The irony cuts deep when you scroll through Elon Musk's old social media posts. Back in 2023, the Tesla CEO was adamant and furious when subpoenaed in connection with Jeffrey Epstein: "That cretin never advised me on anything whatsoever," he declared, calling the suggestion "idiotic on so many levels." Fast-forward to this week, and newly released congressional documents tell a different story about just how close that "cretin" tried to get.
House Oversight Committee Democrats dropped a bombshell Friday when they released a tranche of documents from Epstein's estate, including daily schedules that paint an uncomfortable picture for some of Silicon Valley's biggest names. Buried in Epstein's calendar for December 6, 2014, sits a telling entry: "Reminder: Elon Musk to island Dec. 6 (is this still happening?)" The question mark feels particularly loaded now.
This isn’t just another data dump in the endless Epstein saga. Lawmakers say Epstein’s estate turned over more than 8,500 records, but so far only a handful of pages have been released publicly while staff work through redactions for victims.
The calendar reveals a who's who of tech and political power. Peter Thiel, the PayPal co-founder and prominent Republican megadonor, was scheduled for lunch with Epstein on November 27, 2017. Steve Bannon, Trump's former chief strategist, had a breakfast meeting penciled in for February 16, 2019 - just months before Epstein's final arrest on sex trafficking charges.
But it's Musk's inclusion that carries the most dramatic irony. The X owner has spent considerable energy this year positioning himself as an Epstein files transparency advocate, repeatedly calling for their release. Back in June, he took aim at Trump: "Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public." He later questioned, "How can people be expected to have faith in Trump if he won't release the Epstein files?"
Democratic Representative Eric Swalwell couldn't resist the poetic justice, posting on X: "Trump OUTS @elonmusk as being in Epstein Files. Revenge for Elon outing Trump? Elon, what do you know about Trump's involvement?"
Musk fired back at the media coverage, sharing a Sky News story and declaring: '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"
The documents don't prove wrongdoing, and there's no evidence these people knew about Epstein's abuse of teenage girls, but they complicate the narratives these powerful men have constructed. Musk has previously acknowledged that Epstein "tried repeatedly to get me to visit his island. I declined." Yet the calendar entry suggests planning had progressed to specific dates and logistics, complete with that ominous question about whether it was "still happening."
A Pattern of Powerful Connections
The files paint Epstein as someone who kept an extensive network of powerful contacts long after his 2008 conviction. Beyond the tech titans, the newly posted pages include a May 2000 flight manifest listing Prince Andrew on Epstein’s private jet from New Jersey to Florida, alongside Ghislaine Maxwell. A separate ledger entry from February 2000 shows a $200 payment marked for “Massage for Andrew,” though it’s not clear if that refers to the Duke of York, who has denied wrongdoing.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates also shows up in the schedules, with a tentative “breakfast party” penciled in for December 2014. Gates later told the BBC that meeting Epstein was a “mistake”, an admission he made only after reporting exposed their ties.
Sara Guerrero, a spokesperson for Oversight Democrats, emphasized the significance:
"It should be clear to every American that Jeffrey Epstein was friends with some of the most powerful and wealthiest men in the world. Every new document produced provides new information as we work to bring justice for the survivors and victims."
Republicans on the committee pushed back, accusing Democrats of "cherry-picking documents" and "putting politics over victims." They claim Democrats are withholding files containing names of Democratic officials, though they've declined to specify who.
The political theater aside, these documents raise fundamental questions about accountability in elite circles. Epstein died by suicide in federal custody in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. His ability to maintain connections with billionaires and political figures - even after registering as a sex offender - speaks to how wealth and power can insulate people from consequences.
For Musk specifically, the revelations come at a particularly awkward time. His companies face increasing scrutiny over everything from workplace culture at Tesla to content moderation policies at X. Having championed transparency around Epstein files, he now finds himself uncomfortably positioned as part of the story he was demanding be told.
The congressional investigation continues, with Republicans promising to release additional documents once victims' names are properly redacted. Whether those files will contain more embarrassing revelations for tech's most visible figures remains to be seen. What's already clear is that Epstein's shadow reaches further into Silicon Valley's halls of power than many would prefer to admit.
The man Musk once dismissed as a "dumb crook" apparently came closer to tech royalty than anyone wanted to remember. Sometimes the documents don't lie, even when the denials are emphatic.
