The Infrastructure of Jeffrey Epstein’s Power

The Ezra Klein Show (NYT Opinion) — Feb 13, 2026
Guest: Anand Giridharadas, journalist and author

Episode Overview

In this insightful and disturbing episode, Ezra Klein and Anand Giridharadas explore the systemic nature of Jeffrey Epstein’s power and the elite networks that sustained, enabled, and protected him. Drawing from millions of recently (and incompletely) released DOJ files, reporting, and survivor testimonies, the conversation delves into what Epstein's rise, reach, and crimes reveal about the infrastructures of modern American and global elite power, the transactional and complicit relationships among the influential, and the implications for accountability, network dynamics, and courage in an age of “networked” power.

Key Themes and Discussion Points

1. The State of the Epstein Files

• Millions of Files Released, Many Still Hidden (00:47)
  • DOJ claims 3.5 million pages released, but 2.5 million remain unseen, with the vast majority still redacted.
  • Politicians Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie accuse DOJ of ongoing cover-up to protect powerful men.
  • Quote (Khanna, via Giridharadas): “70 to 80% of the files are still redacted.” (01:56)

2. Mapping Epstein’s Network

• The Unprecedented Breadth of Connections (02:00-07:00)
  • Epstein’s circle “crosses ideologies, industries, professions”—from Steve Bannon and Trump to Emirati businessmen, Elon Musk, Noam Chomsky, and Peter Thiel.
  • The diversity of his network masks a deeper, trans-ideological “solidarity” among the elite.
  • Quote (Giridharadas): “None of these people in these networks mean what they say when you hear them in public. They mean what they say when you’re not looking. And these emails…are a rare chance to see what they really think.” (07:50)

3. The Role of Transactionalism

• Solidarity or Self-Interest? (09:18-11:00)
  • Epstein’s power was in brokerage—matching needs, trading favors, and exploiting human weaknesses.
  • Money, access, and status flowed both ways: financiers wanted to feel interesting, academics wanted money and access to power, lawyers and politicians wanted leverage and influence.
  • Quote (Giridharadas): “He exploited the facile nature of many of these elites…Character may be a liability for some of them. These people are making very thin slice judgments about how central you are in the same networks.” (18:57)

4. Epstein as Broker, and the Function of Money

• The JPMorgan Chase Relationship (11:31-18:57)
  • Epstein’s brokerage connected people and opened doors (e.g., for Jess Staley at JPMorgan).
  • Wealth signaled legitimacy, greased transactions, and protected him even after his 2008 conviction.
  • His “network is the proof he is worth dealing with, and not beyond the pale.” (18:57)
  • The elite measure trust via network density and perceived status rather than character.

5. Concentric Circles of Enablement

• Degrees of Complicity (27:31-32:10)
  • At the heart: perpetrators of and collaborators in Epstein’s crimes.
  • Beyond: those who facilitated, looked the other way, or found Epstein's reputation non-disqualifying.
  • Outward: institutions—universities, corporations, law firms—who enabled or ignored the red flags.
  • Quote (Giridharadas): “If you just had a pedophile…who wanted to procure 15 year-old girls…that would have been very difficult for him. It’s the systems and circles that made it possible.” (28:34)

6. The Mystique of Power and Elite Networks

• The Allure and Immunity of “The Inner Ring” (35:11-41:52)
  • Epstein’s origin story illustrates the power of social mapping and the drive to ascend.
  • His gift was gaming the hunger, insecurity, and boredom of the already-powerful.
  • Echoes of Trump: both left trail of broken relations, yet kept ascending.

7. Sexual Leverage and Predation

• Epstein’s Reputation as Currency (50:07-62:10)
  • His “playboy surrounded by women” persona became a draw for the powerful, not a deterrent.
  • He offered access—“lucrative and louche”—to what many elite men believed their status entitled them to but rarely achieved.
  • Notable Email: Epstein to Elon Musk: “There is NO1 over 25 and all very cute.” (52:21)
  • Virginia Giuffre (survivor): “My impression of many of these men is they didn’t know how to pursue women. Awkward and socially immature. It was as if their big brains were missing the ability to interact with other people.” (54:18)

8. Culture of Discretion, Denial, and Power

• Secrecy and Mutual Protection (62:58-71:22)
  • Many communications were “off-record,” implying much more remains hidden.
  • The infamous “birthday book” reveals coded language, lewdness, and a collective sense of knowing transgression.
  • Notable Document: Trump’s note: “Every day is another wonderful secret…We have certain things in common…Enigmas never age.” (67:00)

9. Trump, Epstein, and the Nature of Untouchable Power

• Power as Social Fact (71:22-75:21)
  • Trump and Epstein wield(ed) power that insulated them from the consequences of their well-known behaviors.
  • “The fact of power” inverted the moral logic for everyone around them. They became “social facts” unto themselves.
  • Quote (Klein): “They do have a similar genius to me, which is the recognition that power is what makes you invincible.” (74:45)

10. Courage, or the Lack Thereof, in Networked Elites

• Why So Few Spoke Out? (75:21-85:44)
  • Giridharadas: The true crisis is cowardice; the “paucity of bravery” among elites who have the resources to act but don’t.
  • Quote: “It turns out, that’s not what it [power and security] seemed to do for people. We are surrounded by elites who are much more afraid than their parents and grandparents were to take a stand.”
  • Network power makes breaking ties ever more costly. The more connections, the higher the price of courage.

Memorable Quotes

• On Complicity:
  “There is a core group of people…engaged in and shared participation in crimes…that is obviously its own circle of hell. And then there’s what made that possible…who facilitated it, for whom it was not a problem…then what was the circle around that, just universities…law firms…who just didn’t stop the thing.”
  – Giridharadas (27:31)

• On Elite Hypocrisy:
  “None of these people in these networks mean what they say when you hear them in public. They mean what they say when you’re not looking…and these emails…are a rare chance to see what they really think.”
  – Giridharadas (07:50)

• On the Costs of Courage in a Network Age:
  “To be courageous is to break ties. And the more valuable ties become…the more expensive it is to burn that bridge.”
  – Giridharadas (85:44)

• On Survivors:
  "Virginia Giuffre…is not with us anymore, having committed suicide. But talking about it…being angry about it will not on its own lead to a world that is different from this."
  – Giridharadas (79:29)

Notable and Revealing Moments

• Birthday Book (65:39–68:53):
  Ezra Klein reads Donald Trump’s alleged note to Epstein, filled with coded language, suggesting a “cloud of common sense” about Epstein’s reputation among those in his circle, regardless of what was explicitly known.

• Elon Musk Exchange (51:05–52:45):
  Epstein, failing to lure Musk to a gathering of “UN diplomats,” pivots to offering “NO1 over 25 and all very cute” as enticement, showing the transactional, sexualized currency he trafficked in.

• White House Counsel Correspondence (42:47–44:50):
  Former Obama White House counsel Kathy Ruemmler jokes with Epstein about his “old habit” and seeks his career advice, emblematic of how normalized and transactional relationships were even post-conviction.

• Giuffre’s Insight (54:18–55:58):
  Giridharadas quotes survivor Virginia Giuffre on the awkwardness and social immaturity of many powerful men, who paradoxically craved the access, control, and lack of resistance Epstein offered.

Key Timestamps

| Segment | Timestamp | |--------------------------------------------------|-------------| | DOJ files release and redactions | 00:47–03:56 | | The range and solidarity of Epstein’s network | 05:01–07:29 | | Money, brokerage, and JPMorgan Chase | 11:31–18:57 | | How elites judge character/trust | 18:57–22:16 | | Concentric circles of enablement | 27:31–32:10 | | How Epstein made his money (Wexner, scams) | 35:11–41:52 | | Sex, mystique, and the lure of Epstein | 50:07–62:10 | | Trump/Epstein “birthday book” exchange | 65:39–68:04 | | The network age and courage/cowardice | 83:01–85:44 |

Recommended Books (85:44–87:42)

1. Random Family by Adrienne Nicole LeBlanc
2. Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
3. (Upcoming/Unpublished) Book by Conchita Sarnoff on trafficking and Epstein’s networks; Giridharadas appeals for its publication.

Conclusion

This episode dissects the machinery of power exemplified by Epstein’s networks, how mutual interest and unspoken codes shielded egregious crimes, and what that reveals about the accountability, culture, and vulnerabilities of modern elites. It also draws sobering parallels to the second Trump presidency, urging reflection on the “paucity of courage” in the face of abusive power, and warning that transparency and outrage must be met with action for genuine change.