Epstein was a ‘master manipulator’, says Lord Mandelson as shamed former cabinet minister claims ‘I’ve had a lot of bad luck’
Lord Mandelson has described Jeffrey Epstein as a ‘master manipulator’ trying to contain the fallout from newly released dossiers linking him to the disgraced financier.
The 72-year-old Labor Party member says he was suddenly thrown into a “life-changing crisis” when historic emails resurfaced, forcing him to stand down as US Ambassador within days.
Mandelson said of the moment the altercation broke out: ‘It was like a drive-by shooting at 5.30am.
The former cabinet minister now faces calls for police intervention and a Cabinet Office investigation after millions of files released by the US Department of Justice emerged showing he shared sensitive government information with Epstein and advised ministers on how to lobby.
The documents include emails understood to have been forwarded by Lord Mandelson in 2009, containing discussions between senior Downing Street aides and ministers about the UK’s response to the Credit Crisis and which government assets might be ‘saleable’.
Former prime minister Gordon Brown has demanded a Cabinet Office investigation into the “completely unacceptable” disclosure of details of his government’s handling of the financial crisis.
Reflecting on his relationship with Epstein, Mandelson says he deeply regrets continuing any contact following the financier’s 2008 conviction.
‘He was a master manipulator. I can see this now. “But the important thing is that his victims knew exactly what he was doing,” she told the Times, adding that it was only after his death in 2019 that Epstein fully realized the extent of his crimes and apologized to the women and girls who suffered.
A photo released as part of the Epstein files shows Lord Mandelson talking to a woman wearing a white bathrobe.
The documents include an email that appears to have been sent from Lord Mandelson to Epstein, mentioning that the UK government has ‘sellable’ assets
Other documents show Lord Mandelson, then business secretary, advising Epstein on how he and his powerful connections could lobby against a bonus tax on bankers introduced in December 2009.
In an apparent exchange, Epstein asked whether the tax could be limited to the cash portion of bonuses, with a response suggesting Lord Mandelson was “trying hard” to change the policy.
Other material shows Lord Mandelson foreshadowed the €500 billion eurozone bailout to Epstein in May 2010, after Labor lost the general election but before the Coalition government took office.
Despite this, Mandelson added that Epstein merely offered guidance as he moved from politics to the world of business and finance, but that it was naive to think he was acting in good faith.
‘I’ve had a lot of bad luck, some of it is no doubt my fault,’ he said.
The files include bank records from 2003 and 2004 and suggest that Epstein transferred tens of thousands of pounds to accounts linked to Lord Mandelson.
He says he believes the documents are fake and insists he does not remember receiving any money.
Lord Mandelson resigned from the Labor Party at the weekend, saying he wanted to avoid ‘further embarrassment’.
On May 10, 2010, Lord Mandelson appears to have texted Epstein about the 500 billion euro rescue plan for the EU’s single currency
The Prime Minister was forced to remove Lord Mandelson from his post as US ambassador last year following further revelations about Epstein.
The documents released include an Epstein bank statement with a $25,000 transfer to Peter Mandelson; but the colleague says he does not remember receiving the money and believes it is fake
The worker said that disciplinary proceedings have already been initiated. Sir Keir Starmer said Lord Mandelson should not be a member of the House of Lords and asked the cabinet secretary to urgently review his emails with Epstein.
Mandelson disputes many of the allegations. She admits that her husband, Reinaldo, received money from Epstein to fund an osteopathy course, saying it was offered as educational support from a charity.
But she insisted there was no wrongdoing or attempt to influence her, insisting that her husband had not been accused of any crime.
He also strongly rejects suggestions that Epstein’s views were given special importance when discussing banking reforms, and argues that ministers were lobbied relentlessly by the entire financial sector at the time.
