Elon Musk had a closer relationship with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein than the Tesla Inc. and SpaceX CEO previously disclosed, according to the latest release of documents from the Justice Department.
They show correspondence between Musk and the deceased sex offender dating back to 2012, when Musk was celebrating the release of Tesla’s Model S and SpaceX’s Dragon Capsule becoming the first commercial spacecraft to dock at the International Space Station.
Amid those business milestones, the Texas billionaire made time to send warm messages to Epstein, despite his earlier claims that he declined Epstein on several occasions. In one instance, Epstein’s assistant Lesley Groff even nudged him by email, saying, “Just a reminder Elon Musk was asking about coming to your island on Jan. 2 … ”
Here’s what to know about the most notable interactions between Musk and Epstein found among the records released Friday under a law intended to reveal what the government knew about Epstein’s sexual abuse of young girls and who else may have been involved.
Musk asked about parties
On Christmas Day 2012, Musk wrote to Epstein that he was looking forward to shaking off the stresses of the past year and asked, “Do you have any parties planned?”
“I’ve been working to the edge of sanity this year and so, once my kids head home after Christmas, I really want to hit the party scene in St Barts or elsewhere and let loose,” Musk wrote. “The invitation is much appreciated, but a peaceful island experience is the opposite of what I’m looking for.”
Epstein was invited to SpaceX
In early 2013, an Epstein assistant emailed Musk saying, “Jeffrey would like to meet you at Space X as you suggested,” before asking for a convenient time and address. The Hawthorne, Calif., facility where SpaceX had its headquarters before moving to Texas was later listed as the meeting site. By the end of February, Epstein seems to reference a visit, writing in an email to Musk, “thanks for the tour, you would have had fun at xmas.”
The two discussed holiday plans
When the holidays rolled around in 2013, Musk let Epstein know he would be in the St. Bart’s area in an email chain titled Christmas and New Year’s. Epstein then invited him to visit, writing, “always space for you.”
Epstein went to Musk for solar energy help
In 2012, a few years before Tesla acquired solar power manufacturer SolarCity, Epstein figured Musk could get him connected. Epstein asked, “is there any one at Solar City that my guys can talk to about [electrifying the caribbean] island? or the new mexico ranch.”
Musk would have likely known who to contact. His cousins Lyndon and Peter Rive founded the company, and Musk was chairman of the board.
Musk talked work with Epstein
In an email exchange the weekend in 2013 that SpaceX’s unmanned Dragon spacecraft reached the space station, Epstein sent a congratulatory note, to which Musk replied that he now needed to focus on Tesla. Epstein asked Musk if he would take a break in April.
“It is 3am in California and I’m still working on Tesla and SpaceX email,” Musk wrote back. “Will hit the sack shortly, but be up at 7 for a call. April should be better, but it depends on how well Q1 goes.”
The two continued to chat about sleep and alertness, and Epstein asked Musk if he’d tried Nuvigil, a prescription stimulant used to improve wakefulness.
Musk says he’s happy about documents release
After the latest files revealed his contact with Epstein, Musk wrote on social media that he welcomed release of the documents.
“No one pushed harder than me to have the Epstein files released and I’m glad that has finally happened,” he said on X.
“I had very little correspondence with Epstein and declined repeated invitations to go to his island or fly on his ‘Lolita Express’, but was well aware that some email correspondence with him could be misinterpreted and used by detractors to smear my name.”
Others pop up in Epstein’s correspondence
Elon Musk’s brother, Kimbal Musk, who runs a restaurant in downtown Austin known as The Kitchen, also appeared in the documents, for proposing a coffee meetup and inviting Epstein and his friends to a black tie event at a Four Seasons hotel.
Other public figures whose names pop up in the latest batch of documents include Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, in what appears to be a draft email written by Epstein, and Virgin Group founder Richard Branson.
