The Vault: The Epstein Files

Trump’s DFC Chief Ben Black and the Lingering Shadow of Jeffrey Epstein (Part 1) (6/8/26)

14 min · 8. juni 2026
episode Trump’s DFC Chief Ben Black and the Lingering Shadow of Jeffrey Epstein (Part 1) (6/8/26) cover

Beskrivelse

Ben Black, Donald Trump’s appointee to lead the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, is facing scrutiny after released DOJ Epstein records showed personal and business connections between him, his family, and Jeffrey Epstein. The records reviewed by the Guardian show that Black and family members invested in Environmental Solutions Worldwide in 2011, a company where Epstein held a stake through his Virgin Islands entity, Financial Trust. Ben Black and his brother Joshua became directors of the company that same year, while Epstein’s involvement intersected with Leon Black, Ben’s father and Epstein’s highest-paying known client. The Guardian also reported records suggesting Epstein was scheduled to meet Ben Black, obtained his contact information after a family estate-planning meeting, claimed to have attended Ben Black’s 30th birthday, weighed in on Ben’s $11.5 million townhouse purchase, and appeared in correspondence involving a woman who sought Epstein’s advice about communicating with Ben. Black has not been accused of wrongdoing, and his spokesperson denied that he had any personal or professional relationship with Epstein. The controversy matters because Black now oversees the DFC, a taxpayer-backed overseas investment agency whose lending cap was recently tripled to $205 billion, dramatically increasing the power of the office he runs. Trump appointed Black after Black and Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale promoted a more market-driven approach to foreign aid, but the Guardian reported that some DFC staff had already questioned his qualifications before the Epstein records became an internal concern. The broader issue is not just whether Ben Black personally did anything improper; it is that another person placed in a high-level federal role sits inside the sprawling overlap of Epstein, elite finance, inherited power, private investment, and political appointment. The reporting also places Ben Black’s rise against the backdrop of Leon Black’s long financial relationship with Epstein, including the Senate Finance Committee’s finding that Leon Black paid Epstein $170 million for what Black described as legitimate tax and estate-planning services. to contact me: bobbycapuccI@protonmail.com source: Trump appointee leading $205bn US agency had personal ties to Epstein, emails show | Trump administration | The Guardian [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/03/ben-black-investment-trump-epstein]

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episode Trump’s DFC Chief Ben Black and the Lingering Shadow of Jeffrey Epstein (Part 2) (6/8/26) cover

Trump’s DFC Chief Ben Black and the Lingering Shadow of Jeffrey Epstein (Part 2) (6/8/26)

Ben Black, Donald Trump’s appointee to lead the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, is facing scrutiny after released DOJ Epstein records showed personal and business connections between him, his family, and Jeffrey Epstein. The records reviewed by the Guardian show that Black and family members invested in Environmental Solutions Worldwide in 2011, a company where Epstein held a stake through his Virgin Islands entity, Financial Trust. Ben Black and his brother Joshua became directors of the company that same year, while Epstein’s involvement intersected with Leon Black, Ben’s father and Epstein’s highest-paying known client. The Guardian also reported records suggesting Epstein was scheduled to meet Ben Black, obtained his contact information after a family estate-planning meeting, claimed to have attended Ben Black’s 30th birthday, weighed in on Ben’s $11.5 million townhouse purchase, and appeared in correspondence involving a woman who sought Epstein’s advice about communicating with Ben. Black has not been accused of wrongdoing, and his spokesperson denied that he had any personal or professional relationship with Epstein. The controversy matters because Black now oversees the DFC, a taxpayer-backed overseas investment agency whose lending cap was recently tripled to $205 billion, dramatically increasing the power of the office he runs. Trump appointed Black after Black and Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale promoted a more market-driven approach to foreign aid, but the Guardian reported that some DFC staff had already questioned his qualifications before the Epstein records became an internal concern. The broader issue is not just whether Ben Black personally did anything improper; it is that another person placed in a high-level federal role sits inside the sprawling overlap of Epstein, elite finance, inherited power, private investment, and political appointment. The reporting also places Ben Black’s rise against the backdrop of Leon Black’s long financial relationship with Epstein, including the Senate Finance Committee’s finding that Leon Black paid Epstein $170 million for what Black described as legitimate tax and estate-planning services. to contact me: bobbycapuccI@protonmail.com source: Trump appointee leading $205bn US agency had personal ties to Epstein, emails show | Trump administration | The Guardian [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/03/ben-black-investment-trump-epstein]

8. juni 202618 min
episode Trump’s DFC Chief Ben Black and the Lingering Shadow of Jeffrey Epstein (Part 1) (6/8/26) cover

Trump’s DFC Chief Ben Black and the Lingering Shadow of Jeffrey Epstein (Part 1) (6/8/26)

Ben Black, Donald Trump’s appointee to lead the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, is facing scrutiny after released DOJ Epstein records showed personal and business connections between him, his family, and Jeffrey Epstein. The records reviewed by the Guardian show that Black and family members invested in Environmental Solutions Worldwide in 2011, a company where Epstein held a stake through his Virgin Islands entity, Financial Trust. Ben Black and his brother Joshua became directors of the company that same year, while Epstein’s involvement intersected with Leon Black, Ben’s father and Epstein’s highest-paying known client. The Guardian also reported records suggesting Epstein was scheduled to meet Ben Black, obtained his contact information after a family estate-planning meeting, claimed to have attended Ben Black’s 30th birthday, weighed in on Ben’s $11.5 million townhouse purchase, and appeared in correspondence involving a woman who sought Epstein’s advice about communicating with Ben. Black has not been accused of wrongdoing, and his spokesperson denied that he had any personal or professional relationship with Epstein. The controversy matters because Black now oversees the DFC, a taxpayer-backed overseas investment agency whose lending cap was recently tripled to $205 billion, dramatically increasing the power of the office he runs. Trump appointed Black after Black and Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale promoted a more market-driven approach to foreign aid, but the Guardian reported that some DFC staff had already questioned his qualifications before the Epstein records became an internal concern. The broader issue is not just whether Ben Black personally did anything improper; it is that another person placed in a high-level federal role sits inside the sprawling overlap of Epstein, elite finance, inherited power, private investment, and political appointment. The reporting also places Ben Black’s rise against the backdrop of Leon Black’s long financial relationship with Epstein, including the Senate Finance Committee’s finding that Leon Black paid Epstein $170 million for what Black described as legitimate tax and estate-planning services. to contact me: bobbycapuccI@protonmail.com source: Trump appointee leading $205bn US agency had personal ties to Epstein, emails show | Trump administration | The Guardian [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/03/ben-black-investment-trump-epstein]

8. juni 202614 min
episode Mega Edition: Ghislaine Maxwell And Her Ex Husband Scott Borgerson (6/8/26) cover

Mega Edition: Ghislaine Maxwell And Her Ex Husband Scott Borgerson (6/8/26)

Scott Borgerson entered the Epstein story through his relationship with Ghislaine Maxwell, which was initially hidden from public view even as prosecutors later revealed she was married. Borgerson, a tech executive and former Coast Guard officer, was widely identified as Maxwell’s secret husband after her arrest, and court reporting indicated the marriage became part of her bail arguments because her lawyers tried to present it as proof she had roots, assets, and reasons not to flee. Before that, Borgerson had publicly denied reports that Maxwell was living with him or that they were romantically involved, even as scrutiny intensified after Epstein’s death and Maxwell went underground before her 2020 arrest. The relationship reportedly collapsed once Maxwell was jailed and facing trial. According to media accounts citing people close to Maxwell, Borgerson ended the marriage during a tense jailhouse phone call and had moved on with a yoga teacher, an account most prominently reported after Maxwell’s conviction. That detail has the quality of tabloid humiliation, but it also fits the broader pattern of Maxwell’s post-arrest isolation: the socialite who once moved through elite circles with Epstein was left fighting for herself, while even the man presented in court as her husband had apparently stepped away. In that sense, Borgerson’s role is not central to Epstein’s criminal operation, but it is central to the collapse of Maxwell’s last public refuge — the private life she tried to keep sealed off from the wreckage around her. to contact me: bobbycapucci@protonmail.com

8. juni 202639 min
episode Mega Edition: Transcripts From The DOJ's Sit Down With Ghislaine Maxwell (Part 19-23) (6/7/26) cover

Mega Edition: Transcripts From The DOJ's Sit Down With Ghislaine Maxwell (Part 19-23) (6/7/26)

On August 22, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice released redacted transcripts and audio recordings of a two-day interview it conducted in July with Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year federal prison sentence for her role in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking ring. During the interview, Maxwell denied ever seeing any inappropriate behavior by former President Donald Trump, describing him as a “gentleman in all respects,” and insisted she “never witnessed the president in any inappropriate setting in any way.” She also rejected the existence of a so-called “client list,” countering years of speculation, and claimed to have no knowledge of blackmail or illicit recordings tied to Epstein. In addition to defending high-profile figures, Maxwell expressed doubt that Epstein’s death was a suicide, while also rejecting the notion of an elaborate conspiracy or murder plot. The release of the transcripts—handled under the Trump-era Justice Department—has stirred sharp political debate. Trump allies have framed her remarks as vindication, while critics and Epstein’s survivors question her credibility, pointing to her conviction and suggesting her words may be aimed at influencing potential clemency or political favor. to contact me: bobbycapucci@protonmail.com source: Interview Transcript - Maxwell 2025.07.24 (Redacted).pdf [https://www.justice.gov/storage/audio-files/Interview%20Transcript/Interview%20Transcript%20-%20Maxwell%202025.07.24%20(Redacted).pdf]

8. juni 20261 h 16 min
episode Mega Edition: Transcripts From The DOJ's Sit Down With Ghislaine Maxwell (Part 16-18) (6/7/26) cover

Mega Edition: Transcripts From The DOJ's Sit Down With Ghislaine Maxwell (Part 16-18) (6/7/26)

On August 22, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice released redacted transcripts and audio recordings of a two-day interview it conducted in July with Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year federal prison sentence for her role in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking ring. During the interview, Maxwell denied ever seeing any inappropriate behavior by former President Donald Trump, describing him as a “gentleman in all respects,” and insisted she “never witnessed the president in any inappropriate setting in any way.” She also rejected the existence of a so-called “client list,” countering years of speculation, and claimed to have no knowledge of blackmail or illicit recordings tied to Epstein. In addition to defending high-profile figures, Maxwell expressed doubt that Epstein’s death was a suicide, while also rejecting the notion of an elaborate conspiracy or murder plot. The release of the transcripts—handled under the Trump-era Justice Department—has stirred sharp political debate. Trump allies have framed her remarks as vindication, while critics and Epstein’s survivors question her credibility, pointing to her conviction and suggesting her words may be aimed at influencing potential clemency or political favor. to contact me: bobbycapucci@protonmail.com source: Interview Transcript - Maxwell 2025.07.24 (Redacted).pdf [https://www.justice.gov/storage/audio-files/Interview%20Transcript/Interview%20Transcript%20-%20Maxwell%202025.07.24%20(Redacted).pdf]

8. juni 202649 min