The Jeffrey Epstein files reveal the convicted child sex offender was fascinated by magicians, and detail a years-long relationship between Epstein and David Blaine as well as an FBI investigation into alleged sexual misconduct by David Copperfield.

Since the files were released by the US department of justice two weeks ago, Irish Times journalist Naomi O’Leary has been combing through the documents.

It is not, she says, an easy cache to navigate, with a clunky search function and opaque filing system.

However she has been able to find multiple emails which reveal a relationship between Epstein and several famous magicians including Blaine and Copperfield – after the disgraced financier had been convicted and served prison time for soliciting sex with children.

O’Leary came into studio to detail her experience of searching the consistently disturbing files – so big that only a fraction of them have been excavated by journalists worldwide. She explains how sex trafficker Epstein, collector of powerful people and expert at developing transactional relationships with them, had a weird fascination with magicians.

Being mentioned in the Epstein files is not an indication of wrongdoing.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan and Andrew McNair.

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