EFTA01621186: June 2019 Messages on Media, the Plea Deal, Libra and Tucson

Snapshot

---

Introduction

EFTA01621186 is a seven-page export of iMessages from June 21 to June 26, 2019, about two weeks before Jeffrey Epstein’s arrest on federal sex trafficking charges. One side of the conversation is an account used by Epstein. The other participant’s name is blacked out, but news reports that quote the same exchanges identify that person as Steve Bannon, the former White House strategist. That identification comes from the reporting, not from a name visible in the document.

The messages move quickly between topics: press coverage, the pope, Ukraine, cryptocurrency, Chinese military activity in Africa, the Epstein plea deal and plans involving a team in Tucson, Arizona. This article walks through the export day by day, matches its links to dated news stories, and marks what remains unexplained. Being mentioned in these messages, or exchanging them, does not show that anyone took part in Epstein’s sexual abuse or trafficking.

---

Key Takeaways

• The export records political and financial commentary, reactions to news about Epstein’s legal case, and planning for a team in Tucson.
• Reporting by CNN and The Guardian attributes matching exchanges to Epstein and Bannon.
• On June 25, 2019, the pair reacted enthusiastically to a headline that prosecutors said Epstein’s plea deal must stand. The Epstein side promised “more and better july 9.” What that meant is not explained.
• The Tucson messages line up with reporting that Bannon was preparing a filmed interview with Noam Chomsky, but the export does not show that filming took place.
• A link to news of Ehud Barak’s political comeback sits next to an “I’ve been busy” message. Nothing in the export shows that Epstein had any role in Barak’s party.
• “Dan,” “Miro,” “Rudy,” an unnamed contact and the “names on the wall” idea are not identified in the document.

---

Reading the Export

• Format: a rendered conversation labeled “Platform: iMessage,” with article links, preview images, two attachment entries and sent and read markers. It is not a court ruling, a witness statement or a recording.
• Time zone: the header says UTC. Times below are as printed, not converted to local time.
• Who is speaking: “Epstein side” means the labeled account associated with Epstein. “Correspondent” means the blacked-out participant. The layout of the export makes a few short lines hard to assign with certainty; those are noted below.
• Privacy: the account’s email address is not repeated here, and no redaction has been reversed.

---

June 21: A New York Magazine Story

At 4:58 pm the correspondent asks whether a New York magazine story is real. The Epstein side answers “Yes BUT!!” and then “Not for texts.” After a short acknowledgment, the Epstein side writes “Do your homework. Put someone on it,” followed by “Guaranteed.”

No headline, author, link or subject is given. The exchange shows that a story was discussed and that the Epstein side did not want to go into it by text. It does not show what was supposedly true, what the “BUT” referred to, who was to look into it or what they found. Treating it as an admission about any particular allegation would go beyond the record.

---

June 22 to 23: Pope Francis, “Dan,” “Miro,” Ukraine and Europe

The Pope Francis article

The Epstein side shares a La Croix International link titled “Pope Francis or Steve Bannon? Catholics must choose.” A preview with photos of the pope and Bannon follows, along with a 34 KB attachment entry. At 10:23 am the correspondent replies “Easy choice.” CNN’s February 13, 2026 report describes this exchange as one between Epstein and Bannon. The reply reacts to the article; it does not spell out a plan.

Short references that stay unexplained

Late on June 22 the Epstein side writes “Spoke to dan,” then “Miro.” The correspondent replies “Cool” just after midnight. No surname, purpose or explanation is given, so the export does not identify any particular Dan or Miro.

Ukraine and a possible trip to Europe

On June 23 the Epstein side writes that “Rudy is on the right track” regarding Ukraine. No proposal, meeting or deal is described. Later that day the correspondent is asked whether there is any chance of coming to Europe and replies that, if they are doing preparation, they will be there “right after Chomsky.” This is commentary and conditional scheduling. It does not prove a trip to Europe, a meeting with Rudy Giuliani or any Ukraine initiative.

---

June 24: Libra, an Axios Link and Djibouti

Facebook’s Libra

The Epstein side shares a June 23, 2019 Guardian article on risks posed by Facebook’s proposed Libra cryptocurrency. The correspondent asks for thoughts at 1:50 am, and the Epstein side answers “Super dangerous.” At 10:02 am it adds a longer message arguing that Libra is “money,” not a currency, that it cannot be used to pay taxes, and that it could destabilize the financial system in the wrong hands. These are opinions, not verified analysis, and they do not show any cryptocurrency venture.

The Axios link

Between those messages is a link to an Axios graphics page dated June 23, 2019. The address is partly misread in the scanned text. The page now describes itself as responses from people whose vetting documents Axios published. Its position between Libra messages does not mean it was about cryptocurrency.

China and Djibouti

At 10:13 am the Epstein side calls China’s inroads in Djibouti “highly dangerous,” mentions a base for African operations and “10k military,” and suggests the ability to close off the Suez route. The wording is garbled in places. This is opinion, not a verified troop count or evidence of any operational knowledge.

---

June 25: “Names on the Wall” and the Plea Deal Headline

An unexplained idea

At 8:49 am the Epstein side writes that it loves “the idea of names on the wall,” with “LOL.” At 1:12 pm the correspondent replies “Big seller.” No wall, list, product or fundraising plan is identified, so the messages should not be reported as proof of any specific project.

Reaction to the plea deal news

At 2:38 pm the Epstein side sends the headline “Jeffrey Epstein plea deal must stand, prosecutors tell sex abuse victims.” The correspondent replies “Dude,” “Is this real” and “Tell me this is real.” The Epstein side answers “yup.” Asked whether it is out anywhere yet, it replies “Miami herald. But more and better july 9.” The correspondent responds “Epic epic epic.” The Guardian’s November 2025 report attributes this exchange to Epstein and Bannon.

The headline matches Julie K. Brown’s June 25, 2019 Miami Herald report, carried by WLRN, about federal prosecutors opposing victims’ efforts to throw out Epstein’s 2007 non-prosecution agreement (a deal in which prosecutors agreed not to bring federal charges). A prosecutor’s position in a lawsuit is not a court ruling. The export contains neither the government’s filing nor any court order.

What “more and better july 9” meant is not explained anywhere in the document. In fact, federal prosecutors in Manhattan announced on July 8, 2019 that Epstein had been arrested and charged with sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy. Those were charges, not findings, and nothing in this export links them to the July 9 remark.

---

June 26: Tucson and Ehud Barak

Tucson planning

At 2:34 pm the correspondent asks, “Are we doing Tucson ???” The reply “We?” follows. Two lines, “My team” and “Don’t need you for this,” come next. The export’s layout makes their sender hard to fix with certainty; read in sequence, they appear to be the correspondent explaining that their own team would handle it. This supports a planned team deployment, not completed travel or filming.

The Ynet link

The Epstein side then shares a Ynet link with a 22 KB attachment entry. The link points to a June 26, 2019 Reuters report carried by Ynet on Ehud Barak announcing his return to politics and a new party. A message reading “I’ve been busy” appears at 4:43 pm, followed by three “Wow!!!” replies a few minutes later. The placement is notable, but no message describes any work Epstein did for Barak, any payment or any role in the announcement. It does not support a claim that Epstein created, funded or directed Barak’s party. See Ehud Barak for the wider documented relationship.

Final logistics

At 8:34 pm the correspondent writes that they hate to be a pain but need to deploy people to get Tucson done. The Epstein side asks whether they have been in contact with an unnamed “him.” The correspondent replies, “Think dan has.” The export ends there, with sent and read markers, and no final plan or confirmation.

AZPM’s February 2026 reporting says other messages show Bannon working on a favorable documentary about Epstein featuring academics including Noam Chomsky, who lived in Tucson. It reports a June 28 message saying they were set to film Chomsky that Saturday, and a later message saying he was in no shape to film. AZPM says it is unclear whether the interview took place or what Chomsky understood about its purpose. That context helps explain the Tucson messages but does not fill the gaps in these seven pages.

---

Chronology

---

Evidence Appearances

---

What the Record Does and Does Not Establish

• Established: the readable contents and order of this conversation, including commentary, reactions to legal news and planning language. Several links match dated public reports.
• Supported by reporting: that the correspondent was Bannon.
• Not established: completed travel or filming; the meaning of the New York magazine exchange, “names on the wall” or “july 9”; who Dan, Miro, Rudy or the unnamed contact were.
• Not established: any role by Epstein in Barak’s party, any cryptocurrency venture, or any verified military facts.
• Not established: that the correspondent or anyone mentioned took part in Epstein’s sexual abuse or trafficking.
• Completeness: seven pages are a small slice. The export does not show the extraction tool, device or surrounding messages.

---

Conclusion

EFTA01621186 captures a week of messages, reported to be between Epstein and Bannon, in the run-up to Epstein’s July 2019 arrest. It documents their reactions to news about his plea deal, commentary on politics and finance, and planning for work in Tucson. The linked articles help date and explain the topics, but several references remain unresolved and the planning messages do not prove what happened next.

---

Questions and Answers

Who is the blacked-out correspondent?

The document does not show the name. CNN and The Guardian identify matching exchanges as being between Epstein and Steve Bannon.

What did “more and better july 9” mean?

The document does not say. Epstein was arrested on July 6 and charged on July 8, 2019, but nothing in the export connects that to the remark.

Did the Tucson filming happen?

Not according to this document, which ends with planning messages. AZPM reports it is unclear whether the Chomsky interview took place.

Does the Barak link show Epstein was behind Barak’s new party?

No. The link and the “I’ve been busy” message appear close together, but no message describes any role by Epstein.

Do these messages show wrongdoing by Bannon?

No. They show conversation and planning. They do not show participation in Epstein’s abuse or trafficking.

---

Source Document

Open or download EFTA01621186 (7-page PDF)

---

Sources

1. EFTA01621186, iMessage export, pages EFTA01621186 to EFTA01621192; official copy at the Department of Justice, Data Set 10.
2. Christopher Lamb, CNN, February 13, 2026, via KEYT.
3. Jason Wilson, The Guardian, November 2025.
4. Nick Rommel, AZPM, February 10, 2026.
5. The Guardian, June 23, 2019, on Libra.
6. Axios, June 23, 2019 backgrounders page.
7. Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald via WLRN, June 25, 2019.
8. U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York, July 8, 2019.
9. Reuters via Ynet, June 26, 2019.
10. EpsteinWiki: Steve Bannon, Noam Chomsky and Ehud Barak.