In November 2018, Steve Bannon, formerly a top aide to Donald Trump, was in the UK preparing for a speech at the Oxford Union.
The speech was interrupted by numerous demonstrators, and Bannon, scheduled to travel that evening, informed Jeffrey Epstein in an message: "Activists delayed speech I doubt I can make the plane we are heading to the airport".
Epstein replied: "There. Is a Gulf Air departing at 950 with a stop in Bahrain". Bannon replied: "U r an excellent assistant".
These exchanges were published on Wednesday together with over 20,000 documents from the records of Epstein, the deceased financier convicted of sex crimes.
The disclosure by the Congressional committee includes an text conversation where Bannon's identity is redacted. Media outlets has been able to confirm his involvement by matching the timeline, occurrences, and locations referenced.
For instance, Epstein talks about chartering a plane from Scotland for the unnamed individual in the chat, and offers praise their "address at Oxford". Bannon took part in the News Xchange conference on 14 November, and gave the talk at the Oxford two days later.
Bannon, who faces no allegations of any wrongdoing, did not reply on the request for comment.
Bannon served as the president's key aides in the lead-up to the presidential election and in the early days of his presidency, but resigned from the administration in 2017.
He has admitted he was making a film about Epstein before his passing and reportedly has approximately 15 hours of recordings. In a live taping of his podcast recently, he said: "We're going to publish the series, the five-part series, next year - early next year."
But the newly released documents suggest Bannon's connection with Epstein extended than documenting his life, with the convicted paedophile occasionally appearing to serve like a personal assistant.
A short time before the conversation in which Epstein appeared to have booked a charter jet for Bannon, Epstein said: "what's it like to have the highest-paid travel agent in history ".
Bannon thanked him: "You are pretty good assistant", to which Epstein responded "Therapies. Excluded".
Discussing a visit to "Abu Dhabi" in a separate text, Epstein assured Bannon: "I will ensure you're taken care of."
The released communications also show Bannon and Epstein talking about UK politics in that year.
On the same day his address at the Oxford Union, Bannon messaged Epstein: "I've gotten pulled into the Brexit issue this day with Nigel, Johnson and Mogg."
Then, in what seems like a allusion to the UK prime minister, the struggling UK prime minister at the period, he continued: "They are trying to proceed. may today / tomorrow…"
Epstein suggested Bannon: "I think staying as much as you can uk. Ideal- so others get the dedication of your follow through."
Shortly after, Epstein asked: "Can Theresa May remain in power". Bannon answered: "It seems unlikely BUT the guys over here have no balls" and added "Johnson ; Michael Gove; Jacob Rees-Mogg; David Davis - someone has to step up".
May was eventually toppled in 2019 after withstanding two votes of no confidence in December 2018.
A spokesman for the political party informed media: "Nigel Farage has not been in a meeting with Bannon, Rees-Mogg and Johnson." And there is no evidence such a meeting took place.
The US House of Representatives will vote soon on whether the justice department should release all its files concerning its probe into Epstein, who died in jail in 2019.
Attention in Epstein's relationships with powerful figures was reignited recently after the publication of over 20,000 documents from his archives.
A portion of those referenced the former president, who has repeatedly rejected any impropriety. The leader was a acquaintance of Epstein's for a long time, but says they parted ways in the 2000s, a couple of years before Epstein was first arrested.
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James Shepherd