Peter Mandelson, the former UK Ambassador to the US, had close ties with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, according to newly released emails.
In his correspondence, the former Labour Party heavyweight offered support to Epstein even after his 2008 conviction for soliciting sex from a minor in Florida. The emails, obtained by Bloomberg, cast fresh light on Mandelson's personal engagement with the serial sex offender.
In June 2008, Mandelson wrote to Epstein, "I think the world of you and I feel hopeless and furious about what has happened. I can still barely understand it. It just could not happen in Britain."
At the time, Mandelson was serving as the European Union's commissioner for trade and economic security. In the same message, he encouraged Epstein to "fight for early release".
"The whole thing has been years of torture and now you have to show the world how big a person you are, and how strong," he added.
The email was sent a day before Epstein reported to a Palm Beach prison to serve an 18-month sentence, of which he spent 13 months, much of it on work release.
The exchanges between Mandelson and Epstein, spanning from 2005 to 2010, range from brief logistical notes to more revealing communications. In January 2008, Epstein also asked Mandelson to remind an unidentified person referred to only as "mr. big" about a meeting with his lawyer, Jay Lefkowitz. Mandelson responded, "I will get a message. He is travelling at moment." The identities of some people referenced remain unclear.
Other emails show Mandelson discussing travel plans with Epstein. In October 2005, he asked about visiting Epstein's Caribbean island, jokingly questioning if he "fit in" with Epstein's schedule. Epstein replied he would be there in December and offered to pay for Mandelson's tickets if needed.
As the Florida investigation progressed, Mandelson remained in contact, asking for updates and offering moral support. He even advised Epstein to apply strategies from Sun Tzu's Art of War in defending himself, stating, "Reminder. You are fighting back so you need strategy, strategy, strategy. Remember the Art of War," he wrote in February 2008.
Emails also reveal discussions around potential intervention by Florida Governor Charlie Crist, though Crist told Bloomberg he never received a pardon request.
The disclosures come after it was revealed that Mandelson contributed a 10-page handwritten letter to a birthday book for Epstein, calling him his "best pal," which was compiled by Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
Mandelson, speaking on the Harry Cole Saves the West podcast, expressed regret for maintaining the friendship, reported The New York Post. "I feel a tremendous sense of sympathy for those people, those women, who suffered as a result of his behaviour and his illegal criminal activities," he said. "I regret very deeply indeed carrying on that association with him for far longer than I should have done, and I regret very much that I fell for his lies."
Epstein, who faced federal child sex crime charges in 2019, died in his Manhattan jail cell awaiting trial.
