Are Barack Obama's name or associations mentioned in Jeffrey Epstein's flight logs or address books?

1. What the official, public Epstein files show

Independent reviews of the materials released in Epstein‑related litigation — including flight logs, an address book and scheduling diaries made public over several releases — found many notable names but do not show Barack Obama listed in the flight logs or the address book that have circulated online; fact‑checkers and searchable databases assembled by news organizations return no results for Obama ^{[3] [4] [1]}.

2. Where the Obama‑Epstein rumor comes from

The claim that Obama appears in Epstein flight logs or address books most often stems from a viral “Epstein island” or “166‑name” list that was shared on social media; fact‑checkers traced that circulating list back to documents that were altered or not identical to the court‑filed flight logs and found many of the high‑profile names on the viral list — including Barack Obama — do not appear in the genuine records ^{[1] [3] [2]}.

3. What fact‑checkers and newsrooms concluded

Australian Associated Press fact‑checking teams, PolitiFact and others separately concluded that Obama’s name does not appear in the real flight logs or address books published from the unsealed files, and that posts asserting he did are false or based on fake lists ^{[1] [5] [2] [3]}. These outlets used the public DocumentCloud uploads and searchable compilations created by news organizations to verify names ^{[4] [3]}.

4. Documents that do mention people connected to the Obama administration

While Obama himself is not found in the flight logs/address book, reporting from The Guardian and other outlets highlights that Epstein’s scheduling diaries and other documents mention some figures who worked in or around the Obama administration — notably Kathryn Ruemmler, who served as White House counsel under Obama and is shown in Epstein’s calendars and correspondence in some releases ^[6]. Those mentions reflect contacts or scheduling entries, not a criminal finding involving Obama himself ^[6].

5. Disputed emails and broader file releases — new material, old debates

Later releases and reporting (including congressional releases in 2025) have continued to surface emails and other Epstein‑era materials naming a range of public figures; some items mention or reference various politicians in passing, and new disclosures have prompted renewed claims and partisan framing. Coverage of those materials has focused on who is actually named in specific emails, and reporting shows Epstein mentioned some public figures explicitly while others remain absent from the core flight logs and address book ^{[7] [8] [9]}.

6. Why the absence in the logs matters — and its limits

The absence of Barack Obama’s name from the flight logs and address book undermines social‑media claims that he was a passenger on Epstein’s planes or a visitor to his island, but it does not speak to every possible contact or correspondence — available sources do not mention definitive statements about every email or private calendar entry outside the particular public flight logs and address book that have been examined ^{[3] [4]}. In other words, not appearing in those specific documents is strong rebuttal to the viral lists, but it is not a claim about every document ever seized or discussed in broader reporting ^[9].

7. Competing narratives and political uses of the documents

Media and political actors have used Epstein documents selectively: some outlets emphasize names that do appear (e.g., Bill Clinton, who shows up repeatedly in logs according to reporting), while partisan sites and social posts amplify fabricated compilations that add high‑profile names such as Obama to sow scandal or doubt ^{[3] [10] [11]}. Readers should note those differing incentives: independent fact‑checkers cross‑check named entries against the original uploaded logs and have flagged many viral lists as inaccurate ^{[3] [1] [2]}.

8. Bottom line and recommended next steps for readers

Bottom line: the flight logs and address book copies routinely cited online do not contain Barack Obama’s name according to multiple fact‑checks and searchable archives ^{[1] [3] [4]}. If you encounter a list naming Obama or other public figures, compare it to the DocumentCloud uploads and the searchable datasets produced by major newsrooms and fact‑check organizations before sharing; those primary‑document checks are how independent verifiers have determined the viral lists are false or altered ^{[4] [3]}.