The heavily redacted calendars show scheduled meetings with a number of prominent figures aligned with President Donald Trump, including tech entrepreneur Peter Thiel and former White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon, as well as tentative meetings with tech leaders Elon Musk and Bill Gates, and Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris….
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In 2021, Gates said that spending time with Epstein had been a “mistake” and that he did so because he believed Epstein could help his philanthropy.
Musk was listed in a calendar entry “reminder” that said he would visit an island on Dec. 6, 2014. A note next to the date asks, “Is this still happening?” At the time, Epstein owned a private island in the Virgin Islands.
The Tesla chief executive feuded with Trump earlier this year after publicly claiming in a social media post that Trump’s name appeared in the government’s Epstein files. He later deleted the post. The White House dismissed Musk’s allegation at the time as a result of bitter feelings about Republican legislation that could hurt Musk’s electric-vehicle business….
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The congressional investigation has been a political headache for Trump, who has said that the probe for new information is a Democratic “hoax.” Trump and Epstein were once friends, but Trump has said he ended the relationship. After Epstein was arrested in 2019, Trump, then in his first term as president, said: “I had a falling-out with him a long time ago. I don’t think I’ve spoken to him for 15 years. I wasn’t a fan.”
In a separate development, committee staff from both parties visited the Treasury Department on Wednesday to view unredacted versions of suspicious activity reports the agency provided to the panel last week. Some lawmakers believe these reports could provide crucial information about people who may have paid Epstein for sex trafficking….