- UK scandal widens, engulfing senior Labour figures and former royal
- No political resignations in Washington, but prominent private figures have stepped down
ISTANBUL
A massive new release of Jeffrey Epstein documents is triggering political fallout across several countries, with senior officials resigning, governments facing internal crises and fresh investigations launched into past ties with the disgraced financier.
On Jan. 29, the US Department of Justice released about 3 million pages of records related to Epstein, renewing scrutiny of his sexual abuse network and his contacts with high-profile figures worldwide.
Since the release, public officials in Europe have stepped down, political leaders have faced mounting pressure and institutions have opened reviews into past associations with the convicted sex offender.
While the appearance of a name in the records does not in itself establish criminal liability, the disclosures are already carrying political and institutional consequences across multiple countries.
Epstein died by suicide in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges involving underage girls.
UK
The scandal has had its most dramatic political impact in the United Kingdom, where the revelations have snowballed into one of the country’s biggest political crises in years.
Former minister and UK ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson resigned from the Labour Party on Feb. 1 following new disclosures about his ties to Epstein. As the controversy deepened, he also stepped down from the House of Lords on Feb. 4.
Documents indicate that three payments of $25,000 each were made in 2003 and 2004 to accounts linked to Mandelson. Emails in the files also suggest he forwarded internal government information to Epstein while serving as business secretary in 2009.
In a letter, Mandelson said he felt “regretful and sorry” about the renewed controversy.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer had already dismissed him as ambassador last September over earlier revelations, but the latest disclosures triggered further fallout inside the government.
Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, resigned after admitting he had advised Mandelson’s appointment and taking responsibility for what he called a “wrong” decision. Within a day, communications director Tim Allan also stepped down.
The affair escalated when Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar publicly called for Starmer to resign, saying the controversy was damaging the party ahead of key elections. So far, Starmer has resisted calls to step down.
The crisis has also renewed scrutiny of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, who was stripped of his royal titles last year. Newly released documents appear to show he sent confidential material to Epstein in 2010 while serving as a trade envoy. Police said they were assessing the information, while King Charles, his brother, said he would support any investigation.
Norway
In Norway, the files have prompted resignations, investigations and calls for a wider inquiry.
Ambassador to Jordan and Iraq Mona Juul stepped down after her contact with Epstein came under scrutiny.
“Juul’s contact with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein revealed a serious lapse in judgment,” Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said in a statement Monday announcing her resignation. “The situation makes it difficult to restore the trust that the role requires.”
Juul, who has said her contact with Epstein stemmed from her husband’s relationship with him and was limited and private in nature, said she was cooperating fully with an inquiry.
Her husband, diplomat Terje Rod-Larsen, had already resigned as president of the International Peace Institute in 2020 after acknowledging it was a serious error to have a financial relationship with Epstein.
The documents have also placed several prominent Norwegian figures under scrutiny.
Former foreign minister and World Economic Forum president Borge Brende faces questions over past contacts with Epstein, while former prime minister and Nobel committee chair Thorbjorn Jagland is under investigation over alleged financial ties, which he denies.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit has also apologized for maintaining contact with Epstein after his 2008 conviction, calling the association a “deeply regrettable” mistake.
This week, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store backed a parliamentary commission to examine Norway’s connections to the case, stressing the need for full transparency.
Slovakia
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico accepted the resignation of national security adviser Miroslav Lajcak after Epstein-related communications surfaced.
The documents included a 2018 exchange, when Lajcak was serving as foreign minister, that referenced women and a planned meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Lajcak said he was stepping down not because of criminal or unethical conduct, but to spare the government political repercussions.
In later comments to Radio Slovakia, he said he regretted the exchange, describing it as a private conversation that reflected poor judgment.
Lajcak said the messages amounted to “foolish male banter,” referring to remarks about women. Lajcak added that his communication with Epstein involved words only, not actions.
France
In France, former Culture Minister Jack Lang resigned as president of the Paris-based Arab World Institute after renewed scrutiny of his past contacts with Epstein and the launch of a preliminary financial probe.
French authorities confirmed that a preliminary probe had been opened into Lang after documents linked to Epstein resurfaced.
French media reported that Lang had remained in occasional contact with Epstein and had at times sought logistical assistance. Lang has denied any knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activities.
His daughter, film producer Caroline Lang, also stepped down as head of the Independent Production Union amid media attention over her own past association with Epstein.
She described herself as “incredibly naive,” saying she had viewed Epstein as an “acquaintance” and “generous sponsor” and had not known about his crimes.
The revelations have sparked broader political debate, with left-wing lawmakers calling for a parliamentary inquiry into possible French links to the case.
However, the National Assembly president opposed the idea, warning it could interfere with the judicial process. President Emmanuel Macron also sought to distance France from the scandal, saying it was “a matter that mainly concerns the United States.”
Sweden
Joanna Rubinstein resigned as chair of Sweden for UNHCR after newly unsealed documents revealed she had visited Epstein’s private island.
According to records, in 2012, Rubinstein visited Epstein’s private island with her family and later thanked him in an email, describing the stay in positive terms. At the time of the visit, Epstein had already been convicted of sex crimes.
"I was aware of the verdict at the time of the visit. What has subsequently emerged about the extent of the abuse is appalling and something I strongly distance myself from," Rubinstein told Swedish daily Expressen.
A spokesperson for the Swedish UNHCR said she stepped down following the media reports and that the board had not previously been aware of the contact.
US
In the US, the political fallout has been more limited, though some officials have come under pressure.
Several members of Congress have called for Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to resign after documents suggested more extensive business ties with Epstein than previously acknowledged. The White House said the administration remained confident in him.
The files also include hundreds of references to President Donald Trump, who had been socially close to Epstein until the early 2000s. The Justice Department said it found no credible information warranting further investigation into allegations involving Trump, who has denied wrongdoing.
In the private sector, some figures have stepped down.
Brad Karp stepped down as chairman of major US law firm Paul Weiss after newly released Epstein-related documents showed apparent email exchanges between him and Jeffrey Epstein, The New York Times reported.
The disclosures indicated he had visited Epstein’s New York residence, exchanged multiple emails with him and sought assistance in connection with a possible film opportunity for his son.
The firm said Karp never witnessed or participated in misconduct and described his past contact with Epstein as limited.
David Ross also resigned as a department chair at the School of Visual Arts in New York after emails revealed correspondence with Epstein.
Ross, a former director of the Whitney Museum of American Art and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, said in a statement he was “ashamed” of his past association and described his outreach to Epstein as a “terrible mistake of judgment.”
He said he had not been aware of the full extent of Epstein’s crimes at the time of their contact.