Jeffrey Epstein described himself as a ‘tier one’ sexual predator in a newly-revealed video showing the disgraced financier facing questions in a sit-down interview.
The footage emerged as part of the tranche of files that the US department of justice published on Friday, including 180,000 images and 2,000 videos.
Epstein, wearing glasses and a black shirt, is also asked whether he ‘is the Devil himself’ by the interviewer, who does not appear on screen but he is believed to be Donald Trump’s former chief strategist, Steve Bannon.
‘No, but I do have a good mirror,’ the convicted paedophile responds, before the interviewer hits back: ‘It’s a serious question. Do you think you’re the devil himself?’
Epstein says: ‘I don’t know. Why would you say that?’
The interviewer begins to explain, saying, ‘because you have all the attributes’, before Epstein cuts him off: ‘No, the devil scares me.’
Bannon, 72, served in the White House role for the first seven months of Trump’s first administration.
It is not clear when or where the interview was filmed, who filmed the video, or why Bannon in particular was chosen to question Epstein.
‘What are you, [a] class 3 sexual predator?’ the interviewer asks Epstein.
‘Tier 1. I’m the lowest,’ the American financier responds.
He is asked whether the money he has earned over his lifetime is ‘dirty money’, to which Epstein responds: ‘No, it’s not.’
Pressed on why not, Epstein says: ‘Because I earned it.’
‘You earned it by advising the worst people in the world, that do enormous, bad things, and just to make more money,’ the interviewer says.
‘Ethics is always a complicated subject,’ Epstein hits back, before talking about the money he claims he donated to help eradicate polio in Pakistan and India.
‘Instead of asking me whether that money should be given to these children for vaccines, I think you might want to ask their mothers – who receive the vaccine, who know their child now won’t get polio – and ask them if Epstein should have helped these people with their money,’ he adds.
‘You’re a mathematician,’ the interviewer responds, before putting forward a hypothetical scenario in which Epstein walks into the clinic and tells the people ‘in the most dire straits of poverty and sickness’ that the money was coming from a ‘criminal’.
‘What percentage of people do you estimate would say, “I don’t care; I want the money for my children?” the interview asks.
‘I would say everyone says, “I want the money for my children”, Epstein responds.
More than three million pages of documents related to the late sex offender were released on Friday.
The publication of the documents came six weeks after a December 19 deadline to release all the files, as mandated in the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which passed Congress and was signed into law in November.
US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Friday that the release ‘marks the end of a very comprehensive document identification and review process’, indicating that the US justice department views its role as complete.
However, Democrats continue to contend that the department has withheld a vast quantity of documents – potentially around two-and-a-half million – without proper justification.
Among the images published in the Epstein files are photographs showing Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor kneeling on all fours over a female lying on the ground.
He is staring directly at the camera in one, while in another he places his hand on the woman’s stomach, who is unidentified and remains fully clothed.
But like much of the material published by the US justice department on Epstein, no further context on where or when they were taken is given.
However, distinctive pieces of home decor seen in the background of the three images suggest Mountbatten-Windsor, was likely inside the paedophile financier’s seven-storey New York home.
These include a leopard-print chair, large mahogany doors and patterned floors -which have all been seen in images previously shared of the property.
Moreover, a picture of Woody Allen released by the US authorities in December also appears to have been taken inside the same room where Andrew was photographed.
The film director and his wife Soon-Yi Previn were reportedly regular guests at the £60million townhouse, which Epstein used to build his connections with the rich and powerful.
The former Duke of York, who has faced years of scrutiny over his past friendship with Epstein, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
Formerly known as Prince Andrew, Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his royal title in October after mounting scrutiny over his links to the late sex offender.
Among the released documents from Friday’s drop are emails that show Epstein had organised for the former Duke of York to have dinner with a 26-year-old Russian woman in London in 2010.
In a message sent to a contact saved as ‘The Duke’, the paedophile financier wrote: ‘I have a friend who i think you might enjoy having dinner with.’
In response, ‘The Duke’ writes: ‘Of course. I am in Geneva until the morning of 22nd but would be delighted to see her.’
‘Will she be bringing a message from you? Please give her my contact details to get in touch,’ he continues. The email was signed off ‘HRH The Duke of York KG’.
In another email ‘The Duke’ asks for more information about the woman.
‘She 26, russian, clevere [sic] beautiful, trustworthy and yes she has your email,’ Epstein writes.
‘The Duke’ replies: ‘That was quick! How are you? Good to be free?’
The emails were sent in August 2010, six months after Andrew celebrated his 50th birthday.
The arrangement was also proposed after Epstein was released from jail in July 2009, having served his prison sentence for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
