He got by with a little help from his friends. From British royalty to White House alumni, from a Silicon Valley investor to a leftwing academic, connections and influence were the ultimate currency for Jeffrey Epstein.

Yet none appeared to challenge Epstein over his horrific crimes. If silence is complicity, the casual disdain of the elite circles he moved in spoke volumes.

Emails released this week by the House of Representatives’ oversight committee revealed how Epstein maintained contact with business executives, reporters, academics and political players despite his 2008 guilty plea for soliciting prostitution from an underage girl.

The emails show that Epstein’s role in his network went far beyond social pleasantries. He was treated as a trusted consigliere, a fixer whose judgment on matters of politics, scandal and personal life was actively sought by the powerful.

He even sought to shape foreign policy. In the run-up to Trump’s 2018 bilateral meeting with Vladimir Putin, Epstein proposed that Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, might benefit from his own insights into the then-US president.

“I think you might suggest to Putin that Lavrov can get insight on talking to me,” Epstein wrote in an email to Thorbjørn Jagland, the former Norwegian prime minister who was at the helm of the Council of Europe at the time.

Epstein went on to claim that he had previously discussed Trump with Vitaly Churkin, Russia’s ambassador to the UN, before Churkin’s death in 2017. “Churkin was great,” Epstein wrote. “He understood Trump after our conversations. It is not complex. He must be seen to get something – it’s that simple.”

In January 2010, biotech venture capitalist Boris Nikolic was attending the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and Epstein emailed to ask: “any fun?” Nikolic replied that he had met “your friend” Bill Clinton, as well as the then French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, and “your other friend”, Andrew, “as he has some questions re microsoft”.

In emails with Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, an Emirati businessman, Epstein complimented Bannon, saying in 2018 that “We have become friends you will like him”.

“Trump doesn’t like him,” responded Sulayem.

A year earlier, Sulayem had asked Epstein about an event where it appeared Trump would be in attendance, asking: “Do you think it will be possible to shake hand with trump.”

“Call to discuss,” Epstein wrote back.

Epstein was also in touch with Peter Thiel, a Silicon Valley investor and ally of JD Vance. Epstein sent Thiel an email in 2014 saying “that was fun , see you in 3 weeks”. Four years later, Epstein asked if Thiel was enjoying Los Angeles, and, after Thiel said he could not complain, replied “Dec visit me Caribbean”. It is unclear whether Thiel ever responded.

The secrets of Epstein’s inbox do not reveal an overarching conspiracy but paint a more sobering picture: a world where immense wealth, privileged access and proximity to power can insulate individuals from accountability and consequences. For those inside the circle, the rules of the outside world do not apply.