• At least seven high-profile resignations and three criminal investigations have followed the DOJ's release of more than three million pages of Epstein-related documents
• European governments are moving faster than U.S. authorities, with Norway, the UK and Lithuania all launching formal probes
• The Trump administration has signaled no appetite for further domestic investigations, with Deputy AG Todd Blanche declaring the review "over"

WASHINGTON, DC (TDR) — The release of more than three million pages of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents by the Department of Justice has triggered a cascade of resignations, criminal investigations and institutional reviews that now spans at least six countries, touching diplomats, lawyers, art world executives and members of European royalty.

Unlike previous rounds of Epstein file releases, which generated headlines but limited consequences, the latest tranche is producing measurable professional and legal fallout — though the accountability is playing out unevenly. European governments have launched formal probes and accepted resignations. The U.S. response has been markedly different.

"It's not a crime to party with Mr. Epstein."

That was Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on Fox News, dismissing the prospect of further domestic investigations. He declared the official review of the files "over."

The contrast between that posture and what's unfolding across the Atlantic tells a story about how different systems process the same information.

The Resignations: Who's Gone and Why

The most consequential departure is Peter Mandelson, the former British ambassador to the United States and one of the architects of Tony Blair's New Labour movement. Mandelson formally resigned from the House of Lords on Feb. 4 after documents revealed extensive communications with Epstein, including emails suggesting he shared market-sensitive government information with the convicted sex offender during his tenure as Business Secretary.

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Bank statements from 2003 and 2004 appear to show three separate payments totaling $75,000 from Epstein's accounts to entities linked to Mandelson or his partner. A separate $10,000 payment in 2009 to fund an osteopathy course for his partner was acknowledged by Mandelson, who called it a "lapse in collective judgment."

"Mandelson betrayed our country, our parliament, and my party."

That was Prime Minister Keir Starmer addressing the House of Commons. Starmer, who had fired Mandelson as ambassador in September 2025 after earlier Epstein ties surfaced, said he regretted the appointment.

"If I knew then what I know now, he would never have been anywhere near government."

The Metropolitan Police subsequently launched a criminal investigation into a "72-year-old man, a former Government Minister, for misconduct in public office" — without naming Mandelson directly.

In Slovakia, Miroslav Lajčák resigned as Prime Minister Robert Fico's national security adviser on Feb. 1 after emails revealed exchanges with Epstein about women and diplomacy. Lajčák, a former president of the U.N. General Assembly, told Radio Slovakia he felt like a "fool" after rereading the messages.

"It was a private conversation, let's be honest, who would be happy if the whole nation were reading their messages? At the very least, I exercised poor judgment."

Fico accepted the resignation while defending Lajčák as "a great diplomat," adding that Slovakia was "losing an incredible source of experience in diplomacy and foreign policy."

In the United States, Brad Karp resigned Wednesday as chairman of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, one of the most powerful corporate law firms in the country. Emails showed Karp had socialized with Epstein and provided legal counsel on matters related to his plea deal, despite the firm's insistence it never represented Epstein.

In one March 2019 email, Karp reviewed a draft court filing and called it "overwhelmingly persuasive," adding that he "particularly liked the argument that the 'victims' lied in wait and sat on their rights for their strategic advantage."

"Recent reporting has created a distraction and has placed a focus on me that is not in the best interests of the firm."

Karp will remain at Paul Weiss as a partner.

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David Ross, former director of the Whitney Museum of American Art, also resigned from his position at New York's School of Visual Arts after emails showed him corresponding with Epstein for years. In one 2009 email, Ross referred to Epstein's 13-month jail sentence as a "special sleep-away camp" and called his release the end of "an undeserved punishment foisted upon you by jealous creeps."

In another exchange, Epstein proposed an art exhibition called "Statutory" featuring teenage models "where they look nothing like their true ages." Ross replied: "You are incredible."

Other resignations include Caroline Lang, daughter of former French culture minister Jack Lang, who stepped down as head of France's Independent Production Union. She described herself as "incredibly naive." Swedish U.N. official Joanna Rubinstein resigned from the United Nations' Refugee Agency after documents showed she visited Epstein's island in 2012, years after his conviction.

The Criminal Probes: Three Countries, Multiple Targets

Norway has emerged as the most aggressive jurisdiction. The country's economic crime police unit, Økokrim, opened an investigation Thursday into former Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland on suspicion of "aggravated corruption." The probe focuses on whether Jagland received undue benefits including gifts, travel and loans while chairing the Norwegian Nobel Committee and serving as secretary general of the Council of Europe.

Emails show Jagland maintained extensive contact with Epstein, including planning visits to his private island. In one exchange, Jagland described women in Tirana, Albania as "extraordinary girls." Prosecutors have requested the revocation of Jagland's diplomatic immunity from his Council of Europe tenure.

Norwegian diplomat Mona Juul, who helped broker the Oslo Accords, has been suspended pending investigation into her ties to Epstein. The files revealed Epstein left $10 million in his will to Juul's two children. Crown Princess Mette-Marit acknowledged displaying "poor judgment" after documents showed extensive contact with Epstein spanning 2011 to 2014, including stays at his Palm Beach residence.

In the United Kingdom, the Metropolitan Police confirmed a criminal investigation into Mandelson for misconduct in public office.

Lithuanian prosecutors launched a human trafficking investigation Tuesday after prominent Lithuanian citizens were named in the files.

Institutional Fallout Beyond Individuals

The consequences extend beyond personal careers. Queen's University Belfast dropped the name of former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell from its Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice. Mitchell, 92, brokered the 1998 Good Friday Agreement that ended three decades of conflict in Northern Ireland. He has said he regrets knowing Epstein and had no knowledge of his crimes.

The World Economic Forum ordered an independent review of the interactions between its chief, Børge Brende, and Epstein. Brende, Norway's former foreign minister, acknowledged dining with Epstein in New York in 2018 and 2019 but insisted he was "completely unaware" of Epstein's criminal activities — which had been public knowledge since 2008.

The NFL said it would "look at all the facts" regarding New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch, who acknowledged a "brief association" with Epstein involving discussions about "adult women, movies, philanthropy and investments."

The Accountability Gap: Europe Acts, Washington Shrugs

The divergence between European and American responses has become the defining feature of this chapter of the Epstein story.

Lauren Hersh, director of the anti-human trafficking organization World Without Exploitation, told Salon the Trump administration's handling has been "incredibly distressing."

"It is abundantly clear that there are a number of people who committed devastating harm to survivors."

President Donald Trump lashed out at a CNN reporter Tuesday when asked about "justice" for Epstein survivors.

"I think it's really time for the country to get on to something else, now that nothing came out about me."

Meanwhile, Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, accused the administration of withholding approximately 50% of the Epstein files while claiming full compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy AG Blanche sent a six-page letter to Congress stating the release "marks the Department's compliance" with the act. But the question of whether compliance equals completeness remains contested.

Power players like Bill Gates and Elon Musk continue to weather heightened scrutiny but have avoided professional consequences. Melinda Gates said the files revive "painful memories" from her marriage.

Important Context: What Being Named Means

The DOJ itself has cautioned that appearance in the files does not imply wrongdoing. The documents were deemed potentially relevant to the Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell investigations but "equally insufficient to bring a case against any of those mentioned."

Epstein was convicted in 2008 for soliciting a minor. He died by suicide in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of sex trafficking and conspiracy.

The files include thousands of references to Trump, including emails where Epstein and associates shared news articles and gossiped about the president and his family. Trump's name also appears prominently in earlier released files. The president has said nothing from the documents implicates him.

When foreign governments launch criminal probes based on the same documents that U.S. officials declare insufficient for further investigation, does the accountability gap reflect different legal standards — or different political calculations about who deserves scrutiny?

Sources

This report was compiled using information from Axios' tracker of Epstein file resignations, Al Jazeera's reporting on the Mandelson investigation and Jagland probe, CNBC's coverage of the White House response and Brad Karp's resignation, CNN's reporting on Karp's emails with Epstein, CBS News' comprehensive live updates on the DOJ document release, PBS NewsHour's reporting on Mandelson's resignation and House of Lords pressure, Euronews' analysis of European political figures in the files, Salon's reporting on the anti-trafficking response and European investigations, NBC News' report on the Ross and Karp resignations, CP24/AFP's comprehensive tracker of resignations and probes, and the DOJ Epstein Library.

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