The US Justice Department churned out millions of additional pages in connection with its year-old findings on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on January 30. However, the sheer vastness of this particular Epstein Files dump on the official Department of Justice (DOJ) website has made it near impossible to go through everything all at once.
Major names and revelations mentioned in the so-called continue going viral on social media as US outlets or netizens catch sight of yet another prominent figure’s name. The recently dropped trove of Epstein Files also included a good number of emails linked to the late financier from the years gone by.
One such email thread featuring Epstein and Norwegian diplomat Terje Rod-Larsen captures the two public figures name-calling the present-day Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas of India, Hardeep Singh Puri. Larsen, who was once the president of the Manhattan-based think tank prestigious International Peace Institute (IPI), is particularly seen taking an apparent racist dig at Puri in the virtual conversation from over a decade ago.
Racist dig at India’s Hardeep Singh Puri in Epstein Files
The file labelled ‘EFTA00838021’ in the DOJ’s online Epstein Library first sheds light on at least three email interactions between Hardeep Singh Puri and the convicted pedophile in 2015.
“Let me know when you are in town and have time for a coffee,” reads one of these messages from Puri to Epstein.
Months before that, he replied, “I am in India. Back around 10 April” to an email Epstein sent him, asking “time for a coffee tomorw?”
On Christmas 2015, Terje Rod-Larsen alluded to the same thread, and wrote to Epstein: “Have you heard the saying: when you meet an Indian and a snake, kill the Indian first!”
The late billionaire simply responded, “two faced,” prompting Larsen to send another reply, “the quesiton is how do you tell one from the other.”
Terje Rod-Larsen, on his part, quit from the presidential post of IPI in 2020 after his connection with Epstein was disclosed.
Epstein-Hardeep Singh Puri email thread
As per the released documents, Hardeep Puri Singh met Jeffrey Epstein at his Manhattan townhouse at least thrice on the dates: Feb 4, 2015, Jan 6, 2016 and May 19, 2017.
All of them were scheduled through Epstein’s then-assistant Lesley Groff. A fourth meeting scheduled for Jan 9, 2015, was cancelled due to Epstein’s absence in New York.
Yet another one of virtual discussions between the two men dates back to June 2014. Their email talks seemingly began with Epstein writing to Puri about LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman visiting India.
“Just saw your message on returning to Delhi, Jeffrey. Will be happy to assist/facilitate Reid Hoffman’s visit,” Puri replied on June 23, 2014.
In another email Epstein sent to Hoffman in September 2014, he made references to Puri. “reid – hardeep . hardeep reid, . reid hardeep is your man in india,” the email stated.
Months down the line after Hoffman’s scheduled meetings with Puri, the Indian minister mapped out investment opportunities related to India’s Internet sector in a November 2014 email. The lengthy discussion highlighted in the DOJ file ‘EFTA00688056.pdf,’ even mentions “Newly elected Prime Minister Modi’s focus to revive the Indian economy” and the new government’s “Make in India” campaign.
“Reed, my daughters Himayani and Tilottama asked me, in particular, to thank you for sending them the copies of your books duly autographed. I have been remiss in not conveying their appreciation earlier,” Puri concluded the email. “Jeff, your suggestion for less of `goody goody’ and more of internet based entrepreneurial ideas has registered. I am ready.”
A December 2014 email also caught Puri writing to Epstein about his return from his “exotic island.” The BJP leader wrote therein about wanting to come over for a chat in addition to giving Epstein some books to “excite an interest in India.”
Their last documented email conversation took place in June 2017, as Puri wrote, “Jeff, if you are back in town, I would like to drop by for a chat. I am here till the 10th.” The late financier wrote back at the time, “Phone tomorw? I return 15th.”
Why was Hardeep Singh Puri in the Epstein Files?
At the time these email conversations took place, Puri didn’t hold public office. He joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2014, thereafter entering Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government in 2017.
However, prior to that, he was working in New York for the same think tank Larsen was once attached to. Having served as India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 2009 to 2013, Puri had retired from the Indian Foreign Service by that time.
Although the interactions between the BJP leader and Epstein were confined to the realm of business and potential investments, the now-deceased financier had notably already been convicted in 2008 after pleading guilty to charges of soliciting prostitution from a minor.
Despite his initial conviction, the full extent of his unimaginable criminal deeds became known around 2018.
In statements shared with The Wire to address his ties with Epstein, Hardeep Singh Puri admitted to having met the men. At the same time, he firmly asserted that their encounters were work-related. “In eight years (in New York), 3 meetings,” the Indian minister told The Wire.
He further suggested that all those meetings took place during the time he was at the International Peace Institute. Puri also claimed that he had no idea about Epstein’s criminal background at the time of their meetings and was simply advocating for Indian business opportunities.
Addressing the allusion to the “exotic island” in his emails, Puri told The Wire that he only used the word to describe the location because he had heard some of Epstein staffers use it. Puri emphasised that his reference to the island didn’t indicate he had visited the place.
Explaining why he stopped his encounters with Epstein, Puri told the outlet, “When you get to know that a guy is what he is, what contact are you going to have with him, plus I have nothing in common with him.”
Disclaimer: Mere naming of a person in the emails or Epstein Files does not mean any proof of malice. These emails have been accessed from the official sources released by US government online.