American Federation of Teachers (AFT)

UpdatedSeptember 8, 2026

ByEpsteinWiki

American Federation of Teachers, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

American Federation of Teachers and the Epstein Files

The American Federation of Teachers became directly involved in Epstein related accountability efforts in February 2026 when it asked the United States Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate whether Apollo Global Management gave investors an incomplete or misleading account of its executives’ contacts with Jeffrey Epstein.

The request was submitted jointly by the American Federation of Teachers and the American Association of University Professors. It followed the release of records showing meetings and communications involving Epstein, Apollo cofounder Leon Black, Apollo chief executive Marc Rowan, cofounder Joshua Harris, and other Apollo personnel.

The unions did not accuse Apollo or its executives of participating in Epstein’s sexual abuse. They asked federal regulators to determine whether Apollo’s public disclosures accurately described the extent of its partners’ personal and professional contacts with Epstein.

The American Federation of Teachers is included on EpsteinWiki as an accountability organization. There is no verified evidence that the union maintained a social, professional, or financial relationship with Epstein.

Snapshot

Organization: American Federation of Teachers
Abbreviation: AFT
Organization type: National labor union
Founded: 1916
Affiliation: AFL CIO
Membership: Approximately 1.8 million members when the February 2026 letter was issued
President: Randi Weingarten
Partner organization: American Association of University Professors
Epstein related action: Requested a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into Apollo Global Management’s disclosures
Date of request: February 17, 2026
Primary concern: Whether Apollo provided investors with an accurate description of its executives’ contacts with Epstein
Financial interest: Pension funds connected to AFT members had at least $27.5 billion in combined capital commitments to Apollo
Important distinction: The AFT is not identified as an Epstein associate, recipient, donor, service provider, or participant in his criminal network

What Is the American Federation of Teachers

The American Federation of Teachers is a national labor union representing educators, school employees, university faculty, government workers, nurses, health care professionals, early childhood educators, and retirees.

The organization is affiliated with the AFL CIO and operates through thousands of local affiliates across the United States.

The AFT is governed by elected officers and delegates. Its current national leadership includes President Randi Weingarten, Secretary Treasurer Fedrick C. Ingram, and Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus.

The union has a direct financial interest in corporate governance because the retirement savings of many public employees are invested through large pension funds. Those funds may hold shares in public companies or commit capital to private equity, private credit, real estate, and other alternative investments.

That pension exposure explains why the AFT became involved in examining Apollo Global Management’s Epstein disclosures.

Why Apollo Global Management Matters

Apollo Global Management is a major investment firm founded by Leon Black, Marc Rowan, and Joshua Harris.

Black paid Epstein substantial sums for tax, estate, and financial services after Epstein’s 2008 conviction. An Apollo commissioned investigation later reported that Black paid Epstein approximately $158 million between 2012 and 2017.

Black stepped down as Apollo’s chief executive and chairman in 2021 following scrutiny of that relationship.

Apollo maintained that Epstein never worked for the firm and that Black’s relationship with him involved personal financial services. Apollo also said that Marc Rowan and other executives did not maintain personal or business relationships with Epstein.

Documents released in 2026 showed more extensive contacts among Epstein, Black, Rowan, Harris, and Apollo employees than many investors previously understood.

The AFT and AAUP argued that those records warranted examination by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The February 2026 Letter to the SEC

On February 17, 2026, AFT President Randi Weingarten and AAUP President Todd Wolfson sent a formal letter to Margaret Ryan of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Enforcement.

The full letter is available through the American Federation of Teachers.

The unions asked the SEC to investigate apparent inconsistencies between Apollo’s prior public disclosures and documents released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

The letter did not declare that Apollo had violated securities law. It stated that the available evidence suggested Apollo’s disclosures were incomplete or misleading and that federal regulators should determine whether the discrepancies were legally material.

The unions wrote that investors deserved an accurate account of the risks created by Apollo executives’ relationships with Epstein.

Apollo’s 2021 Disclosures

On January 25, 2021, Apollo filed a Form 8 K with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The filing included a letter from Leon Black and a report prepared by the law firm Dechert.

The Dechert report examined Black’s payments to Epstein and whether Epstein had any formal relationship with Apollo.

The report stated that Epstein never performed services for Apollo. It also said that Rowan and Harris did not hire Epstein or consult with him concerning their personal matters.

The report addressed Black’s earlier statement that he had never promoted Epstein’s services to other Apollo executives. Dechert concluded that Black’s statement was not false but could have been more precise.

The AFT and AAUP argued that documents released in 2026 appeared inconsistent with the narrow description contained in those disclosures.

Apollo’s original filing can be reviewed through the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The First Documented Rowan Meeting

The AFT letter cited a calendar record indicating that Epstein and Marc Rowan apparently met at Apollo’s offices on September 3, 2013.

The document is available as Epstein Data record EFTA00639470.

A calendar entry establishes that a meeting was scheduled or recorded. It does not independently prove every person attended, what was discussed, or whether any agreement resulted.

The record is nevertheless relevant because it places Epstein in a meeting connected to Apollo’s offices years after his 2008 conviction.

The September 2013 Contacts

Another released record indicates that Rowan and Epstein were scheduled to meet on the morning of September 8, 2013.

That document is available as Epstein Data record EFTA00384871.

A separate calendar record identifies a breakfast involving Epstein, Rowan, and Leon Black on October 22, 2013.

The breakfast entry can be reviewed as Epstein Data record EFTA00382067.

These records do not establish criminal activity. They document repeated contact among Epstein and senior Apollo figures after Epstein’s conviction.

Donor Advised Funds

A January 2014 record cited by the AFT indicates that Black instructed Rowan to contact Epstein regarding donor advised funds.

The document is available as Epstein Data record EFTA00376154.

Donor advised funds are charitable accounts administered by sponsoring organizations. They can play a legitimate role in philanthropy and tax planning.

The significance of the communication is that it appears to involve Epstein providing or discussing financial advice beyond a completely isolated relationship with Black.

It does not prove that Rowan formally hired Epstein or paid him for services.

The January 2016 Meetings

The AFT letter cited a record indicating that Rowan and Epstein met for breakfast on January 6, 2016.

That record is available as Epstein Data document EFTA00332446.

A separate calendar entry indicates that Rowan was scheduled to meet Epstein at Epstein’s Manhattan residence on January 14, 2016.

That record can be reviewed as Epstein Data document EFTA00331035.

Another communication referred to matters involving Athene, Montauk, Rothschild, planes, and boats. The AFT letter stated that this may have been connected to the January meeting.

The underlying communication is available as Epstein Data document EFTA00305994.

The available records do not establish precisely what was discussed during every meeting. The documents support the AFT’s position that Rowan’s contact with Epstein was not limited to one incidental encounter.

The Aircraft Discussion

A January 2016 communication shows Epstein seeking information about an aircraft Rowan was selling.

The document is available as Epstein Data record EFTA00332093.

An inquiry about an aircraft does not prove that a sale occurred. It also does not establish a formal business partnership.

However, it adds to the documentary record of direct communication between the men.

The AFT included the aircraft discussion because it appeared inconsistent with the public impression that Apollo figures other than Black had little or no meaningful contact with Epstein.

The Proposed Apollo Financing Discussion

In February 2016, Rowan and Epstein discussed a possible transaction involving Edmond de Rothschild and an Apollo inversion.

The communication is available as Epstein Data record EFTA00833332.

The AFT described Epstein as a possible conduit for an introduction to the bank.

The record does not prove that a transaction was completed. It does indicate that Epstein participated in communications concerning a potential corporate financing matter associated with Apollo.

This type of contact is central to the disclosure dispute. Apollo has maintained that Epstein never worked for the company. The AFT did not claim that the communication conclusively disproved that position. It argued that investors deserved a fuller explanation.

The Tax Receivable Agreement

A March 4, 2016 communication appears to show Rowan seeking Epstein’s input about Apollo calculations for a tax receivable agreement.

The record is available as Epstein Data document EFTA00645429.

A tax receivable agreement can govern how tax benefits are shared following corporate transactions or ownership changes.

The AFT treated this record as evidence that discussions involving Epstein extended into matters connected to Apollo’s financial calculations.

Apollo has said that any information shared with Epstein concerned his tax work for Black and did not constitute an independent business relationship with Rowan or the firm.

The SEC request asked regulators to determine whether Apollo’s public descriptions accurately captured this distinction.

Nicholas Ribis and the Caesars Bankruptcy

In March 2016, Epstein introduced Nicholas Ribis to Rowan.

Ribis had been an executive within Donald Trump’s casino and resort businesses. The correspondence indicates that Ribis was interested in becoming involved as an examiner in the Caesars Entertainment bankruptcy.

The introduction is documented in Epstein Data record EFTA00670611.

Additional correspondence concerning Ribis and the bankruptcy is available as Epstein Data record EFTA00831384.

The records do not establish that Ribis received the appointment or that Apollo accepted Epstein’s proposal. They do show Epstein attempting to connect a business associate with Apollo’s chief executive.

Brad Wechsler and the Family Office Materials

A September 2016 communication from Apollo executive Brad Wechsler asked staff to keep Epstein copied on materials involving tax matters for the family offices of Apollo’s three founders.

The message referred to Epstein’s substantive expertise.

The record is available as Epstein Data document EFTA00816834.

This is one of the most significant documents cited in the AFT letter because it shows an Apollo employee asking colleagues to include Epstein in discussions involving the founders’ family offices.

Apollo has maintained that any such involvement related to Epstein’s work for Black. The AFT argued that the language deserved regulatory examination because the materials apparently concerned all three founders.

The record does not establish that Epstein was retained by Apollo itself.

The Ambiguous $2.4 Million Payment

The AFT letter also cited a June 2014 email that appeared to involve Black’s secretary asking Harris about arranging a $2.4 million payment.

The possible recipient was not conclusively identified in the email. The AFT stated that the recipient may have been Epstein but acknowledged that the message was ambiguous.

The union also stated that the released documents did not show whether the payment was ultimately made.

The underlying record is available as Epstein Data document EFTA01920099.

This limitation is critical. The document should not be described as proof that Harris paid Epstein $2.4 million. It is evidence of a communication that requires further investigation.

The AFT’s Financial Interest

The AFT was not acting only as a political advocacy organization.

According to its February 2026 statement, pension funds connected to AFT members had combined capital commitments to Apollo of at least $27.5 billion.

Pension exposure can include direct investments, private equity commitments, private credit holdings, and publicly traded Apollo shares.

The union also reported that approximately 700 AFT members worked at health care facilities operated by Lifepoint Health, an Apollo portfolio company.

This gave the AFT several overlapping interests in Apollo’s governance:

Protecting retirement funds invested with Apollo
Protecting members employed by an Apollo controlled company
Demanding accurate disclosures from a publicly traded asset manager
Examining the financial and reputational risks created by Epstein relationships

The AFT’s involvement therefore represents a form of investor and labor accountability.

The AAUP’s Role

The American Association of University Professors joined the AFT in submitting the SEC request.

The AAUP represents university faculty and academic professionals. It became affiliated with the AFT in 2022 while retaining its own organizational identity.

AAUP President Todd Wolfson signed the February 2026 letter with Randi Weingarten.

The organizations said that approximately 420,000 AFT and AAUP members could also be affected by Rowan’s Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education.

That separate political dispute gave the unions additional reasons to scrutinize Rowan and Apollo. However, it should not be confused with the specific evidentiary questions involving Epstein.

Apollo’s Response

Apollo rejected the suggestion that its prior disclosures were misleading.

In a February 18, 2026 letter to clients and partners, Apollo stated that neither Rowan nor anyone else at Apollo, apart from Black, maintained a personal or business relationship with Epstein.

Apollo acknowledged that Rowan and other employees sometimes supplied information to Epstein in connection with his tax work for Black.

The company also stated that Epstein attempted to obtain work from Apollo’s other founders but was rejected.

Apollo argued that the newly released documents did not change the findings of its earlier review.

The company’s complete response can be read through Apollo Global Management.

What the AFT Asked the SEC to Determine

The AFT and AAUP asked the Securities and Exchange Commission to examine whether Apollo’s regulatory filings gave investors an accurate and complete account of the Epstein relationships.

The request raised several questions:

Did Apollo’s 2021 disclosures accurately describe Rowan’s and Harris’s contacts with Epstein?
Did the Dechert investigation review all relevant meetings, calendar entries, and emails?
Were Apollo employees aware of Epstein’s work involving the family offices of all three founders?
Did Epstein advise Rowan or Harris about personal or professional matters?
Did any communications create a material financial or reputational risk requiring fuller disclosure?
Was any $2.4 million payment discussed in the released correspondence made to Epstein?
Did Apollo correct or supplement its disclosures after learning about additional records?

The unions did not claim to possess definitive answers. They asked the federal agency responsible for securities enforcement to investigate.

The Difference Between a Request and an SEC Finding

The AFT’s letter is a request for regulatory review. It is not an SEC ruling.

Submitting a letter to the SEC does not establish that Apollo violated securities law. It also does not establish that the SEC opened a formal investigation.

SEC investigations are frequently confidential. The public may not learn immediately whether the agency reviewed a complaint, requested documents, interviewed witnesses, or closed a matter.

The AFT’s allegations should therefore be attributed to the union and compared with Apollo’s response.

The released Epstein records provide the underlying evidence. The legal significance of those records remains a question for regulators, courts, and investors.

The AFT’s Continued Apollo Campaign

In May 2026, the AFT and AAUP renewed their scrutiny of Apollo.

The organizations asked Apollo’s board to investigate whether Rowan used company personnel and resources for a political campaign concerning higher education policy.

That request was broader than the Epstein issue. However, the AFT again referenced its February demand for an SEC investigation into Apollo’s Epstein disclosures.

The later action shows that the union’s Epstein inquiry became part of a wider campaign involving corporate governance, pension exposure, labor rights, and higher education.

The May 2026 statement can be reviewed through the American Federation of Teachers.

What the Evidence Establishes

The evidence establishes that:

The AFT and AAUP submitted a joint letter to the SEC on February 17, 2026.
The letter asked the SEC to investigate Apollo’s disclosures concerning Epstein.
The unions cited specific records involving meetings and communications with Rowan, Black, Harris, and Apollo personnel.
The records document multiple contacts after Epstein’s 2008 conviction.
At least one Apollo communication requested that Epstein remain copied on tax materials because of his substantive expertise.
The unions had substantial financial interests through member pension funds exposed to Apollo.
Apollo disputed the unions’ interpretation and maintained that only Black had a personal or business relationship with Epstein.
The AFT did not accuse Apollo executives of knowing about or participating in Epstein’s sexual abuse.
The AFT itself is not documented as having maintained a relationship with Epstein.

What the Evidence Does Not Establish

The evidence does not establish that:

The AFT was part of Epstein’s network.
Randi Weingarten met or communicated with Epstein.
AFT funds were paid to Epstein.
Apollo participated in Epstein’s sexual abuse or trafficking operation.
Marc Rowan or Joshua Harris knew about Epstein’s criminal activity.
Epstein was formally employed by Apollo.
Every scheduled meeting identified in a calendar took place.
Harris paid Epstein $2.4 million.
The SEC concluded that Apollo violated securities law.
Apollo’s prior disclosures were legally fraudulent.

Those questions must remain separate from the documented fact that the AFT requested an investigation.

Why the AFT Action Matters

The AFT’s letter shows how the Epstein files can be used for more than mapping social contacts.

Released records may reveal information relevant to corporate disclosures, pension oversight, fiduciary responsibilities, investor risk, and regulatory compliance.

Teachers, nurses, public employees, and retirees may have retirement money invested with companies connected to Epstein associates without personally selecting those investments.

Pension funds therefore have a legitimate interest in determining whether investment managers disclosed material risks accurately.

The AFT’s action also provides a useful model for evidence based accountability. The union identified specific claims, linked those claims to individual documents, acknowledged uncertainty, and asked the appropriate regulator to investigate.

That approach is more responsible than treating every name in the Epstein files as proof of criminal conduct.

Key Takeaways

The American Federation of Teachers is an accountability actor in the Epstein records, not a documented Epstein associate.
The AFT and AAUP asked the SEC to investigate Apollo Global Management’s Epstein disclosures.
Their letter cited multiple meetings and financial discussions involving Epstein and Apollo figures after his conviction.
The unions acknowledged uncertainty surrounding the possible $2.4 million payment.
Apollo denied that Rowan or other executives apart from Black maintained a business or personal relationship with Epstein.
The central issue is disclosure accuracy, not an allegation that Apollo participated in sexual abuse.
AFT member pension funds had substantial financial exposure to Apollo.
The records demonstrate why Epstein related transparency can matter to workers, retirees, regulators, and investors.

Epstein Data Evidence

Sources

PostedDecember 8, 2025