When questioned again, he adds, “I don’t know. Why would you say that?”
Epstein, who pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from an underage girl, also appears to downplay the seriousness of his conviction.
He opposes Bannon labelling him a “class three sexual predator” – which indicates a most serious threat to public safety, according to a classification used in the US.
“No, I’m the lowest,” says Epstein.
“But a criminal,” Bannon adds, to which Epstein responds: “Yes”.
It followed Bannon asking Epstein if he considered his money “dirty” as he “earned it advising the worst people in the world”.
Epstein insists he made his money legally but acknowledges that “ethics is always a complicated subject”.
He argues that he gave cash to help eradicate polio in Pakistan and India in a bid to justify how he earned his money.
Documents show that Bannon had regular correspondence with Epstein, who offered to help the far-right US political figure spread his conservative ideology in Europe.
Millions of pages on Epstein, with photos and videos, have been published by US authorities since Trump took office in January 2025.
They have shed light on Epstein’s ties to top business executives such as Microsoft’s Bill Gates, celebrities such as film-maker Woody Allen, and academics and politicians including Trump and former President Bill Clinton.
- Agence France-Presse
