Epstein documents trigger wave of political resignations across Europe

Monday 09 - 14:50

By: Dakir Madiha

Epstein documents trigger wave of political resignations across Europe

Ten days after the United States Justice Department released more than three million pages of documents linked to Jeffrey Epstein, European governments are facing a deepening political crisis, while U.S. authorities have signaled they do not intend to pursue further prosecutions.

Resignations mounted rapidly over the weekend. On Sunday, Norway’s foreign ministry announced that ambassador Mona Juul had stepped down from her posts in Jordan and Iraq after documents showed that Epstein had named her children in his will as beneficiaries of 10 million dollars. The same day, Morgan McSweeney, chief of staff to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, resigned over his role in advice related to the appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States despite Mandelson’s known ties to Epstein. In France, Jack Lang, a former culture minister under President François Mitterrand, resigned as head of the Arab World Institute amid an investigation into aggravated tax fraud laundering linked to offshore accounts connected to Epstein.

The disclosure of the files, mandated under the Epstein Files Transparency Act signed by President Donald Trump, has sparked official criminal investigations across Europe. Norwegian authorities opened an inquiry for aggravated corruption on February 5 targeting former prime minister Thorbjørn Jagland, examining whether he received gifts, travel expenses or loans connected to his roles as chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee and secretary general of the Council of Europe. Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide has taken steps to lift Jagland’s diplomatic immunity.

In the Baltic region, Latvia and Lithuania both announced human trafficking investigations after references to their nationals appeared in the documents. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has assembled a special team to analyze the files, seeking to identify potential Polish victims and possible links to Russian intelligence services.

Scandinavian elites have come under particular scrutiny. Norway’s royal family was drawn into the controversy when Crown Princess Mette-Marit issued a second public apology on February 6, expressing her “deepest regrets” over her friendship with Epstein and asking forgiveness from those she said she had disappointed, including King Harald and Queen Sonja. Correspondence released publicly showed that she stayed at an Epstein-owned property in Palm Beach in 2013.

In Sweden, Joanna Rubinstein resigned as chair of Sweden for UNHCR after documents revealed she had traveled to Epstein’s private Caribbean island in 2012, several years after his conviction for soliciting a minor for prostitution.

The reaction in Europe has contrasted sharply with the position taken by Washington. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told CNN that the Justice Department’s review of the files was complete and dismissed the prospect of additional investigations or charges. Democratic Representative Ro Khanna, a co-author of the transparency legislation, described the document release as insufficient and said he and Republican Representative Thomas Massie remain prepared to pursue impeachment or contempt proceedings against Attorney General Pam Bondi if their concerns are not addressed.

In his resignation letter, McSweeney wrote that the decision to appoint Peter Mandelson had been a mistake, saying it damaged the party, the country and public trust in politics.