The "Epstein Files" are the most salient episode in the unprecedented clash between Elon Musk and Donald Trump.
Elon Musk, in an escalation of threatening posts that the two exchanged within a few hours, dropped what he himself called a "really big bombshell" on X.
“Donald Trump is in the Epstein files. This is the real reason they haven’t been made public. Have a great day, DJT,” Musk tweeted. Then, in another post, he added, “Bookmark this post. The truth will come out.”
What was Musk referring to?
The so-called "Epstein files" are a vast collection of court documents, diaries, phone contacts, recordings related to New York financier Jeffrey Epstein, arrested in July 2019 for sex trafficking of minors and who committed suicide in his cell a month later.
Epstein was accused of having created, in the early 2000s, a harem of girls aged 13 to 15, used to satisfy the sexual pleasures of a small circle of friends.
There are four main investigation files.
The "Black Book", Epstein's personal address book in which the millionaire had written hundreds of names and phone numbers of influential people, including politicians, businessmen and Hollywood stars, from former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, tycoons Les Wexner, Richard Branson, David Rockefeller and Rupert Murdoch, actors Alec Baldwin, Chris Tucker, singer Mick Jagger and designer Tom Ford.
Those on the list, investigators have specified, do not directly imply involvement in the sexual network created by the financier.
The second file concerns the “log,” the flight log on his private jet, the Lolita Express, used to transport high-profile ‘guests’ to his properties, including a private island in the Virgin Islands.
The third file concerns the testimonies of victims and collaborators.
The fourth file contains documents from civil and criminal cases against Epstein and his former girlfriend and associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Trump's name had actually already come up in the investigation because it was mentioned in the phone book.
One site listed the tycoon's cellphone number and that of other family members, including his children Ivanka, Donald Jr. and Eric.
There is currently no concrete evidence in the flight logs that Trump boarded the Lolita Express.
In the 1990s, the tycoon had praised his friendship with Epstein, recalling that both liked “beautiful women, even young ones.” Then, with the financier’s arrest in 2019, Trump distanced himself.
However, Musk, with his post, suggests that there could be sensational revelations regarding the president of the United States and that they would have been covered up by the Department of Justice, led by Pam Bondi, who in turn was accused by the opposition of being under Trump's orders.
Bondi had previously announced her intention to release the investigation files, but then limited herself to showing only a few excerpts, provoking protests from the president's supporters.
For years, the conspiracy theorist base of the “Trumpian Maga” movement had accused Democrats of covering up everything in order to not reveal the involvement of big liberals.
Among the people mentioned by witnesses were Prince Andrew, former President Bill Clinton and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.