List of names in epstin files
Executive summary
The Justice Department released a massive trove of Jeffrey Epstein-related records that mention a wide array of public figures — from politicians and business titans to entertainers — while also revealing that survivors’ names and intimate images were improperly exposed in some documents [1] [2] [3]. Reporting emphasizes that being named in the files is not itself proof of criminal conduct, even as redaction failures have prompted legal challenges and rapid removals [4] [5].
1. What the released "Epstein files" contain and how they were published
The DOJ’s public portal contains millions of pages, including an initial release in December 2025 and a later batch of more than 3 million pages (with some 180,000 images and 2,000 videos) posted on January 30, 2026 under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which the department said brought it into compliance with the law [1] [2]. Multiple news organizations reviewed the dump and documented email threads, photos, memos, affidavits and internal investigative notes that reference a wide range of people and topics, and reporters found inconsistent redaction practices across duplicate documents [6] [1].
2. High‑profile public figures frequently cited in news coverage of the release
Media outlets compiled lists of “boldface” names that appear across the documents, including former President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Prince Andrew (Andrew Mountbatten‑Windsor), Steve Bannon and others; PBS and NBC noted that all of them have, in coverage, denied wrongdoing while their names appear in correspondence or travel logs [4] [7] [6]. Additional names singled out by reporting include Peter Attia (whose emails appeared hundreds of times and prompted public apologies for tasteless messages), Steve Tisch, Bret Ratner, Richard and Joan Branson, Miroslav Lajčák and political figures such as Peter Mandelson and his partner Reinaldo Avila da Silva, among many others documented by outlets combing the files [8] [9] [10] [11].
3. Survivors’ names and redaction failures: victims named and images exposed
Survivors’ attorneys and advocates say the release included dozens of victims’ names and, in some instances, unredacted nude images and personal details that had never been publicly linked to Epstein before; lawyers for more than 200 alleged victims asked judges to take down the DOJ’s portal, calling the release an egregious violation of victim privacy [3] [1]. Multiple outlets reported that attorneys alleged at least 31 people victimized as children had identifiable information published, that images and videos with faces were briefly posted, and that the DOJ later removed thousands of documents while saying a very small percentage of pages showed identifying information [8] [10] [5].
4. How to interpret being “named” in the files: limits and legal context
News organizations and the DOJ repeatedly cautioned that appearance in the files is not proof of involvement in sexual crimes — many entries are passing mentions, business correspondence or travel logs — and several people named have publicly denied allegations that would link them to abuse [4] [6]. Reporting also shows some documents are duplicates or fragmentary investigative notes that reflect leads rather than conclusions, and outlets expressly warn against drawing categorical guilt from mere mentions [1] [6].
5. Fallout, legal moves and ongoing reporting priorities
The flawed redactions and the scale of the dump triggered rapid removals, lawsuits and renewed journalistic trawling; survivors’ lawyers sought emergency relief and newsrooms pursued verification and context around the most consequential names, while the DOJ defended its work and said it was fixing errors [1] [5] [3]. Coverage continues to focus on identifying whether particular communications support criminal conduct, tracing financial and travel records, and protecting survivors whose identities were exposed [7] [8].
6. Bottom line: who’s on “the list” and what that actually means
There is no single definitive public roster that equates appearance in the files with criminal liability; instead, the released material includes a broad, growing catalogue of prominent and lesser‑known names — from heads of state and tech founders to journalists and entertainers — that media outlets are cross‑referencing and contextualizing while survivors’ advocates press for privacy protections and legal remedies [4] [9] [3]. Reporting to date provides illustrative names (Trump, Clinton, Musk, Gates, Prince Andrew, Bannon, Peter Attia, Bret Ratner, Steve Tisch, among others) but cautions against conflating mention with culpability and emphasizes ongoing efforts to correct redaction errors and to parse evidentiary value [7] [8] [5].