Washington: Elon Musk has dismissed reports linking him to Jeffrey Epstein after a six-document, released by Democratic lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee, listed his name among high-profile figures in the financier’s schedules.
The Tesla and SpaceX chief executive took to X to respond, writing, "This is false.” He also criticised a UK-based publication for its coverage, adding, “Shame on Sky News for this utterly misleading headline. Anyone pushing this false narrative deserves complete contempt. Epstein tried to get me to go to his island and I REFUSED, yet they name me even before Prince Andrew, who did visit.”
Musk’s Past Statements on Epstein
The six-page document includes a calendar note indicating a tentative visit by Musk to Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands in December 2014. Musk has consistently denied visiting the island. In a 2019 Vanity Fair interview, cited by NBC News, he said Epstein “tried repeatedly to get me to visit his island. I declined.”
Musk has also confirmed visiting Epstein’s New York home but said he did not know him well, describing him as “obviously a creep.” Regarding a widely circulated photograph with Epstein’s former associate Ghislaine Maxwell, he said in 2020 that she had “photobombed” him at a Vanity Fair party.
Newly Released Files Name Global Figures
The schedules, forming the third batch of Epstein-related documents released this year, list several prominent individuals. Alongside Musk, entries reference PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, and Prince Andrew, who appears in flight logs from New Jersey to Florida. The records do not confirm whether any of these meetings or trips actually occurred.
None of the figures listed, including Musk, face accusations of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein. Epstein, a convicted sex offender, died in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
