Epstein was invited to gatherings with a dozen members of Congress years after his initial arrest, documents reveal

In January 2011, Jeffrey Epstein received an email inviting him to join a freshman congressman for breakfast at a luxury hotel in midtown Manhattan.

The billionaire pedophile was promised the chance to rub shoulders with Rep. Allen West, a “rising star” Florida Republican, whose district encompassed Epstein’s Palm Beach mansion.

“You will have the opportunity to explore his views on a variety of issues including spending, the national debt, taxes, education, the economy, Islam, Israel, among others,” the letter read.

An hour after it landed in his inbox, Epstein replied that he was “unfortunately” in the Caribbean.

For Epstein, this type of offer was far from unusual. After he pleaded guilty to procuring a minor for prostitution in 2008 and served a 13-month stint in jail, the convicted sex offender received offers to meet with over a dozen current or former members of Congress, according to The Independent’s analysis of documents released by the Department of Justice.

Most invitations delivered to Epstein’s inbox were for exclusive gatherings: a birthday gala, a breakfast briefing, a fundraiser at a billionaire’s home. Some, though, sought to facilitate one-on-one meetings between elected officials and the disgraced financier.

Over half the lawmakers involved are from New York, New Mexico and Florida — states where Epstein owned sprawling properties. Notable names include House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Martin Heinrich.

Intermediaries — such as public relations executives and major donors with ties to Epstein — issued the invitations. And it’s unclear how many events Epstein attended, if any, or whether lawmakers themselves were aware of the entreaties being made on their behalf.

But, taken together, the documents reveal how many political insiders tied to Capitol Hill viewed Epstein in the decade before his death. They didn’t shun the convicted sex offender or purge him from their email lists. Instead, they persistently pursued him.

Billionaire fundraisers, birthday galas, a social club briefing

In November 2012, Mortimer Zuckerman, the billionaire then-owner of The New York Daily News and US News & World Report, sent an email to Epstein, asking him to attend a fundraiser at his home for then-Sen. Max Baucus, a Montana Democrat who left office in 2014.

“I’d like to add that Senator Schumer is likely to attend the gathering and I think this will be an excellent chance to interact with two key Senate Democrats,” he wrote, referring to New York’s senior senator.

Zuckerman’s name surfaces repeatedly in the DOJ’s files. In 2009, he exchanged emails with Epstein discussing how to influence media coverage of the sex offender’s 2008 guilty plea. At one point, according to the files, Zuckerman wrote to Epstein, “We r doing major editing over huge objections.”

Just days prior to Zuckerman’s invitation 2012 invitation, Epstein was asked to attend a fundraiser for New York GOP Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, who was then a state assemblywoman. The event — which was ultimately postponed due to Hurricane Sandy — was set to be co-hosted by John Catsimatidis, the billionaire owner of Gristedes and a big Republican donor.

Catismatidis’s name appeared in Epstein’s 1997 address book, according to Business Insider.

A spokesperson for Malliotakis told The Independent: “The Congresswoman never met [Epstein], did not invite him to anything and never received a donation from him.”

The following year, an employee at a political fundraising firm penned a similar message to the disgraced financier.

“Dear Jeffrey, I hope you received an invite to the party that Congressman Hakeem Jeffries this Wednesday night in Manhattan,” the email said, adding that it “promises to be a great night.”

In 2017, over a decade after his first arrest, Epstein received another invitation to a dinner with Jeffries, now the top Democrat in the House. The event, which included a meet-and-greet, was hosted by Delegate Stacey Plaskett of the Virgin Islands — whose relationship with Epstein triggered a censure vote last year.

In February 2013, a staffer at a political fundraising firm sent a message to Epstein “on behalf” of then-New York Rep. Joe Crowley, who was in office until 2019.

“Jeffrey, Hope you can join me for my birthday gala next month,” the letter said.

The party was set to be hosted at the Dream Downtown Hotel in Manhattan, with a performance by singer Willie Nile. The convicted sex offender was again invited to Crowley’s gala the following year, documents suggest.

Epstein was also offered access to a more business-like gathering.

In April 2011, a former DEA agent turned head of a private security firm invited him to a briefing with then-New York Rep. Peter King, who represented Long Island until 2021. It was set to be held at the Metropolitan Club, a private social club in Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

“Please be our guest for a Breakfast Presentation with Congressman Peter King,” the invite said. The topic of discussion was listed as “Homeland Security.”

Most spokespeople for the named lawmakers did not respond to requests for comment from The Independent, with the exception of two, who said the elected officials never met Epstein.

All of the named lawmakers who are currently in office voted to pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which required that the DOJ release its records on Epstein. Being named in the files is not evidence of wrongdoing.

One-on-one meetings

Following his guilty plea, the pedophile billionaire also received several emails inviting him to one-on-one meetings with members of Congress.

In July of 2012, a staffer at a political fundraising firm wrote to Epstein asking if he would meet with New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich, who was a representative at the time.

“Congressman Martin Heinrich will be in NYC tomorrow and would love to get lunch with you around 12:30pm if you’re free,” the email stated.

And, between 2011 and 2014, a woman named Barbro Ehnbom repeatedly asked Epstein if he would meet with Colorado Rep. Diana Gegette. In the hopes of setting up a sit-down, she highlighted the congresswoman’s dedication to science.

“Are you by any chance in NYC this week? Next Monday my friend Congresswoman Diana deGette from Colorado is coming to NYC for the NYStemcellFoundation Gala,’ Ehnbom wrote to Epstein in an October 2011 email. “She is one of the few people in congress who who has a scientific agenda and she is good person – want to meet her?”

A spokesperson for DeGette said she had no knowledge of Ehnbom’s relationship with Epstein and that the congresswoman never met the disgraced financier.

“Mr. Epstein did not attend the fundraisers that Ms. Ehnbom emailed about over a decade ago, nor has Rep. DeGette ever received any campaign contribution from Mr. Epstein,” the spokesperson told The Independent. “Rep. DeGette strongly supports the release of the full Epstein files.”

While political operatives repeatedly tried to connect lawmakers with Epstein, the disgraced financier, for his part, also pursued several former members of Congress.

In May 2011, Epstein’s assistant sought to set up a meeting with former Democratic Maine Senator George Mitchell, who left office in 1995. In November 2013, Epstein sent a message to Mitchell, writing that it “was a pleasure” meeting him.

The following year, former Democratic Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey, who left office in 2001, was invited to a lunch with Epstein at his cavernous Manhattan townhouse.

Other high-profile figures — venture capitalist Peter Thiel and former CIA Director Bill Burns — were listed as potential guests, underscoring that Epstein’s connections reached far beyond the halls of Congress.