Mira Nair name linked to Epstein documents

Indian filmmaker Mira Nair had attended an “after party” for a film at the townhouse of convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, according to the latest Epstein files released by the US Justice Department. Nair, the mother of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, is mentioned in one of the emails as part of additional files of investigation related to millionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein put out in public domain by the Department of Justice on Friday.

“Just left Ghislaine’s townhouse.  After party for film. Bill Clinton and Jeff Bezos were there... Jean Pigozzi, director Mira Nair etc. Film received tepid reaction although women like it much more... Hillary Swank and Gere at stupid party in Bloomingdales cheap sportwear department... Very weird. “Studio went for free party from store and windows for a month... Going to be in Wall Street 2 tomorrow.... More to come.

Xoxo Peg,” an email dated October 21, 2009 at 5.37. 02 am by American publicist Peggy Siegal to an address’jeevacation@gmail.Com’ said. While the email does not mention the film’s name, it appears to be the 2009 film ‘Amelia’, directed by Nair and based on the life of legendary American pilot Amelia Earhart, who disappeared over the Pacific Ocean in 1937 during an attempt to circumnavigate the world. It starred Hillary Swank and Richard Gere.

PTI sent a message to Nair for a comment but has not received a response yet.  On Friday, the Department of Justice published over three million additional pages of the Epstein Files under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which was signed into law by President Donald Trump on November 19, 2025. More than 2,000 videos and 1,80,000 images are included in the additional publication. Combined with prior releases, this makes the total production nearly 3.5 million pages released, the department said.

The newly released files were collected from five primary sources, including the Florida and New York cases against Epstein, the New York case against Maxwell, the New York cases investigating Epstein’s death, the Florida case investigating a former butler of Epstein, multiple FBI investigations, and the Office of Inspector General investigation into Epstein’s death.

Millions of files that prosecutors had identified as potentially subject to release under the law remain under wraps, however, drawing criticism from Democrats.  Here’s what we know so far about the files now being reviewed by a team of Associated Press reporters: The documents show Epstein exchanged hundreds of friendly texts with Steve Bannon, a top adviser to President Donald Trump, some months before Epstein’s death. 

They discussed politics, travel and a documentary Bannon was said to be planning that would help salvage Epstein’s reputation.  In March 2019, Bannon asked Epstein if he could supply his plane to pick him up in Rome. A couple of months later, Epstein messaged Bannon, “Now you can understand why Trump wakes up in the middle of the night sweating when he hears you, and I are friends.”

The context is unclear from the documents, which were released with many redactions and little clear organisation. Another 2018 exchange focused on Trump’s threats at the time to oust Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, whom he had named to the post just the year prior. Around the same time, Epstein also communicated with Kathy Ruemmler, a lawyer and former Obama White House official.

In a typo-filled email, he warned that Democrats should stop demonising Trump as a Mafia-type figure even as he derided the president as a “maniac.” Bannon did not immediately respond to a message from the AP seeking comment. Ruemmler said through a spokesperson she was associated with Epstein professionally during her time as a lawyer in private practice and now “regrets ever knowing him.”  Billionaire Tesla founder Elon Musk emailed Epstein in 2012 and 2013 about visiting his infamous island compound, the scene of many allegations of sexual abuse.

Epstein inquired in an email about how many people Musk would like flown by helicopter, and Musk responded that it would likely be just him and his partner at the time.  “What day/night will be the wildest party on our island?” he wrote, according to the Justice Department records. It’s not immediately clear if the island visits took place. Spokespersons for Musk’s companies, Tesla and X, didn’t immediately respond to emails seeking comment Friday. Musk has maintained that he repeatedly turned down the disgraced financier’s overtures.

 “Epstein tried to get me to go to his island, and I REFUSED,” he posted on X in 2025 Epstein also invited Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to the island in December 2012. Lutnick’s wife enthusiastically accepted the invitation and said they would arrive on a yacht with their children.