Re: [Salon] Fwd: Jeffrey Epstein Had Access to Trump’s Inner Circle, While Working With Steve Bannon

[Mayraj Fahim <fmayraj@yahoo.com>]

https://bylinetimes.com/2025/11/14/steve-bannon-offered-trumps-maga-as-shield-for-jeffrey-epstein/
Steve Bannon Offered Trump’s MAGA as Shield for Jeffrey Epstein
Jeffrey Epstein helped shape Trump’s MAGA movement through a secret alliance with its chief architect, Steve Bannon, who told him it could help him “stave off Time’s Up for a decade” in return for strategic and financial support
On Thursday, November 20, 2025 at 01:32:04 AM GMT+5, Chas Freeman via Salon <salon@listserve.com> wrote:


https://bylinetimes.com/2025/11/17/jeffrey-epstein-had-access-to-trumps-inner-circle-while-working-with-steve-bannon/
 

Jeffrey Epstein Had Access to Trump’s Inner Circle, While Working With Steve Bannon
Emails and text messages reveal Jeffrey Epstein had a direct line into Donald Trump’s inner circle while Bannon worked to rehabilitate him in the hours before his arrest 

Nafeez Ahmed

17 November 2025

 

Private messages obtained from Jeffrey Epstein’s communications archive and released by the House Oversight Committee show that months before his arrest, he had a direct line into President Donald Trump’s inner circle during his first administration. The messages ramped up as his former chief strategist Steve Bannon was working to rehabilitate Epstein’s public image in the hours leading up to the convicted sex offender’s final arrest in July 2019.

Messages from March that year show Epstein passing Bannon detailed sensitive information about private tensions inside Trump’s White House — including the President’s frustrations with Vice President Mike Pence, his view that Mike Pompeo would be a better running mate, and a specific internal dispute in which Trump asked John Kelly and Jared Kushner to try to remove one another. The files confirm that Epstein had knowledge only available to the President, very senior advisors, family insiders, or someone with direct access to them. None of this was public at the time, but each element emerged months later through media reporting, indicating that Epstein had access to Trump’s inner circle – a revelation which sits uneasily with Trump’s claim to have cut him off years earlier.

The messages also show that around this time Bannon was helping the convicted sex offender – charged with operating a vast international sex trafficking ring involving underage girls – to prepare a documentary intended to relaunch his reputation. This included plans to film on Epstein’s private Caribbean island, with the two men coordinating schedules until moments before Epstein was taken into federal custody. Just a week prior to his arrest, Epstein sent a message to Bannon appearing to show that he believed Trump was aware, or would be aware, of their ongoing relationship.

Alongside these exchanges, the archive places Epstein inside Bannon’s wider political operations. In 2018, internal briefings on Bannon’s efforts to build a European alliance of right-wing parties – which named Matteo Salvini, Viktor Orban and Nigel Farage – were circulated to Epstein as part of a shared email thread. Other messages show Epstein offering political guidance as Bannon followed the prosecution of Paul Manafort and discussed senior State Department figures and foreign diplomats.

Together, the communications show that Epstein remained in active political and strategic contact with one of the most influential figures of the Trump movement – with Donald Trump, according to Epstein, aware of the connection as it unfolded.

Epstein’s Direct Line Into the Trump Inner Circle
On 12 March 2019, during a sequence of messages sent within minutes of each other, Epstein reported Donald Trump’s private views about Vice President Mike Pence and other senior advisers.

At 14:46:08, Epstein wrote:

“Djt. Now really down on pence”

At 14:46:55, he added:

“thinks Pompeo would be better vp”

At 14:47:12:

“Says pence not really loyal”

And at 14:47:38:

“And yes he did ask Kelly to get rid of jared , and then jared to get rid of Kelly. Par for the course”

Bannon responded in real time, beginning at 14:46:31:

“How did u hear and why is he”

Two minutes later, at 14:50:06, he replied:

“This is why things f***ed up”

And at 14:50:17:

“Pompeo much better VP”

These details – including Trump’s consideration of replacing Pence with Mike Pompeo and the President’s internal manoeuvring between John Kelly and Jared Kushner – were not public at the time. They would have been known only to senior officials or individuals with direct access to them.

Taken together, the messages show Epstein receiving and sharing highly sensitive internal White House information within minutes, months before any of it surfaced publicly. 

A message sent on 28 June 2019 shows Jeffrey Epstein appearing to tell Steve Bannon that Donald Trump was aware of their ongoing political relationship. In the middle of an exchange about Israeli politics, Epstein wrote at 10:58 AM:

“Now you can understand why Trump wakes up in the middle of the night sweating when he hears you and I are friends.”

Bannon replied one minute later, at 10:59 AM:

“Dangerous.”

The remark, although ambiguous, appears to show that Epstein believed the President himself was aware of Epstein’s relationship with Bannon. It came after months of private political communications in which Epstein relayed detailed, non-public information about internal tensions inside the Trump White House – material demonstrating that Epstein had a direct line into the President’s inner circle, and was passing that intelligenceto Bannon in real time.

A separate previously reported messaging thread throws light on why Epstein thought Trump would be anxious about his connection to Bannon. Epstein had told an unidentified associate in early December 2018: “yes thx. its wild. because i am the one able to take him down.”

The remark reflects Epstein’s belief that his longstanding personal proximity to Trump, combined with Bannon’s influence over the pro-Trump movement, placed the two men in a position Trump might still benefit from but not fully control. Epstein appeared to see Trump’s unease stemming from the potential leverage – and risk – created by their collaboration.

These exchanges raise questions about Trump’s insistence that he severed all ties with Epstein long before coming to power in 2016 – and Republican claims that the files shed no light on their relationship. Far from being estranged, Epstein seems to have been aware of Trump’s private thinking and internal tensions at the highest levels of the White House, and appears to have told Bannon the President knew, or would know, they were in contact.

They raise urgent questions about whether Trump knew about Epstein’s work with Bannon, and if so how much he knew.

The White House, the Office of Donald J. Trump and the State Department did not respond to requests to answer these questions.

Epstein Inside Bannon’s European Project: Farage, Salvini and Orban
Separate communications from July 2018 show that Jeffrey Epstein had visibility into Steve Bannon’s plans to build a Europe-wide alliance of populist and far-right leaders – including UK politician Nigel Farage – through material being passed to him from inside Bannon’s operation.

The materials should be understood in the context of messages reviewed by the BBC confirming Epstein’s intimate involvement in supporting Bannon’s logistics and travel arrangements that year.

Bannon texted Epstein: “I’ve gotten pulled into the Brexit thing this morning with Nigel, Boris and Rees Mogg” adding in an apparent reference to the UK’s then embattled Prime Minister Theresa May, “The guys are trying to move on. may today / tomorrow…”

Epstein replied to Bannon: “I think staying as long as you can uk . Best- so people get the commitment of your follow through.”

On 22 July 2018, Bannon’s European organiser, former Conservative Party European parliamentary staffer Benjamin Harnwell, sent Bannon a detailed translation and briefing on an Italian newspaper profile describing Bannon’s efforts to establish The Movement, a Brussels-based initiative to coordinate nationalist populist parties in advance of the 2019 European Parliament elections. The article identified the key figures Bannon had brought into the project:

“Steve Bannon… is preparing to march on Brussels, launching a new foundation called The Movement in the heart of Europe to coordinate the populist right ahead of the 2019 elections. The aim is to build an alliance of right-wing leaders – from Matteo Salvini to Viktor Orbán… He has already met, among others, Hungary’s Orbán, France’s Marine Le Pen and the former leader of the British separatists Nigel Farage…”

Harnwell sent this material directly to Bannon – who promptly forwarded it to Jeffrey Epstein. On 23 July 2018, Epstein replied at 01:51:58 AM with a one-line comment:

“9th circle”

Five minutes later, Bannon responded with:

“Abandon Hope, All Ye Who Enter”

Seven minutes after that, at 01:58:06 AM, Epstein sent a further message into the same thread:

“Hicks?”

This appears to be a reference to Trump’s then top communications advisor Hope Hicks. Bannon replied:

“Well played sir”

The exchange places Epstein within Bannon’s transatlantic political network a full year before the 2019 European elections, during a period when Bannon was seeking to build influence across nationalist movements in Italy, Hungary, France and the United Kingdom. 

Manafort, Brexit and the Transatlantic Network
Private messages exchanged on 13 March 2019 show Jeffrey Epstein and Steve Bannon reacting in real time to the New York prosecution of Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort. Their conversation took place minutes after news broke that Manafort faced state-level charges following his federal convictions.

At 11:22:18 AM, Epstein messaged Bannon:

“Manafort new. York charges. Emblematic of things to come”

Four minutes later, at 11:26:12 AM, Bannon responded:

“Saw that– s*** just got real”

One minute after that, at 11:27:14 AM, Epstein replied:

“His choice now is to risk. Attica”

Bannon then wrote back at 11:27:52 AM:

“Will they let his wheelchair up there”

The messages reflect acute attention to Manafort’s legal exposure at a moment when state-level charges – unlike federal ones – could not be neutralised by a presidential pardon. Their concern sits against a broader political backdrop: Manafort’s activities intersected significantly with the network that linked Trump’s 2016 campaign to parts of the UK’s 2016 Brexit campaign.

Manafort had longstanding ties to Konstantin Kilimnik, identified by US authorities as a Russian intelligence asset. During the 2016 US election, he shared internal Trump campaign polling data with Kilimnik. 

At the same time, Russian officials maintained contact with individuals close to the Leave campaign in the UK, including businessman Arron Banks, the largest donor to the Brexit effort.

Banks, in turn, was in regular contact with Nigel Farage, then leader of UKIP and later the Brexit Party. Farage and Bannon subsequently worked together on the European populist project outlined in the sections above – communications that Epstein was privy to through the July 2018 email chain involving Benjamin Harnwell.

The exchanges underscore that both men were closely monitoring developments affecting figures whose activities touched on both the 2016 US election and the political networks surrounding Farage and the Brexit campaign.

The Rehabilitation Documentary: Planning a Film on Epstein’s Island
In the weeks leading up to his arrest, Jeffrey Epstein and Steve Bannon were engaged in detailed preparations for a documentary project intended to reshape Epstein’s public image. The messages show the two men coordinating interviews with high-profile figures, planning filming locations, and arranging travel logistics. The discussions culminated in a plan to shoot scenes on Little St James, Epstein’s private Caribbean island, where he was alleged to have abused underage girls.

Byline Times previously revealed that Bannon had in 2018 offered the MAGA movement to Epstein as a vehicle to thwart the Time’s Up or #MeToo campaign, casting the push against sexual misconduct as a threat to be politically neutralised. This ensuing collaboration in 2019 shortly before Epstein’s arrest, reflects the same strategic posture – using political influence to protect rather than challenge men facing accusations.

While it is known that Bannon advised Epstein on media strategy during this period, the messages reviewed here provide significant new detail – including Epstein’s confirmation that filming on his Caribbean island had been agreed – showing the extent of the pair’s coordination in the final hours before Epstein was arrested.

The documentary planning intensified in late June and early July 2019, with Epstein arranging meetings alongside Bannon and confirming access to participants. In messages exchanged shortly before Epstein’s arrest, the two men discussed filming with the geneticist James Watson, co-discoverer of the structure of DNA.

At 03:58:06 AM on 6 July 2019, Epstein told Bannon:

“We are scheduled to go to his house in cold spring harbor. I will then go to airport and Island. For rest of week”

Bannon immediately raised the possibility of shooting the project on Epstein’s island. At 03:59:04 AM, he asked:

“If we can arrange it can we film on the island ?”

Epstein agreed without hesitation:

“Yes” (03:59:09 AM)

Bannon replied within seconds:

“Perfect” (03:59:23 AM)

The messages show directly – in a level of detail not previously reported – that Epstein and Bannon were planning to film on Little St James, a location central to the allegations of sexual exploitation that had surrounded Epstein for more than a decade.

Later that morning, Bannon attempted to confirm filming arrangements for the following day. At 04:35:17 PM, he asked:

“Can we do late morning say 11. Am” (6 July 2019)

Minutes later, at 04:37:20 PM, Epstein abruptly replied:

“All canceled”

Bannon responded:

“You r not coming in?”

There are no further messages in the thread. At almost the exact time these final exchanges were sent, Epstein was taken into federal custody at Teterboro Airport, New Jersey, marking the end of his freedom and the collapse of the project he and Bannon had been preparing.

These minute-by-minute exchanges illustrate not only the extent of Bannon’s involvement in Epstein’s attempted rehabilitation, but also that the planning extended right up to the moments before Epstein’s arrest – days after Epstein told Bannon that Trump knew of their working relationship.

High-Level Diplomacy: Pompeo, Kiron Skinner and “Miro”
Alongside their political exchanges about Europe and the Trump White House, Jeffrey Epstein and Steve Bannon also discussed senior diplomatic figures in the United States and Europe, including individuals at the centre of the Trump Administration’s foreign policy apparatus. The messages indicate that Bannon was prepared to identify high-ranking State Department officials as potential points of contact in response to names raised by Epstein.

On 17 June 2019, Epstein introduced Bannon to a figure he referred to as “Miro”, describing him at 07:07:23 AM as:

“Current . Slovakia foreign minister. Current chairman of OSCE. Former president United Nations”

These details correspond to Miroslav Lajcak, who at the time was Slovakia’s Foreign Minister, had served as Chairperson-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and was previously President of the United Nations General Assembly.

Bannon responded almost immediately. At 07:08:01 AM, he said:

“Yes yes yes”

Twenty seconds later, at 07:08:21 AM, Bannon suggested two senior Trump officials who could be relevant for “Miro’s” diplomatic positioning:

“Pompeo and kiron skinner”

At the time of the message, Mike Pompeo was serving as the United States Secretary of State. Kiron Skinner was the Director of Policy Planning at the State Department, responsible for strategic direction and long-term analysis within the US foreign policy apparatus. Skinner would later become associated with the right-wing Project 2025 transition plan.

Bannon added at 07:08:30 AM:

“Let me work it”

Epstein replied:

“ok” (07:08:34 AM)

The exchange does not indicate that Epstein personally contacted Pompeo, Skinner, or Lajcak, nor does it show that any meeting was arranged. However, it demonstrates that Epstein was engaged in discussions with Bannon about diplomatic figures at the highest levels of US and European institutions – and that Bannon offered the names of senior Trump Administration officials as potential channels.

Steve Bannon did not respond to requests for comment.

Epstein’s Political Role
The messages reviewed by Byline Times show that Jeffrey Epstein was engaged with Bannon’s efforts to build a pro-Trump European populist alliance, and exploring senior diplomatic contacts with the Trump administration. 

More strikingly, he continued to orbit Donald Trump’s political world long after the former President claimed to have severed ties with him – Epstein not only relayed private information about tensions inside Trump’s White House, but also sent a message to Steve Bannon a week before his arrest which suggested that Trump either was, or would be aware of their contact.

While Byline Times cannot confirm this beyond the statement made by Epstein, this overlaps directly with Bannon’s intensive work to rehabilitate Epstein’s public image. In the days before Epstein’s arrest, Bannon and Epstein were coordinating a documentary intended to reset Epstein’s reputation – including planning to film on Epstein’s private island, the site at the centre of the allegations against him. 

The private record raises urgent questions about Trump’s long-standing insistence that he had ended all contact with Epstein years earlier, and about what exactly Epstein’s relationship was with Trump and his inner circle during his first administration.

 

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