Epstein files: US lawmaker reveals “redacted” names of high-profile billionaires

Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna disclosed six previously redacted names from the Justice Department’s investigative files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, triggering political and business fallout from London to New Delhi.

During a House floor speech on Tuesday, Khanna named billionaires including Leslie Wexner, former CEO of Victoria’s Secret’s parent company, and Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, head of the Dubai-based logistics company DP World. The other individuals revealed were Salvatore Nuara, Zurab Mikeladze, Leonic Leonov, and Nicola Caputo.

Khanna and Republican Congressman Thomas Massie reviewed the unredacted records at the Justice Department on Monday. While the documents do not appear to accuse the named individuals of criminal activity, Khanna criticised the department for withholding the names “for no apparent reason,” noting that if six could be found in just two hours, many more might remain hidden among millions of pages. The DOJ defended the redactions, citing the sheer volume of material and potential for human error.

The disclosure intensified scrutiny of the department, culminating in a heated House Judiciary Committee hearing with former Attorney General Pam Bondi. Democrats accused Bondi of obstructing transparency, with Ranking Member Jamie Raskin saying the delays violated the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which requires disclosure of associates who are not victims. Raskin also claimed that searches of the unredacted database for terms like “Trump” returned over a million results, though not all were verified to refer to the former president. Among the findings was a 2009 email exchange involving Epstein that appeared to contradict Trump’s claim that he had removed Epstein from Mar-a-Lago.

The revelations have already had international consequences. The UK’s development finance agency and Canada’s pension fund La Caisse suspended new investments with DP World after records showed CEO bin Sulayem had corresponded with Epstein about business and personal matters. British International Investment described the revelations as “shocking” and said it would pause dealings until DP World addressed the concerns.

In India, Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri admitted to parliament that he met Epstein “three or four times” while working at the International Peace Institute in New York. Responding to opposition questions, Puri said his interactions with Epstein were limited to business discussions, including connecting with LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman about potential projects in India, and denied any wrongdoing.