Jeffrey Epstein’s ghost is haunting the grand old men of capitalism

WHEN he was alive, Jeffrey Epstein relentlessly abused young women. Nowadays, his ghost haunts a different group: the grand old men of global capitalism. Even before America’s Justice Department released a vast trove of documents on Jan 30, the Epstein affair had claimed enough high-profile careers to fill a private jet.

Les Wexner, a retail magnate who employed Epstein as a financial adviser, was the first to go. He resigned from L Brands in 2020. The next year Jes Staley, boss of Barclays, a British bank, and Leon Black, founder of Apollo, an investment firm, were dethroned. Some of the biggest names in commerce, from Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, to Larry Summers, a former Treasury secretary, have been tarnished.

Their ranks will surely grow as lawyers, journalists and social-media addicts pore over Epstein’s e-mails. On Feb 4, the chair of Paul Weiss, a white-shoe law firm, joined those resigning from their posts over revelations of their ties to Epstein.