The Department of Justice released an astonishing 3 million documents from the Jeffrey Epstein files on Friday, accompanied by 2,000 videos and approximately 180,000 images. The latest batch included references to celebrities such as Jay-Z, Pusha T, and Harvey Weinstein. However, these mentions did not originate from Epstein's personal records or law enforcement reports. The two rappers and the disgraced Hollywood mogul were named in a tip to the FBI, which was archived as part of the Epstein investigation. This tip does not imply that these individuals were investigated or that they are guilty of any accusations.
According to the DOJ, due to the sweeping nature of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, everything sent to the FBI by the public in relation to the case was slated for release, meaning some of the accusations could be "fake or falsely submitted." An FBI crisis intake report included in the latest Epstein release stated that an anonymous victim claimed she had been drugged and sexually abused by several individuals over the years, with Pusha T (Terrence LeVarr Thornton) being one of her "handlers." The victim also stated that she once woke up in a room with Weinstein and Jay-Z (Shawn Carter), though her memory was clouded due to being drugged in both scenarios.
Representatives for Jay-Z and Pusha T did not immediately respond to Variety's request for comment. Similarly, a rep for Mira Nair, the mother of New York mayor Zohran Mamdani, was also found in the new release. She was mentioned by name in an email from publicist Peggy Siegal to Epstein, where Siegal wrote that she saw Nair at an after-party for the 2009 film "Amelia," which Nair directed. The email implies no wrongdoing or investigation. A rep for Nair did not immediately respond to Variety's request for comment.
The files also included messages between Casey Wasserman, chairman of the LA28 Olympics committee, and Ghislaine Maxwell, who was found guilty of child sex trafficking in connection with Epstein. In one correspondence, Maxwell offered Wasserman a massage that could "drive a man wild." In a statement obtained by Variety, Wasserman said his interactions with Maxwell occurred "over two decades ago" and were "long before her horrific crimes came to light." He also denied any connection to Epstein, stating that he never had a personal or business relationship with him and that he went on a humanitarian trip with the Clinton Foundation in 2002 on the Epstein plane.
After a rare bipartisan push from Congress, President Donald Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act into law in November, which has since brought a surge of previously sealed material on the Epstein investigation into the public eye. Trump has his own complicated past with the late New York financier but has adamantly denied any knowledge of his criminal behavior. Throughout Trump's second term, the Epstein files have remained a cultural and political hot topic, referenced on everything from "Saturday Night Live" to "South Park."
