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Jason Leopold
@jasonleopold.bsky.social
140K followers 830 following 930 posts
Investigative Reporter, Bloomberg News. "FOIA terrorist." Subscribe to my newsletter, FOIA Files and my FOIA podcast, Disclosure.

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https://www.bloomberg.com/foiafiles
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jasonleopold.bsky.social
In Sept, my colleagues & I published one of the first stories in our series from the trove of 18K emails we obtained from Jeffrey Epstein's private Yahoo acct.

This email Maxwell sent to Epstein on Aug 23, 2007 still piques my interest
www.bloomberg.com/features/202...
FROM: Gmax <gmax To: <jeeproject@yahoo.com> DATE: Thu, Aug 23 2007 5:31 PM SUBJECT: You have to assume they wen t to donald trump then, gossman, the docs in wpb, paschow etc G
November 15, 2025 at 12:31 AM
jasonleopold.bsky.social
And in Dec/Jan 2019
November 14, 2025 at 4:02 PM
jasonleopold.bsky.social
Yes, it's strange but also hard to look away

These are the books on Trump Epstein purchased in 2018
November 14, 2025 at 3:49 PM
jasonleopold.bsky.social
You can find my podcast, Disclosure, here and on all major podcast platforms.

swap.fm/l/O8A3zzBKsG...
November 14, 2025 at 3:38 PM
jasonleopold.bsky.social
NEW FOIA Files newsletter is out!

‘This is Not a Drill.’ How the Peace Corps Prepared for a DOGE Visit

The agency spent two months running through training exercises leading up to DOGE’s arrival in April, according to emails I obtained via #FOIA

www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
An email sent to Peace Corps personnel about DOGE As you are probably aware, a DOGE employee visited Peace Corps today. She and a few of her colleagues will be working here with us over the coming weeks. They will be sitting in conference room 7218 for the duration of their stay. During their stay with us, please observe the following: • Do NOT walk by the conference room to peek in. The location was selected for their privacy. Be mindful of your hallway conversations. • Do NOT discuss their presence outside the agency. Do NOT share their names with anyone. • Be courteous and respectful of their time. These folks are professionals with a big job to do and a narrow window in which to do it. We want them to be able to do their job safely and effectively. Your decorum and professionalism is expected.
November 14, 2025 at 3:35 PM
jasonleopold.bsky.social
LISTEN and PLEASE subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts! And leave a review if you like it, hate it or just want to offer feedback!

swap.fm/l/O8A3zzBKsG...
November 10, 2025 at 9:20 PM
jasonleopold.bsky.social
My new #FOIA podcast, Disclosure, that I co-host with my attorney, @mvtopic.bsky.social made @theguardian.com's best podcasts of the week list!

www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...
My podcast Disclosure landed on The Guardian's best podcasts of the week.
November 10, 2025 at 9:18 PM
jasonleopold.bsky.social
On this week's episode of Disclosure, my new #FOIA podcast co-hosted with @mvtopic.bsky.social ...

Please subscribe, leave a review, tell your friends, your families, your enemies

This is our third episode! Check it out!

From @bloomberg.com & No Smiling
swap.fm/l/O8A3zzBKsG...
November 8, 2025 at 12:34 AM
jasonleopold.bsky.social
NEW FOIA Files newsletter is out! Anti-Drug Unit Officially Shut Down by DOJ

The Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces responsibilities, including 5,000 existing case, have been transferred to a new set of task forces under DHS

www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
Memo related to the closure of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces: In accordance with the Deputy Attorney General's July 23, 2025, memorandum Transitioning OCDETF Resources for Homeland Security Task Forces, the OCDETF Management Information System (MIS) is being updated and will transition from OCDETF to support the Homeland Security Task Forces (HSTF). As the 5,000 existing OCDETF cases transition to HSTF cases, continued support from current OCDETF-funded personnel in the U.S. Attorneys' Offices for data entry through the remainder of fiscal year 2025 is required.
November 7, 2025 at 4:35 PM
jasonleopold.bsky.social
Please listen and subscribe! Every week, Matt and I will take you on a wild ride through the #FOIA trenches. New episodes are available every Tuesday on all major podcast platforms or wherever you listen.

From @bloomberg.com and No Smiling

swap.fm/l/O8A3zzBKsG...
November 4, 2025 at 2:09 PM
jasonleopold.bsky.social
In Nov 2007, Jeffrey Epstein sent himself an email with a document attached titled, “Acosta challenge.” It was intended for his attorneys to send to Alex Acosta after they met with him. The letter criticized the federal prosecutor who pursued his alleged money laundering.
Thank vou for your time on wed. It was verv informative. I was quite surprised to learn that both vou and vour office are committed to a level playing field. The horizontal equity, policy to which you referred has clearly not been exercised in this case. The policy clearly implies that a man of wealth of should be treated no differently than any of those less fortunate . That has certainly not happened here .Though many cases of a similar and even more serious nature have been resolved with a sentence of house arrest,(even the madam in the recent Kuton case) we were told that it was not available to my client, because it would be considered "mansion" arrest . My client, under investigation for a sex offense, has been asked for his income tax returns, all bank accounts, his medical records , threatened with a money laundering charge, though the minimum pre- requisite of a specified unlawful activity could not be described. , and even a money transmitting business violation , where in fact no business even existed. In addition , Marie called his largest business client directly. With no justification . ATTACHMENT: Acosta challenge.docx
November 1, 2025 at 4:39 PM
jasonleopold.bsky.social
Four days before he reported to prison, Epstein received an email from Wexner

A spokesperson for Wexner declined to comment. A person close to Wexner said his email “expressed his strong disappointment that Epstein had breached his fiduciary duties and broken the family’s trust.”
FROM: Wexner, Les <LesW@ To: jeeproject@yahoo.com <> DATE: Thu, Jun 26 2008 5:45 PM SUBJECT : Abigail told me the result...al1 I can say is I feel sorry. You violated your own number 1 rule... Always be careful.
October 31, 2025 at 1:53 PM
jasonleopold.bsky.social
As Epstein reflected on his case, his emails about it became more frantic. On Nov. 16, 2007, he sent one to Jimmy Cayne, the former CEO of Bear Stearns, and his friend the psychiatrist Henry Jarecki. Under the subject line, “this is how crazy,” it contained a litany of grievances toward prosecutor
FROM: ijeffrey epstein <littlestieff@vahoo.com> To: jcayne@ , henry jarecki < DATE: Fri, Nov 16 2007 9:08 AM SUBJECT: this is how crazy > 1.my team consists of professionals with over 250 vears of criminal experience. In an abundance of care , we have also consulted with outside ethics experts,and former justice dept officials . The clear and unanimous consensus is they find the conduct outrageous and frankly not one of them , has been able to recall seeing anything like this before.. .2. After the state had conducted its own investigation and returned a grand jury indictment.,the federal gov't , while adamantly refusing to coordinate with the duly elected district attorney, and his sex prosecutor of 13 years, ", engaged in a virtual extortion , to force the defendant and his counsel to go the state and in a wholly unprecedented step, demand , himself that he be charged with a crime greater than the state and grand jury thought appropriate. They then further demanded he obtain, from the state a sentence much greater than the state and its officials wanted., including having to register as a sex offender, a position that the state adamantly opposed. They then compounded their outrageous behavior by then demanding that Epstein pay an unnamed list of people ""alleged victims"",, a minimum of 150 thousand dollars each. No matter what their actual damages. They then refused the defendant, even the right to contact these adults.or conduct his own investigation. This was demanded in exchange for the gov't not prosecuting him for crimes, that they , the feds admittedly could only make the most tenuous connection to. The ausa then suggested the defendant be required to hire one of her friends as a continency lawyer, to , be paid for by the defendant to actually sue the defendant himself on behalf of a list of adults that she would onlv make avaliable after sentencing.. They threatened to use the sex tourism statute 2423 ( with a min mandatory sentence of 10 years) , and appl…
October 31, 2025 at 1:51 PM
jasonleopold.bsky.social
Epstein was incensed. He and his attorneys took steps to back out of the NPA he’d signed. On Oct. 15, 2007, Epstein sent himself an email and attached a word document he wrote titled, “Did you know that.”
Epstein's email 20. She begins a money laundering investigation, wi thout the necessary requirement of specified illegal funds, 21 She says she iS contemplating charging a violation of a money transmi tting statute, though Epstein has no such business,
October 31, 2025 at 1:47 PM
jasonleopold.bsky.social
Epstein was incensed. He and his attorneys took steps to back out of the NPA he’d signed. On Oct. 15, 2007, Epstein sent himself an email and attached a word document he wrote titled, “Did you know that.”
Epstein's email 20. She begins a money laundering investigation, wi thout the necessary requirement of specified illegal funds, 21 She says she iS contemplating charging a violation of a money transmi tting statute, though Epstein has no such business,
October 31, 2025 at 1:47 PM
jasonleopold.bsky.social
On Aug. 16, 2007, Villafaña requested that a grand jury issue subpoenas for Epstein’s financial records dating back to 2003. On the same day, Villafaña also sent a letter informing Epstein’s defense attorneys that she would continue investigating his finances as long as the NPA remained unsigned.
("In other words, if the sex offense case is resolved, the Office would close its investigation into other areas as well. The matter has not been, and it does not appear that it will be, resolved so the money laundering investigation continues, and Request Number 6 [seeking records of every financial transaction conducted by Epstein and his six businesses from "January 1, 2003 to the present] will not be withdrawn."
October 31, 2025 at 1:44 PM
jasonleopold.bsky.social
🎙️ Welcome to Disclosure, my NEW podcast co-hosted with @mvtopic.bsky.social about our adventures with the #FOIA!

First episode is up NOW!

Listen here swap.fm/l/O8A3zzBKsG...

(From @bloomberg.com and No Smiling)
October 28, 2025 at 2:13 PM
jasonleopold.bsky.social
The first episode drops Tuesday! New episodes will be released every Tuesday and will be available on Bloomberg.com and all major podcast platforms.
Disclosure, a new podcast I'm co-hosting about the FOIA
October 24, 2025 at 3:04 PM
jasonleopold.bsky.social
🎙️Some NEWS! Introducing Disclosure, a new @bloomberg.com podcast I'm co-hosting w/my atty @mvtopic.bsky.social about the #FOIA & the wild backstories behind my FOIA requests & lawsuits. Produced by the great Heather Schroering & Sean Cannon

Check out the trailer!
www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
October 24, 2025 at 2:55 PM
jasonleopold.bsky.social
A FOIA Files flashback:

Documents I obtained via #FOIA reveal that the IRS took the extraordinary step of seeking a legal opinion on whether it was appropriate to emblazon President Donald Trump's name on millions of Covid stimulus checks in 2020.

www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
A mock up of one of the Covid-era stimulus check that contained former President Donald Trump’s name in the memo line.
October 4, 2025 at 3:37 AM
jasonleopold.bsky.social
NEW FOIA Files newsletter is out!

I squeezed out a handful of emails from ODNI about the "damage assessment" lawmakers asked the agency to conduct after FBI found that Trump stockpiled classified docs at Mar-a-Lago

This is what was discussed behind the scenes
www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
This email sent on Sept. 14, 2022, warned that ODNI should proceed with caution. The person who sent it (their name is redacted) apparently wanted to avoid coming to any quick conclusions about the national security implications. The emails also indicate that ODNI was actually trying to avoid conducting a full blown damage assessment. Another email sent four days later explained why Haines used the word “potential” when she responded to the lawmakers.
October 3, 2025 at 2:43 PM
jasonleopold.bsky.social
Tomorrow, SCOTUS will review Ghilaine Maxwell's cert petition in which she appealed her 2021 conviction

Check out the @bloomberg.com story from a couple of weeks ago, which sheds new light on Maxwell's partnership w/Epstein and undercuts her claims that she diassociated herself from hin in 2008
From: G Maxwell <GMax[REDACTED]> To: J Ep <jeeproject@yahoo.com> Date: Tue, Jan 13 2015 6:01 PM Subject: FW: Attorney Privileged Communication - subject to mutual interest privilege [IWOV-Matters.FID782702] See bellow I guess they are fishing to see if I can have allegation against me…this would take what ever slim shred of a life I have after this mess and kill it..
September 28, 2025 at 3:51 PM
jasonleopold.bsky.social
NEW special edition of my newsletter, FOIA Files, is out!

www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
Email from Epstein about an apology letter written for him Epstein telling scientific researchers he has no boundaries related to what they want to research Stephen Kosslyn from Harvard reacting to Epstein telling him he will be going to jail Epstein weighing in on a letter to his friends after he was charged in Florida
September 26, 2025 at 3:28 PM
jasonleopold.bsky.social
“I'm sorry I was a little confused about what you were asking on the phone,” Webber wrote him. “I se what you were asking now. The question is: what would happen if one were to transport a minor for sex—or transport oneself with the intent to have sex with a minor—into a state in which the age of consent is below eighteen (assuming the minor is above the age of consent in the given state)? And your intuition was right. The answer is that there is no violation of law.”
September 26, 2025 at 1:27 PM
jasonleopold.bsky.social
For Epstein, who was reviewing drafts of the letter, that wording wasn’t enough:
September 25, 2025 at 10:55 PM