Elon Musk rejects sex offender Epstein 'pedo island' links after bombshell e-mail
The latest controversy comes after the latest records released by the US Justice Department show that Musk tried to arrange several meetings with Epstein and sought an invitation to a major gathering on his private island.
Elon Musk has forcefully rejected claims linking him to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's private island, saying the disgraced financier "hounded me relentlessly" to visit and that he "always declined".
Musk’s rebuttal came after a public clash with LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, who accused the Tesla and SpaceX chief of lying about his interactions with Epstein and trying to deflect scrutiny.
The row erupted after Hoffman slammed Musk online, saying, "If you cared about the victims you'd stop making false accusations to cover your a**", and accused him of comparing Hoffman's fundraising visit to MIT with Musk's alleged attempts to attend what Epstein called the "wildest party" on his island.
"Epstein hounded me relentlessly to go to his pedo island and I always declined. Not you though. You actually went. What “gifts” did you bring to Epstein when you went to pedo island?" Musk said in a post on X.
This came after newly released court documents and emails surfaced. The conversation over email apparently showed Musk begging to party with Epstein years after his 2008 conviction for sex crimes.
The billionaire entrepreneur said he had never visited Epstein’s private island, flown on his plane, or attended any of his parties, insisting that his communications had been taken out of context.
The controversy came after the latest records released by the US Justice Department show that Musk tried to arrange several meetings with Epstein and sought an invitation to a major gathering on his private island.
In emails from 2012 and 2013, the two discussed possible visits, including plans for travel by helicopter and dates while Musk was holidaying in the Caribbean. One proposed trip was later cancelled due to scheduling issues.
MUSK DENIES WRONGDOING, BLAMES 'SMEAR CAMPAIGN'
Musk, the chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX, made his remarks in numerous posts on X as pressure mounted after the release of new documents.
He said he had knowingly risked public backlash by supporting the release of Epstein-related files.
"Nobody has fought harder for full release of the Epstein files and prosecutions of those who abused children more than I did," Musk wrote. He said he expected to be attacked by "legacy media" and political opponents, despite, he claimed, having no personal involvement in Epstein’s activities.
MUSK’S DAUGHTER SAYS EPSTEIN EMAILS ARE REAL
After the e-mails became public, Musk’s daughter, Vivian Wilson, said she believed the emails were authentic.
"I can confirm we were in St Barth’s at the time specified in the emails, and therefore I believe they are authentic." She also claimed her father was in denial. "This has basically already been confirmed through his attempts to paint them as out of context (denial is a river in Egypt)," she posted.
According to the document, Musk had shown interest in visiting Epstein’s private island in the Caribbean.
In response, Musk shared an email he said showed Epstein referring to Reid Hoffman’s presence on the island. He claimed Epstein had tried to use Hoffman’s visit to persuade him to attend, but that it had instead discouraged him.
"This is how I knew so long ago," Musk wrote, suggesting he had avoided further contact as a result.
Hoffman has previously said he regretted his association with Epstein and denied any involvement in criminal activity.
MUSK TARGETS POWERFUL RIVALS
In one widely shared exchange, Musk endorsed a post listing several high-profile figures whose names appeared in Epstein-related files. The post mentioned Bill Gates, Steve Bannon, Reid Hoffman, and Bill Clinton. It claimed that only Musk was openly calling for prosecutions.
In response, Musk wrote: "Because they are guilty."
On Friday, the US Justice Department made public a massive new batch of records linked to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, marking the largest release of such material since a law last year required their disclosure.
The release includes around three million pages of documents, along with nearly 180,000 images and about 2,000 video files.