Reid Hoffman has spent years making an attempt to distance himself from Jeffrey Epstein, having apologized repeatedly for his former ties to the disgraced financier. Now, the LinkedIn cofounder and distinguished Democratic donor has been thrown right into a widening political storm—one fueled by the discharge of emails between him and Epstein within the late 2010s and President Donald Trump’s efforts to scrutinize Democrats named within the Epstein recordsdata after newly launched paperwork revealed seemingly intensive ties between Epstein and Trump that seem to problem the president’s account of their relationship.
Trump has emphatically and persistently denied any wrongdoing, data of Epstein’s sex-trafficking operation, or involvement with the allegations talked about in newly launched emails
The controversy has escalated quickly in current days, as Trump ordered a Justice Division investigation into Hoffman, a number of different high-profile figures, and establishments like JPMorgan Chase, after which abruptly reversed his stance and spoke out in favor of releasing the total trove of Epstein recordsdata. Lawyer Basic Pam Bondi confirmed on Nov. 13 that she would launch the probe. The transfer was broadly interpreted as a political counteroffensive designed to deflect consideration from Trump’s personal ties to Epstein—ties that the 20,000 newly launched paperwork described intimately.
Bondi has tried to additional join Hoffman to Epstein up to now. Throughout her contentious Senate Judiciary Committee testimony on October 7, she repeatedly invoked Hoffman’s title when questioned about Epstein and Trump and referred to as him “considered one of Epstein’s closest confidants.” Hoffman has repeatedly denied any such allegations.
On November 14, Hoffman hit again, taking to X to demand “Trump ought to launch all the Epstein recordsdata: each individual and each doc within the recordsdata.” The LinkedIn co-founder accused Trump’s probe of being “nothing greater than political persecution and slander” and claimed he was by no means a consumer of Epstein’s nor did he interact with him in any capability apart from fundraising.
In a Sunday night Reality Social put up, nonetheless, the president doubled down. He mentioned calls to launch all the cache of Epstein recordsdata have been a “Democrat Hoax” and declared, “The Division of Justice has already turned over tens of hundreds of pages to the Public on ‘Epstein,’ are varied Democrat operatives (Invoice Clinton, Reid Hoffman, Larry Summers, and many others.) and their relationship to Epstein, and the Home Oversight Committee can have no matter they’re legally entitled to, I DON’T CARE!”
A White Home spokesperson reiterated a few of Trump’s claims, telling Fortune, “By releasing tens of hundreds of pages of paperwork, cooperating with the Home Oversight Committee’s subpoena request, and President Trump just lately calling for additional investigations into Epstein’s Democrat mates, the Trump Administration has executed extra for the victims than Democrats ever have. The Democrat Get together did nothing about Epstein for years; they’re solely pretending to care about these victims now as they try to attain political factors in opposition to President Trump.”
Hoffman didn’t reply to a Fortune request for remark concerning his ties to Epstein. JPMorgan Chase, Clinton, and Summers additionally didn’t reply to Fortune’s requests for remark.
Summers apologized for his relationship with Epstein in a assertion to the Harvard Crimson, writing, “I’ve nice regrets in my life. As I’ve mentioned earlier than, my affiliation with Jeffrey Epstein was a serious error of judgement.”
A spokesperson for Clinton refuted the Trump administration’s claims in a put up on X. “These emails show Invoice Clinton did nothing and knew nothing. The remaining is noise meant to distract from election losses, backfiring shutdowns, and who is aware of what else,” they wrote.
JPMorgan Chase, which beforehand settled a multi-million-dollar lawsuit with Epstein victims, responded to Trump’s probe in an announcement to CNN: “The federal government had details about his crimes and did not share it with us or different banks. We remorse any affiliation we had with the person, however didn’t assist him commit his heinous acts. We ended our relationship with him years earlier than his arrest on intercourse trafficking prices.” (The financial institution did, nonetheless, proceed to financial institution Epstein even after his 2008 solicitation of a minor conviction, working with him till 2013.)
When Hoffman met Epstein
The connection between Hoffman and Epstein started by means of Joi Ito, who served as director of the MIT Media Lab. In accordance with a number of experiences, Hoffman first encountered Epstein when he helped solicit donations for the MIT Media Lab from the convicted intercourse offender. In July 2013, Epstein met with Hoffman and others at MIT’s campus. Right now, Epstein was already a registered intercourse offender, following his 2008 responsible plea to soliciting prostitution from a minor in Florida.
Hoffman then visited Epstein’s non-public island, Little St. James, in 2014, in line with the Wall Avenue Journal. Ito was additionally current throughout this journey, which was described as being for the aim of elevating funds for MIT. In accordance with Ito’s assertion to the Journal, Hoffman participated in a “fundraising occasion” on the island “at my request.” Paperwork additionally indicated that Hoffman and Ito have been planning one other go to to Epstein’s island later in 2014, with plans to journey from Palm Seashore to the island for a weekend after which onward to Boston.
Paperwork obtained by the Journal in 2023 additionally word that Hoffman deliberate to remain in a single day at Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse on December 4, 2014, adopted by a “breakfast occasion” the following morning that was anticipated to incorporate each Epstein and Invoice Gates. Whether or not this go to truly occurred stays unclear.
The final recognized in-person assembly between Epstein and Hoffman occurred in 2015, when Hoffman hosted a dinner attended by Epstein together with a number of Silicon Valley luminaries, together with Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Peter Thiel. Hoffman has said that he invited Epstein to this gathering based mostly on assurances from Joi Ito that Epstein had been vetted and cleared by MIT’s approval course of.
In 2023, Hoffman claimed the 2015 dinner was the final time he interacted with Epstein. Unsealed emails reviewed by Fortune, nonetheless, present that Epstein wrote to Hoffman at the very least as soon as in 2017. This correspondence seems to be associated to potential fundraising efforts supposed to offset cuts Trump needed to make to federal spending in his first time period in workplace.
In an electronic mail to Hoffman dated March 16, 2017 and reproduced right here with the unique typos and different errors, Epstein says, “a HUGE donor suggested fund is a sublime answer to the cuts trump proposes to what some contemplate important packages. you could possibly organzie an enormous public charity that might proceed the work of many worthwhile orgs. not my factor however structurally lovely. its the wealthiest now stepping right into a quasi govt funding. nationwide endowment for arts. local weather science, as extraordinary quantities of wealth have moved into non-public fingers. elons and jeff house objectives must be mirrored with many different former govt ones. hope to see you quickly.”
The newly launched emails don’t present whether or not Hoffman ever replied.
Epstein died by suicide in a New York jail whereas awaiting trial on additional intercourse trafficking prices in 2019.
MIT’s exterior investigation report, launched in January 2020, additionally described Hoffman’s timeline. The report revealed that in July 2016, Ito sought recommendation from Hoffman about whether or not to permit Epstein to attend a Media Lab convention with “a number of folks” who could “see him and possibly know he’s concerned.” The report didn’t disclose whether or not Hoffman supplied any recommendation or what it was.
Whereas Elon Musk accused Hoffman of being a consumer of Epstein’s in 2024, no proof of that style of relationship has truly emerged. Hoffman has additionally vehemently denied any such characterization.
Hoffman has issued a number of public apologies and statements concerning his interactions with Epstein. After scandal over MIT’s Epstein connections erupted publicly in September 2019, Hoffman apologized in a assertion to Axios: “By agreeing to take part in any fundraising exercise the place Epstein was current, I helped to restore his repute and perpetuate injustice. For this, I’m deeply regretful.” He reiterated this place in 2023 to the Journal, stating, “It gnaws at me that, by lending my affiliation, I helped his repute, and thus delayed justice for his survivors.”
On Tuesday, the Home of Representatives is predicted to vote on a measure that might compel the DOJ to make all Epstein recordsdata publicly accessible “in a searchable and downloadable format” inside 30 days.
