Global fallout from newly released Epstein files prompts resignations and renewed calls for cooperation

WorldPolitics
1 Feb 2026 • 9:36 AM MYT
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NEWLY disclosed U.S. government files on Jeffrey Epstein have triggered the resignation of a senior Slovakian official and renewed calls in Britain for Prince Andrew, formerly known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, to cooperate with authorities investigating Epstein’s international connections.

AP cited on Sunday that the disclosures emerged just a day after the Justice Department began publishing a vast trove of records, comprising over three million pages of documents, more than 2,000 videos, and 180,000 images.

The files offer unprecedented detail about Epstein’s interactions with influential figures across business, politics, and philanthropy following his earlier conviction for sex crimes in Florida.

Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico accepted the resignation on Saturday of Miroslav Lajcak, his national security adviser and a former president of the U.N. General Assembly. Lajcak, who has not been accused of any wrongdoing, stepped down after photographs and emails revealed meetings with Epstein in the years after Epstein’s release from jail.

“His contacts with Epstein were part of his diplomatic duties,” Lajcak said. Nevertheless, mounting pressure from opposition parties and a nationalist partner in Fico’s coalition prompted his departure.

Among the documents are emails showing Epstein inviting Lajcak to dinner in 2018, and an invitation to former Obama White House general counsel Kathy Ruemmler for a meeting with Epstein, Lajcak, and former Trump adviser Steve Bannon.

The disclosures have also reignited calls for Mountbatten-Windsor to cooperate with U.S. investigators.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer suggested the former prince should “tell American investigators whatever he knows about Epstein’s activities.”

Mountbatten-Windsor has so far ignored a request from the U.S. House Oversight Committee for a transcribed interview regarding his “long-standing friendship” with Epstein.

The newly released records provide a window into Epstein’s extensive network.

Emails reveal his correspondence with Trump advisers, New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch, and prominent figures in business and technology, including Bill Gates and Elon Musk.

Other documents detail investigations that led to Epstein’s 2019 sex trafficking charges and the 2021 conviction of his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence.

The files also shed light on earlier FBI investigations.

A draft indictment from 2007 indicated prosecutors planned to charge Epstein and three of his personal assistants after multiple underage girls reported being paid for sexualised massages.

Interviews describe disturbing tasks carried out by estate employees, including handling cash, placing a gun near Epstein’s bed, and cleaning up after encounters with underage girls.

Despite this, Alexander Acosta, the U.S. attorney in Miami at the time, approved a plea deal that allowed Epstein to avoid federal prosecution, resulting instead in an 18-month state sentence for soliciting prostitution from someone under 18.

Epstein’s private emails further reveal interactions with Mountbatten-Windsor, including attempts to arrange a date in 2010. Epstein wrote: “I have a friend who I think you might enjoy having dinner with.”

The former prince replied that he “would be delighted to see her.” Epstein added: “She 26, Russian, clevere (clever) beautiful, trustworthy and yes she has your email.”

Criticism has been directed at the Justice Department over its handling of the disclosure. One group of Epstein accusers said the new files make it easy to identify victims while obscuring those who may have been complicit in Epstein’s crimes.

Maryland Representative Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, has called for unredacted files to be provided to Congress to determine whether redactions unlawfully shielded individuals from scrutiny.

The records underscore Epstein’s connections with powerful figures, including former Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, though none of his publicly identified victims have accused either of wrongdoing.

Epstein died by suicide in a New York jail in August 2019, a month after being indicted. Virginia Roberts Giuffre, a prominent Epstein victim who had sued Mountbatten-Windsor, died by suicide last year at age 41.- February 1, 2026