What do we know about Merkel and Epstein?
Executive summary
The recently released Epstein files contain numerous mentions of Angela Merkel—roughly 156–160 hits in searchable archives—and include an email that circulated an alleged bathing photo said to depict her, but there is no evidence the image actually shows Merkel nor that she had any personal connection to Jeffrey Epstein; much of the material is discussion, rumor and commentary rather than proof of contact [1] [2] [3]. Much of the Merkel material appears as part of political chatter—not direct correspondence with Merkel—and is often tied to Steve Bannon’s commentary about European politics and the AfD [4] [5] [6].
1. What the files actually show: mentions, mockery and forwarded material
The documents published from Epstein’s archives deliver repeated references to Angela Merkel across hundreds of pages, but those references are predominantly third‑party messages, jokes or forwarded items—examples include an email from a Gulf businessman sending a blacked‑out bathing photo claiming one figure resembled Merkel, and numerous chat excerpts in which Epstein and associates, especially Steve Bannon, deride or discuss Merkel’s political prospects [3] [5] [7].
2. The alleged Merkel photograph: present in the archive but unverified
An oft‑cited 2013 email in the archive shows Sultan bin Sulayem sending Epstein a black‑and‑white bathing photo and suggesting one woman might be “Kanzlerin Merkel”; media reporting and archive screenshots confirm the image was included but obscured, and multiple outlets stress there is no evidence the person is Merkel and that the image has circulated previously as an unverified claim—several outlets call it likely a fake or an unsubstantiated rumor [3] [7] [8].
3. No documented personal relationship or meetings recorded in the released files
Available reporting underscores that Merkel’s name appears in the Epstein‑files search results but does not show she met Epstein or communicated with him directly; analyses note that mentions often relate to political analysis, gossip or targets of discussion rather than records of contact, and that Merkel is not placed “in the same league” of documented personal ties as figures who had known meetings with Epstein [2] [6] [1].
4. Bannon, AfD and the political context around the mentions
A recurring theme in the released material is Epstein’s interaction with Steve Bannon and their shared commentary about European politics: Bannon reportedly celebrated political setbacks for leaders like Theresa May and wrote that “May weg; Merkel und Macron am Montag,” and Epstein and associates discussed the AfD favorably as part of broader political strategizing—this frames Merkel mostly as a target of political commentary in the archive, not as a participant [5] [4] [6].
5. How media outlets and fact‑checks frame the Merkel entries
German and international outlets cited in the roll‑up of the files uniformly caution readers: Merkel’s name appearing in an archive search does not equal wrongdoing or evidence of personal involvement, and outlets repeatedly emphasize the lack of proof that the bathing photo depicts her; some reporting explicitly calls the image a faked or baseless rumor that was previously circulated online [7] [3] [9].
6. Limits of what can be concluded from the Epstein archive
The documents are vast and uneven: while the archive makes clear Epstein was globally networked and that his correspondents discussed many public figures including Merkel, the publicly released pages do not substantiate any personal relationship between Merkel and Epstein and leave open whether some items are malicious gossip or misattributed images; reporting catalogs mentions and contextualizes political commentary but cannot—and the sources do not—claim proof of contact or misconduct by Merkel [6] [2] [1].