A trove of recently disclosed correspondence has shed new light on the deterioration of a once-close association between a former U.S. president and the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. The communications, made public by a congressional committee, reveal a personal rift stemming from alleged dishonesty.
The documents include a 2016 email exchange between Epstein and a former high-ranking White House official. In it, Epstein explicitly states he ended communication with the former president, citing a broken promise. He wrote that the individual had sworn “with wholehearted conviction” about taking a specific action, only for Epstein to later learn the official had previously sworn the exact opposite.
“My memory is a friend killer,” Epstein noted in the message, indicating this perceived betrayal was the cause of the estrangement.
The recipient of the email, a former legal counsel to the Obama administration, responded with a harsh character assessment of the former president, suggesting the individual possessed a troubling lack of conscience. Epstein, in turn, conceded the point and admitted to being wrong in his previous judgment of the person’s character.
While the timeline of the silence between the two men remains unclear, the released records show the former president’s name appeared again on a proposed guest list for a private conference sent to Epstein in 2018. This list included several other prominent figures who have faced serious personal conduct allegations.
The former president has consistently denied any awareness of Epstein’s criminal activities. Epstein was found dead in his jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
The email release provides a rare, direct glimpse into the personal dynamics and eventual schism between two powerful figures, adding another layer to the extensive public record surrounding the Epstein case.
