Afrasianet - U.S. envoy Thomas Barrack has been in close and regular contact with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein for years after the actor was convicted in 2008 of soliciting a minor into sex, CBS News has revealed.
At least half a dozen senior Trump administration officials appear in Jeffrey Epstein's files
An analysis by CBS News of more than 100 text messages and emails from newly released U.S. Justice Department documents showed that Thomas Barrack, a close and trusted friend of President Donald Trump who is currently the U.S. ambassador to Turkey and special envoy to Syria, had been in close and regular contact with Jeffrey Epstein for years after the latter was convicted in 2008 of inciting vice with a minor.
The correspondence places Barack, a billionaire who travels the world, in a circle of wealthy and influential figures who have maintained social contact with Epstein even after his criminal history became widely known. Their relationship lasted even after Barack became a prominent donor to the Trump campaign in 2016, later chairman of his inauguration committee and a frequent figure in the White House.
At times, Epstein appeared to view Barack as a potential conduit for passing information to Trump, although available records show that communication was only going in one direction; there is no indication that Epstein's communications were relayed to Trump, or that Trump communicated with Epstein through Barrack.
The letters document continued personal and professional contact during the period when Epstein was trying to re-establish his position within prestigious social and financial circles.
The correspondence also included invitations to visit private residences, introductions to diplomats and investors, and discussions of business opportunities. It also shows that Epstein repeatedly encouraged Barak to move communications to encrypted messaging apps, records that are not part of the documents released by the government.
It is still unclear how Barack first met Epstein, but in his book Fire and Fury, author Michael Wolf described Trump, Barack and Jeffrey Epstein as "a bunch of nightlife knights of the 1980s and 1990s." Epstein's emails suggest that both Barack and Epstein served as sources for Wolfe's book. Trump called the book "full of lies, slanders, and non-existent sources." Trump also stated that he had cut ties with Epstein years ago. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing in his regard.
Barack and Epstein's friendship appears to have continued unaffected by Epstein's fall in Florida after he was accused of sexual misconduct with teenage girls, where the latter pleaded guilty in 2008 in a deal that allowed him to avoid federal charges.
In September 2009, a few months after Epstein was released from the Palm Beach County Jail, Barrack wrote to him, "I think of you, I hope you're okay and that life is quiet again" — feelings that marked the beginning of a long period of communication between the two.
Over the following years, Epstein encouraged meetings and facilitated acquaintances between Barak and individuals including Palantir CEO Peter Thiel and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.
2016 Presidential Campaign
In the early months of 2016, after Trump surprised the political world by winning the Republican primary in New Hampshire, Barack emerged as one of a select group of insiders who helped shape Trump's bid for the White House.
As Trump's momentum grew, Epstein sent Barack a greeting and reminder of their shared past, writing, "I hope you're okay. The pictures look good. For information, I get a lot of calls every week from journalists about both Donald ([blocked text], Marla, beauty pageant, Mar-a-Lago, etc.) and Clinton. Calls about Clinton have been less lately, but my answers are always that I have nothing to say, or I try to ignore it altogether. A few times I've been harassed on the street with questions, but I'm more cautious now."
Barak replied, "I hope you're okay. Let's get in touch soon." Epstein then asked for a photo of Barak's newborn, writing: "Send your photos with the baby. to put a smile on my face."
In April 2016, while Barrack was deeply involved in the Trump campaign, Epstein reached out to him again, but this time in a cautionary tone, sending him an email about a potentially destructive lawsuit filed by a woman who goes by the pseudonym "Katie Johnson." In the civil complaint, she alleged that Epstein and Trump raped her in 1994. The lawsuit was later withdrawn, and Trump denied the accusations.
Epstein wrote that he considered this legal claim "crazy but I thought you should know." The documents do not indicate whether Barrack acknowledged or responded to receiving the mail.
Barak, Epstein and the Middle East
The friendship between Epstein and Barrack, established in the social circles of New York's elite in the 1990s, appears to have continued into the new millennium. By the early 2000s, both Epstein and Barrack had strong business ties to the Middle East; Epstein traveled there frequently, according to Justice Department documents, while Barrack was involved in multiple real estate deals involving governments from the Middle East.
Relations Coordinator
Epstein's contact with Barrack increased about a year after his release from prison, as Epstein arranged for Barrack to communicate with the German financial expert and Countess Nicole Junkermann, and some kind of relationship, business or personal, seems to have taken shape. In the months that followed, Epstein became a liaison between the two, offering to help the two while strengthening their friendship.
Sex Offender Estein's Files Reveal Shocking Messages with a Famous Spiritual Figure: A Call for Israel and Various Topics
In March 2017, Epstein continued to play the role of Barak's liaison coordinator, suggesting separately that Bill Gates and Indian billionaire Amil Ambani meet with Barak. Epstein reached out to Barak the same month and suggested that he meet with Ambani, informing him that India's prime minister would visit the United States in May.
Barrack continued to communicate with Epstein intermittently over the next year. On June 8, Epstein texted Barrack: "I'm in San Diego. Come to my farm for the weekend? Barak responded: "I'm in Washington! We'll communicate via Signal" (Signal is an end-to-end encrypted messaging app that allows users to set messages to automatically disappear after a selected amount of time).
In early January 2018, as the publisher prepared to release Wolfe's book, Epstein wrote to Wolfe: "Barack is following me," and the next day, "Barack continues to text me" as he inquired about their inclusion in the book. It is unclear whether their conversation continued on the encrypted app, as those correspondence were not part of the published documents.
On November 11, 2018, flight records show that both Barrack and Epstein flew from Teterboro to Palm Beach on their private jets one hour apart.
