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The Epstein Chronicles
Power, Access, and Influence: Mandelson’s Emails Expose Epstein’s Reach Into UK Government (4/3/26)
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Newly surfaced emails show Peter Mandelson working behind the scenes to help Jeffrey Epstein arrange a visit for a teenage girl he referred to as his “goddaughter” to 10 Downing Street—at a time when Epstein was already a convicted sex offender. The...
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Boss, what's the most dreaded question that you can get when you tell people you host a podcast called the Lapsed Fan? Ugh. It's. What is it about? And why is that, do you think? Because to like pro wrestling is to lose the respect of others. Now what if we told you there's a podcast that explains exactly why that is and why it's kind of deserved? For over a decade, we've taken fact finding missions through the thicket of half truths that is wrestling history. We watch old matches, call out carnies, laugh at our own jokes, and have so much fun doing it that some people actually can't handle it. Think wrestling is an escape from real life? Think again. Same power games, same office politics, same people lying to your face. Just with entrance music and absolutely no company health insurance under any circumstances. All I offer is opportunity, not benefits. As do we, Vince. The Lapsed Fan Podcast. Come for the wrestling history. Stay for the uncomfortable truth about why it used to be better and why you still care.
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What's up, everyone? And welcome to another episode of the Epstein Chronicles. One of Jeffrey Epstein's oddest relationships was his relationship with the Dubin family. And not only Glenn and Eva Dubin, but even more disturbingly, with their daughter, Selena Dubin. And we know that Epstein has even went as far as saying in the past that he wanted to marry Selena Dubin. Now, mind you, that's his goddaughter, but that's who he wants to marry or wanted to marry. And in this episode, we're going to talk about how Jeffrey Epstein, through his connections to Peter Mandelson, tried to get his goddaughter, Selena Dubin, access to 10 Downing Street. This article was published by Al Jazeera and the headline Mandelson tried to get Epstein's Goddaughter access to to 10 Downing Street. This article was authored by Kaolin McGee. British politician and peer Peter Mandelson tried to help convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in arranging a visit by his goddaughter to 10 Downing street at a time when Epstein was in prison for a procuring a minor for prostitution. Emails released by the U.S. department of justice reveal Mandelson was serving as Business Secretary in the government of of Prime Minister Gordon Brown and sitting on the House of Lords front bench at the time. Nah, Jeffrey Epstein was just a lone predator. That's what the President told us. That's what his administration told us. Right? Just a lone predator. Well, how did he have so much access? How did he have connections that reached all the way to 10 Downing Street. Oh, that's right. He wasn't just a lone predator. He was a well connected sick degenerate who was not only welcomed but loved in the world of the so called elite. In an email exchange, Epstein told Glenn Dubin, a hedge fund manager whose child he called his goddaughter, that he would organize a trip to number 10 and the house of Lords with Peter Mandelson for you guys. On the same day, Epstein wrote directly to Mandelson saying this, that the most important person to me next to view of course is my goddaughter that will be in London on Wednesday and Thursday of next week. What can we do to make it a very special trip? I would really appreciate it. In the exchange, Mandelson asks how old, to which Epstein replied 15, adding that she will be with her parents House of Lords, 10. Just for 10 minutes. It would mean a lot to me, he added. Mandelson responds 14. Fine on all. Epstein responds, great. Days later, Mandelson replied that he was trying my best to accommodate the request and that we are still on the case and hope something will fall into place. Epstein subsequently forwarded Mandelson's response to Dubin. And this whole entire trifecta here between Glenn Dubin, Eva Anderson Dubin and Jeffrey Epstein is bizarre as hell. Imagine that your wife, your current wife, wanted to stay such great friends with her ex boyfriend, somebody like Epstein. That would be non negotiable for me. And the answer would be no. Look, I'm not the kind of person that tells anyone, especially my partner, who they should or shouldn't hang out with. But when it comes to somebody like Epstein, come on. You mean to tell me Eva Anderson Dubin had no idea what Epstein was? She did. She didn't care. And not only that, she let him have access to her daughter. Now look, I'm not saying that Epstein hurt Selena Dubin. There's no evidence of that. But just the mere fact that you would let somebody like Epstein be around your daughter is just bananas to me. These emails are among thousands of messages in the latest tranche of the Epstein files that mention Mandelson, a central figure in modern British politics for decades, long noted for his ability to survive repeated scandal. Not this one. That train has veered off the tracks. The exchange offers a glimpse into how Epstein appeared to leverage his relationship with Mandelson while he was in the United Kingdom's government. In turn, Mandelson appeared willing to open doors for Epstein while he was a convicted sex offender. Well, yeah, it was quid pro quo. Mandelson was getting hooked up. Well, you don't think Mandelson was enjoying Jeffrey Epstein's largesse? We know that both of these people, Mandelson and Epstein, are parasites. And they're not going to have a regular relationship like you or I would with our buddy. It's all about how much more can I get, how can I increase my power, how can I increase my wealth? That's all they care about. Al Jazeeras contacted Downing street for comment. Dubin later wrote to Epstein, great time in Buckingham Palace. Andrew was great. Thanks. So obviously it was hooked up. They met Andrew, they went to Buckingham palace, all at the direction of Jeffrey Epstein. Fifteen minutes later, Epstein wrote to convicted child sex trafficker and and former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell. Andrew had tea with the Dubin kids and Glenn. The email appears to refer to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, ex prince and brother of Britain's King Charles. Mountbatten Windsor was accused by Epstein victim Virginia Roberts of sexual assault, specifically alleging that he raped her on three occasions in 2001 when she was 17 as part of his sex trafficking ring run by Epstein. These allegations led to a 2021 lawsuit for sexual assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress, which was later settled out of court. Glenn Dubin's daughter and Epstein's so called goddaughter is Selena Dubin. She's the daughter of Eva Anderson Dubin, a former girlfriend of Epstein. I have no clue again, how any man could let this dude be around his kids. Especially considering how long Eva Dubin and Jeffrey Epstein were associated. And I don't mean just as friends. They were, you know, boyfriend and girlfriend. So it's just crazy to me that this dude Glenn Dubin would be so nonchalant. Sure, come hang out. Come to Thanksgiving. Now look, if he was somebody that was the father of one of the Eva Anderson Dubin's kids. Different, right? If Epstein was the dad, okay, yeah, sure, stepdad, I get it. Guy has to be part of your life. But Epstein, a former boyfriend. Why was Eva Dubin so gung ho on keeping that friendship so strong even after getting married? Email exchanges suggest that following this visit to London, Evan Epstein stayed in contact with Glenn Dubin's daughter, who the sex offender called his goddaughter. The correspondence raises questions about why Peter Mandelson, who was aware of the Epstein conviction for procuring a minor for prostitution, was prepared to facilitate an arrangement for Epstein and an underage girl while he was UK government minister. He didn't care. Look, he didn't Care. But let's be real, neither did her parents. If we're just gonna chop it up and be 100. The real onus here, the real problem is that Glenn and Eva Dubin would even ask for this to occur. At the time of the 2009 exchange, Mandelson had returned to government, serving in a senior labor role from 2008 to 2010. After leaving office Mandela, he built a lucrative global consulting career before re entering public life when Prime Minister Keira Starmer appointed him Ambassador to the United States in 2024. Keir Starmer has to go. This guy's an absolute buffoon. He is causing great damage to the UK right now. I mean, great damage. And in many areas, not just domestically, but geopolitically speaking. His relationship with Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, has since become a problem that will not go away for the UK government and has even led to calls for Starmer to resign. He needs to. Will he? I don't know, but he needs to. The release of some of the Epstein files by the US Department of Justice and in September of 2025 led to Mandelson stepping down as US ambassador. A second tranche published on January 30 alleged that he had passed sensitive government information to Epstein on several occasions. According to the files, the claims prompted the British government to refer the matter to police for possible prosecution. Mandelson was briefly arrested in February before being released on Bailey while investigations into allegations against them continue. And look, I don't know where it all ends up, but I know this for a fact. Peter Mandelson was passing sensitive confidential information to Jeffrey Epstein. And we see that in the emails themselves. Now there's going to be all kinds of gymnastics to try and turn it into something different to try and save Mandelson. But we all know what we saw. The political fallout, meanwhile, has since widened, forcing the resignation of two senior government aides. In an attempt to contain the crisis. The Prime Minister said all documents relating to Mandelson's appointment would be made public, a move that has instead intensified scrutiny. The initial release of what has become known as the Mandelson files showed that ahead of his appointment to Washington, UK officials had explicitly warned that his long standing ties to Epstein posed a reputational risk to the country. Well, what does Starmer care at this point? I think Starmer has been inserted to destroy Britain. The guy's an absolute buffoon. And watching the damage control that he's trying to use, acting like he had no idea is comical at best. Government documents indicate that during the vetting process in late 2024, Mandelson repeatedly denied key aspects of his relationship with Epstein, including whether he had stayed with the sex offender after his 2008 conviction. However, internal correspondence shows officials were aware of the relationship, discussed it as part of due diligence, and raised concerns with prime minister's chief of staff. The appointment nonetheless went ahead. Starmer has since apologized for that decision. Further WhatsApp messages are expected to be released in the coming days and could prompt fresh calls for Starmer's resignation, raising questions about how much more damage the UK government can sustain it's not looking so great for the uk, is it? Things aren't looking so fantastic, are they? And a lot of that has to do with the leadership. Just like here in America. One of Mandelson's first recorded interactions from the files is with Ghislaine Maxwell as far back as June 2002. The emails show him already in direct contact with her, stepping into a world that blurred intimacy and power. I love disgusting, that's why I'm wild and dangerous, mandelson wrote to Maxwell in the same exchange. The tone shifted to potential political and business advisory work in the us, invoking contacts linked to former US Senator George Mitchell. Oh, you mean one of the dudes that sexually assaulted Virginia that nobody ever wants to talk about? The high flying Democrat that everybody seems to have forgotten. And I remember when I was bringing up George Mitchell years ago, I was getting so much pushback from people on the left that it was absurd. It's the same kind of pushback that you're seeing from the right now. And it usually happens when people know and understand that they're exposed. And George Mitchell most certainly is exposed. And listen, if you believe Virginia about the things that she said, then my guess is you believe her about George Mitchell. Is there ever going to be a reckoning for that? Is there ever going to be a conversation in Congress about George Mitchell or Bill Richardson? There should be. In the same exchange, Mandelson appears to have gatecrash the lunch with Epstein, prompting a rebuke relayed through Maxwell. You spoiled Jeffrey's lunch Pete. I have warned you about that before. Behave or I'll punish you like the bad boy you are. Why can I see Peter Mandelson in a full gimp suit with Glenn Maxwell beating the ever living piss out of him in some dungeon somewhere in London? Sounds about right. At the same time Mandelson was in exile from political Life. It was 2002 and he had Already been forced to resign twice from government. First after taking a loan of 373,000 pounds from fellow minister Jeffrey Robinson to help purchase a house. Then after being accused of intervening in a passport application for the businessman. I can't pronounce his last name. Something Hinduja. Srishant Hinduja. I have no idea. Sorry. It was in this vacuum of political hiatus that Mandelson would cultivate his business and personal connections with Epstein. Well, of course. Did you expect somebody like Mandelson just to accept their political exile? Have you not been paying attention? These people live in their own reality that doesn't include the rest of us. And that goes double for stiff upper lip types like Mr. Mandelson. These early messages set the pattern for what followed. Long, meandering exchanges between Mandelson and Epstein in which sexual innuendo sits alongside business. By 2003, messages from Mandelson to Epstein were being preserved in a 50th birthday book compiled for Epstein. Several pages show photographs of the two men together, accompanied by handwritten notes in which Mandelson refers to Epstein as his best pal. Well, isn't that cute? Mr. Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein, best pals. Talk about the odd couple. The book itself was gifted in 2003, but it remained out of public view until its release two decades later in September of last year. And that's the book that caused all the issues with. With Donald Trump, and it led to the lawsuit between Donald Trump and the Wall Street Journal. That is still going on. And I suspect that that book is real and I think that Donald Trump's entry is real as well. Financial links also surfaced from the release of the files. Bank statements from 2003 to June of 2004 appear to show Epstein making several payments worth $25,000 each to accounts associated with Mandelson, as reported by the Financial Times. For what? What was he paying him for? Access and secrets, that's what. Other emails also suggest that Mandelson desired a life that domestic politics could not afford. Epstein offered Mandelson access to the seemingly limitless excess of the ultra wealthy. When are you going to the island? At Christmas. I'm having trouble getting air tickets to St. Barts and was wondering about going via us and why or Miami. Mandelson wrote in one exchange in 2005. Epstein's reply was characteristically transactional. I can pay for your tickets if needed. Whether the offer was accepted remains unclear. Another message from Maxwell to Epstein read, asked Mandelson how he's getting to the island. He said, I hope JE is sending the chopper. So I take it you want me to give him a ride on the plane? The messages suggest that Mandelson was impressed by the allure of Epstein's island in the Caribbean and his mansion in New York that he frequented repeatedly. According to the correspondence released by the Justice Department, that's all it was. What can I get from this guy? How can I get more? I never have enough. And I don't care who he hurt or how he got to the position that he's in, as long as I'm getting hooked up. In another email in 2002, Mandelson told Maxwell of a canceled meeting in Paris and then asked her if he could stay on for a few days to have complete peace. It's unclear why he was seeking her permission to stay in Paris and whether Maxwell and Epstein were covering his costs in the French capital. Epstein had a place in France. He was asking if he could use the property. That's what he was asking. Then, in 2008, Epstein was arrested on suspicion of soliciting a minor for prostitution. Minors cannot be prostitutes. While many of his former contacts have said that they cut off ties with them around this time, the files reveal that Mandelson positioned himself as a kind of informal counselor, coaching Epstein through the mounting allegations. If you're fighting back, so you need strategy, he wrote. He pressed repeatedly for updates, for developments, and asked whether everything was being handled. Hope that you're strategizing, he added in another message. Upon finding out about the conviction, Mandelson wrote, I think the world of you and I feel hopeless and furious of about what has happened. Your friends stay with you and love you. Mandelson's telling you everything you need to know right here. He's giving you a glimpse into how this thought process works at this level. Following Epstein's conviction, the two did not cut off contact. The file suggests that Mandelson and Epstein were in more regular communication even as the financier was serving a prison sentence for soliciting prostitution of an underage girl. Again, not acceptable. Underage girls can't be prostitutes. They can only be abused. This rate of emails again intensified In June of 2009, when Mandelson was appointed for Secretary of State, effectively the second most powerful figure in Gordon Brown's government. Epstein appeared to take pride in the promotion. In one message, Epstein circulated a Guardian article about Mandelson's new role to Maxwell and alleged sex trafficker and model scout Jean Luc Brunel. In another email, he congratulated Epstein for his comeback and said his appointment made him proud. In another, he broadcast the news to his network of powerful associates, including senior figures at JP Morgan, such as Jeff Staley, writing, for all intents and purposes, Peter Mandelson, and is now Deputy Prime Minister. This is all bad for Mr. Mandelson, no doubt about it. And I think that if anyone ends up in prison in the uk, it's going to end up being Peter Mandelson. At times, Epstein seemed to act as an intermediary between Mandelson and Staley, who, according to multiple documents in the Epstein files, is alleged to have sexually assaulted a woman, a claim he denies. Yeah, well, good luck with that denial because nobody believes it. Jess Daly's another one who should be called on the carpet, another person who should be investigated, but instead, just another person ignored. The file suggests that Epstein pass messages between Mandelson and senior JP Morgan figures, facilitating introductions and discussions around financial and policy matters. Staley, for instance, asked Epstein to arrange meetings with Mandelson, which appear to have taken place in December of 2009. February 2010, and a call set up by Epstein in March of 2010, and another call with either Mandelson or then Chancellor Alister Darling in January of 2010. The tone of the correspondence oscillated between admiration and calculation. In one exchange, Epstein described Mandelson as devious after he lobbied a bank to underwrite a mining project backed by their mutual associate, Nat Rothschild, as reported by the Guardian. Epstein also began offering advice. He suggested that Mandelson could leverage his new position in charge of all universities to establish a prize in cyberwar, artificial general intelligence, an area in which Epstein himself held business interests. Mandelson's reply was telling, you can become my special unpaid advisor or puppet master, however you want to see it. And frankly, from my position over here, I would say that Mandelson was just a puppet on a string. Other messages reportedly suggest that Mandelson may have tipped Epstein off about sensitive political developments and including Brown's impending resignation in 2010 and a 500 billion euro European Union bailout designed to stabilize the Greek debt crisis. In a separate exchange, days after his appointment as First Secretary of State, Mandelson forwarded Epstein a private email sent to Brown containing sensitive market information, including discussions of potential government asset sales, tax policy and business expectations that the Conservatives would win the next election. All insider information, all stuff that should not have been sent to Jeffrey Epstein, and all documentation of the crimes committed by Mr. Mandelson. The forwarded interesting note was from Nick Butler, a special advisor outlining business issues for The Prime Minister, Epstein, still in prison at the time, responded with policy advice of his own. The government, he wrote, should consider not only physical assets, but intellectual assets that are not being exploited, effectively advising a sitting cabinet member on economic strategy. And do you think that Epstein was doing that out of the kindness of his heart, or was it transactional? The weekend after this correspondence, Mandelson appeared to have stayed at Epstein's residence. At the same time, the two continued a close personal relationship. In one exchange, Mandelson told Epstein, had a long dream about you last night. Say what now? I had a long dream about you. That seems weird. Was there something else going on between Epstein and Mandelson that we don't know about? I don't know. Just asking questions here. In another exchange, Epstein appeared to act as a confidant. Mandelson, writing from the Lord's front bench while seemingly engaged in a parliamentary business, asked whether Epstein had spoken to a contact. The correspondence then turned to a figure named Simone. I'm worried about Simone, who is totally despairing, Mandelson wrote. I'm not sure what else to do. Any ideas? Epstein advised him to travel to New York. Yes, you should go to New York for a weekend. I've been consistent on this. Do not lose the opportunity. Coming across people you really enjoy is rare. Don't be lazy. Get on the plane. You are the only person who knows everything about me. Mandelson later responded, what an absolutely terrible look. And, you know, this shit has people in the UK so mad that they're spitting tea. Weeks later, however, Epstein appeared to change his position. He wrote, I'm rethinking the Simone issue with her new profile. I'm afraid it's asking for serious trouble. It won't be kept quiet. Ronaldo will go ballistic. Fraught with danger, financial links emerge again shortly after. It's widely reported that In September of 2009, Mandelson's husband, Ronaldo Avila da Silva, emailed Epstein requesting financial help to cover the costs of an osteopathy course, including fees, equipment and a laptop. Epstein agreed. I will wire your loan amount immediately. A payment of £10,000 followed. When DA Silva saw clarification on whether the amount covered his school fees, Epstein confirmed it did. Mandelson, in turn, emailed Epstein with a note of caution. Remind him to avoid gift tax filing. It must be a loan. So they're trying to avoid taxes. They're engaging in tax fraud. That's what they're doing. Days later, Da Silva confirmed receipt of the funds. Thank you for the money, which arrived in my account this morning. The contact between Mandelson and Epstein did not end there. According to the files, the two remained in communication until 2016, while the UK government's own due diligence report says the relationship continued until 2019. In one of their final exchanges, Mandelson's fascination with with power appeared to endure. By the way, as political practitioner, Donald is phenomenal, he wrote, referring to the US President Donald Trump. The craft and tenacity are amazing. You know what's really amazing? How brazen these people are. They really thought that none of this information would ever see the light of day, that nobody would ever have access to Jeffrey Epstein's emails, and they thought that because he was so well protected. But what they never took into account is that that protection ended the second that Jeffrey Epstein stopped being useful. And when that time came, the asset was burned. But once Jeffrey Epstein was gone, all that protection left as well. And that's left people like Peter Mandelson scrambling to try and change the narrative about his relationship with Epstein and what they were really up to. Unfortunately for him, his ends where the emails begin. And the only question left is where does it end? All the information that goes with this episode can be found in the description box.