The latest monumental release of the Epstein files revealed a curious exchange about the fall of the Belgian Government in 2018 over migration.
Former White House Chief Strategist and close Donald Trump ally, Steve Bannon, appears in thousands of search pages of the US Justice Department’s Epstein Library, with emails and text exchanges between him and Epstein dating back to 2018 and 2019.
There are many references to Bannon's work in setting up a far-right movement in Europe to undermine the EU and the UN migration pact, which was being vehemently discussed at the time.
Throughout the exchange, Epstein appears to be assisting Bannon with his far-right project. The two laugh and joke as they discuss finance, politics and power, with one text showing the convicted US sex offender inviting Bannon to his island.
Fall of Government
Yet one detail affecting Belgium has raised eyebrows. In one of the messages, Bannon is giving Epstein a political update about his work promoting anti-migration politics in Europe.
This time, he is referencing the fall of the Belgian Government in 2018, when Flemish nationalists quit the ruling coalition over support for the UN migration agreement.
"The Belgium govt fell 5 hours after my speech-- spent all day with the Flemish nationalist-- and had the Walloon populists/ nationalist meet them for first time in my hotel suite," Bannon wrote.
He is referring to a speech he gave in Brussels on 8 December 2018, where he declared the UN Global Compact on Migration as "dead", while also praising far-right parties for opposing it.
Marine Le Pen, Vlaams Belang's Tom Van Grieken, Steve Bannon and others pictured during an anti-migration event organised by Vlaams Belang at the Flemish Parliament in Brussels, Saturday 08 December 2018. Credit: Belga / Nicolas Maeterlinck
The event was hosted by the right-wing Flemish nationalist party Vlaams Belang. Just a few hours later, N-VA’s ministers handed in their resignations to the Belgian Prime Minister of the time, Charles Michel.
To be clear, there are two Flemish nationalist parties, one right-wing (N-VA) and one far-right (Vlaams Belang), but both have rallied against immigration in recent years. Current Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever is a leading figure in N-VA.
Regarding the "Walloon populists" Bannon is referring to, they are likely to be the now-defunct French-speaking People’s Party. This party, which was considered far-right by experts, folded in 2019 due to low support.
'We can run the tables'
After the exchange about the Belgian Government's fall, Epstein responded to Bannon, saying: "Next stop, Brexit". Bannon later responds, showing his plans for a far-right takeover of Europe.
U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein appears in a photograph taken for the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services' sex offender registry on March 28, 2017.
"The right now has the working class behind them on immigration-- macron collapsed tonight , merkle [sic] dead -- we win 60% of euro parliament next spring -- salvini calls election the following week -- done done and done," Bannon’s text read. "We can run the tables here."
Another exchange reveals Epstein introducing Bannon to the former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who was forced to resign over an influence-peddling scandal and now works for US billionaire Peter Thiel.
In the text exchanges, Bannon expresses willingness to meet him. Epstein replies with: "Epstein, Bannon, Kurz.. A little too close to Bronsthein, goebbels…"
"Way way way too close," replied Bannon, who is not accused of any wrongdoing but has not responded to various media queries.
