It is unclear whether any meeting or follow-up discussion ever took place.
In the same exchange, Epstein referenced previous conversations he had with Russia’s former U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, who died in 2017. “Churkin was great,” Epstein wrote. “He understood trump after our conversations. it is not complex. he must be seen to get something its that simple.”
Jagland could not be reached for comment. The Council of Europe declined to comment. Epstein died in prison in August 2019.
A former Norwegian prime minister and longtime Labor Party politician, Jagland also served as Oslo’s foreign minister and later led the Council of Europe as secretary-general from 2009 to 2019.
The Strasbourg-based Council of Europe is the continent’s leading human rights organization, and oversees the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
In 2019, Jagland opposed Russia’s potential withdrawal from the body amid disputes over Ukraine’s Crimea, warning it would be a “huge setback” for human rights by depriving 144 million Russians of the right to seek legal redress at the ECHR.