Transcription
Alright, national correspondent Alex Miller for us from New York. Let's turn now to more a bear at some of Silicon Valley's most powerful tech leaders and scientists are mentioned in some cases repeatedly in these files. What exactly do the records show about the nature and the timing contacts between to these high-profile individuals in that state.
Right. So we've known for years that Jeffrey Epstein had friendships or these business relationships with some major tech figures. You named a Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Earlier the same goes for Bill Gates and Tech, a vet investor Peter Thiel. And so we know that Epstein had demonstrated this longstanding interest in not just socializing with tech elite, but the tech elite, but he's he's also made a lot of investments. And behind the scenes moves appearing to try to influence technological innovation. But we're actually learning more about some of the relationships that I just mentioned as well as discovering new names found in these millions of pages of documents the most recent release, for example, on Musk has said on acts that he declined, quote, repeated invitations from Epstein to go to his private island. There are now emails we're seeing from him asking what days last night will be the wildest party on your island. There's also more names like Jeff Bezos, Google co-founder, Sergey Brin LinkedIn, co-founder Reid, Hoffman, the latter half and writing in an email that he sent gifts to Epstein, noting that they were quote for the island, writing that Epstein should try them other for the girls was unclear who is referencing when he mentions the girls or what the rest of that, that message kind of lays out and then pivoting to the science world. There's new information in these files indicating that Epstein maintained this lesson about 30 scientists are academics that he kept in touch with and some of our scientists who contacted Epstein about funding opportunities, professional development while others took it a disturbing step further. One biologist Nathan Wolfe, Rowan 2013 proposing that Epstein fund a sexual behavior study of undergrads to test, quote, Our Horning virus hypothesis. There's details about what exactly that means. And then theoretical physicist from Harvard, Lisa Randall, in an e-mail exchange revealed that she visited his private island in the Caribbean as well. both of these reported by the Nature Journal, so I should know across the board some of these correspondent says that the names that we've mentioned because they're right, they the end of telling so many mentions, some of them are simple scheduling or indirect mentions rather than some of the more egregious details about that. I just laid out. But none of these individuals have been accused or charged with any actions or participation tied to Epstein's abuse and trafficking of plan. Andrew.
The context there is so important when you're talking about the names in these files on interstate, have any of these individuals, some of the folks that you just gone over, explain some of the context surrounding why they would have appeared correspondence with Epstein.
Right. So the context is vastly important. But it's also interesting to look at the dates. These exchanges, regardless of of the contacts, a lot of them on going after Epstein's 2008 conviction. And so that's something that's really telling that people knew about this conviction but continued to engage with him. So that's something that we're learning in the in science world. your question Elon Musk and Reid Hoffman, I have actually engaging in this very public dispute on social media for the last week or so since the files were released over the fact that their names were referenced in the files mask cheering on users on social media that say the half and should be arrested. He also mask went on to say that his email correspondent could correspondence could be misinterpreted. Meanwhile, Hofmann acknowledge that he did meet Epstein on his private island, but he maintains that it was quote for a fundraising visit and that his relationship with Epstein was largely because of fundraising. He wrote on X that interacting with Epstein Post conviction is something I deeply, deeply regret. As for the scientist, the Nature Journal reports that those 2 scientists I mentioned also say they regret not recognizing how inappropriate that association was and are appalled by the extent of the allegations against Epstein. But again, at the end of the day, all this just continues to reveal how he's known. Convicted sex offender remained embedded in these elite networks for years, regardless of the conviction that he had been and raises even more questions about what these folks in these high-profile companies, institutions may or may not have known about his actions. Andrew.