford speech". Bannon participated in the Edinburgh conference on November 14, and gave the talk at the Oxford two days later.
Bannon, who is not accused of any wrongdoing, did not reply on the inquiry.
'I'll make sure you're well looked after'
Bannon served as the president's key aides in the lead-up to the presidential election and in the early days of his first administration, but resigned from the White House in 2017.
He has acknowledged he was making a documentary about Epstein before his passing and reportedly has approximately 15 hours of recordings. In a live taping of his podcast earlier this year, he stated: "We're going to publish the film, the five-part series, in the coming year - at the start of next year."
But the newly released materials suggest Bannon's relationship with Epstein extended than documenting his life, with the disgraced financier occasionally seeming to act like a personal assistant.
A short time prior to the conversation in which Epstein appeared to have arranged a charter jet for Bannon, Epstein remarked: "how does it feel to have the most highly paid booking agent in the world ".
Bannon expressed gratitude: "You are pretty good assistant", to which Epstein replied "Massages. Excluded".
Discussing a trip to "Abu Dhabi" in another message, Epstein assured Bannon: "I'll make sure you're well looked after."
UK Politics Discussed in Exchanges
The released messages also reveal Bannon and Epstein talking about UK politics in that year.
Earlier on the same day his speech at the Oxford, Bannon messaged Epstein: "I became involved in the EU exit thing this day with Nigel, Boris and Rees Mogg."
Then, in what seems like a allusion to Theresa May, the struggling UK prime minister at the time, he continued: "They are attempting to proceed. May soon…"
Epstein suggested Bannon: "I think remaining as much as you can in the UK. Best-- so others get the commitment of your follow-up."
Shortly after, Epstein inquired: "Will Theresa May remain in power". Bannon replied: "It seems unlikely however the guys over here have no balls" and noted "Boris ; Michael Gove; Jacob Rees-Mogg; David Davis - someone has to step up".
May was finally removed in May 2019 after withstanding two votes of no confidence in late 2018.
A spokesman for the political party informed the BBC: "Farage has never been in a gathering with Steve Bannon, Jacob Rees Mogg and Johnson." And there is nothing to suggest that encounter occurred.
The Congress will decide next week on whether the Department of Justice should release all its records concerning its probe into Epstein, who died in jail in that year.
Attention in Epstein's associations with powerful figures was reignited recently after the release of over 20,000 pages from his archives.
A portion of those mentioned Trump, who has consistently denied any wrongdoing. The leader was a friend of Epstein's for years, but claims they fell out in the 2000s, two years before Epstein was first arrested.