Oracle Corp. signage on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, US, on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025.
Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Oracle rose in premarket trading on Wednesday as the multinational tech conglomerate looks to cut thousands of jobs to free up cash to build AI data center infrastructure.
The software giant has started telling its 162,000-strong workforce that thousands of people will be affected in a new round of layoffs, two people familiar with the matter told CNBC on Tuesday. Its shares were last up 2.6% in early market trading on Wednesday. Oracle declined to comment on CNBC’s report.
Investors remain uneasy about the company’s hefty capital expenditure on data centers that can handle AI workloads. While shares closed up nearly 6% Tuesday, Oracle’s stock is down roughly 25% so far this year.
Oracle cutting thousands in latest layoff round as company continues to ramp AI spending
The company announced plans in early February to fundraise up to $50 billion during the 2025 calendar year through a mixture of debt and equity, to expand capacity for contracted cloud demand from customers, including Nvidia, Meta, OpenAI, Advanced Micro Devices and xAI.
Major AI hyperscalers Alphabet, Microsoft, Meta and Amazon have also committed to capital expenditure of nearly $700 billion to fund their AI buildouts this year, which has alarmed investors as it will reduce the companies’ free cash flow without a clear promise on near-term returns.
Job cuts at Oracle will help free up cash flow, Barclays analysts said in a note on Thursday. The investment bank said it is its overweight rating of the stock.
“Given ORCL’s existing FY26 Restructuring Plan and prior reports, we do not see today’s layoffs as being a surprise to the market, which seemed to have appreciated the cost savings potential from ORCL’s actions amidst the company’s rapid build-out of AI infrastructure capacity,” the analysts said.
Barclays also highlighted that Oracle generates less profit per employee than its competitors, with workers less productive compared to the average. The analysts expect that Oracle will triple its revenue over the next few years due to minimal headcount growth and low operating costs.
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Deteriorating asset quality, collateral markdowns and a growing rush for the exits are rattling private credit markets and prompting comparisons to the Global Financial Crisis.
But a spike in loan defaults, while painful, could help shake out pockets of stress from the $3 trillion sector and provide what one industry pro calls a “healthy reset” after its first major liquidity test.
Ares Management on Tuesday opted to curb investor withdrawals from its $10.7 billion private credit fund, just a day after Apollo Global Management unveiled similar measures in one of its vehicles. Ares has capped redemptions in its Ares Strategic Income Fund at 5%, after withdrawal requests surged to 11.6%, according to a Bloomberg report.
Other managers, including Blue Owl Capital and Cliffwater, have also scrambled to halt or restrict withdrawals in recent weeks, as rising default fears spark an investor retreat from the sector.
Comparisons to the build-up to the 2008 Global Financial Crisis are now intensifying as concerns over underlying loan quality grow.
Morgan Stanley recently warned default rates in private credit direct lending could surge to 8%, well above the 2-2.5% historical average, with pressure concentrated in sectors vulnerable to AI disruption, such as software.
‘Significant but not systemic’
However, Morgan Stanley analysts led by strategist Joyce Jiang also said an 8% default spike would be “significant but not systemic,” pointing to lower leverage among private credit funds and business development companies compared with 2008.
Ares Management.
So what would a default spike of that magnitude look like in practical terms?
“An 8% default rate takes private credit from a ‘zero loss’ fantasy to a more normal credit asset class — painful in spots, but ultimately a healthy reset that frees up capital for stronger businesses,” said Sunaina Sinha Haldea, global head of private capital advisory at Raymond James.
She said a normalization from ultra‑low defaults would be “painful for some funds” but “healthy for the asset class if it forces better underwriting and more realistic valuations.”
An 8% or 9% default rate would largely manifest through so-called “shadow defaults,” such as maturity extensions and covenant waivers, said William Barrett, managing partner at Reach Capital. Lenders use these “amend-and-pretend” tools to keep borrowers afloat and avoid immediate bankruptcy.
While payment-in-kind agreements delay cash returns, increase debt, and potentially signal greater stress in the system, they also act as an effective “release valve” that stabilizes companies and prevents outright failures, he added.
Apollo Global Management.
“For the real economy, this means capital becomes trapped in restructurings, leading to tighter future lending conditions,” Barrett told CNBC via email.
Attention has since shifted to software exposure in direct lending — estimated at around 26%, according to Morgan Stanley — after fears that agentic AI could disrupt the software-as-a-service model sent publicly-listed SaaS stocks plunging.
Software is the largest sector in the Apollo Debt Solutions BDC, at more than 12%. Blue Owl is also heavily exposed to SaaS lending.
Blackstone‘s flagship private credit fund BCRED, which also saw a surge in redemption requests during the first quarter, was down 0.4% in February, its first monthly loss in three years. It came as the fund marked down a number of loans, including debt linked to SaaS company Medallia, according to an FT report.
But these are not the only pressure points, industry pros say.
“AI-exposed software is just the first fault line — the real risk is across any highly-levered, rate-sensitive borrower whose business model was priced for free money, especially in the U.S. where private credit grew fastest,” Haldea told CNBC via email.
Funds concentrated in volatile sectors or holding covenant-lite loans with weaker protections are also vulnerable, as are highly leveraged healthcare roll-ups, Barrett said. He highlighted certain smaller issuers that have recently recorded a 10.9% default rate, due to a lack of resources to absorb shocks.
‘Extreme’ leverage
The current malaise underlines the need to better distinguish between investment-grade and sub-investment-grade private debt, according to Brad Rogoff, global head of research at Barclays.
Sub-investment grade credit typically involves more “extreme” leverage, often tied to software risk and concentrated in the U.S., he said.
Investment grade, by contrast, tends to include private placement senior tranches, asset-backed mortgages, and similar assets. “There is a different risk profile between the two of them,” Rogoff told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe” on Tuesday.
Blackstone.
Private credit funds are also generally less leveraged today than the investment banks that were caught up in the 2008 crash were then, Rogoff noted. “The real difference between this and 2008 is that you had a lot of leverage on similar type assets that had full recourse to whoever owned them,” he said.
Despite the recent noise surrounding the liquidity mismatch between retail investors and semi-liquid vehicles, most private credit capital remains in traditional structures, backed largely by institutional investors with long-term investment horizons.
Nicolas Roth, head of private markets advisory at UBP, said the current wave of redemption requests represents the first real liquidity test for the asset class “at scale.”
He noted how default rates are “elevated, but manageable,” but added that redemption pressure, slowing deal flow, and mark-to-market dispersion are hitting the sector simultaneously.
“The adjustment period will separate strong platforms with structural liquidity buffers from weak platforms relying on subscription momentum to finance exits,” Roth told CNBC via email.
These specially configured A350-1000ULRs are expected to enable the world’s longest commercial flights.
Qantas
Airbus said Thursday it expects to deliver 870 commercial aircraft in 2026, slightly fewer than the roughly 880 analysts had expected. It comes as pressure is building for the European planemaker, with U.S. rival Boeing showing signs of recovery after years of crisis, which has benefited Airbus.
The sentiment around Airbus has turned markedly more sour since the beginning of the year, UBS analyst Ian Douglas-Pennant said ahead of the full-year report published early Thursday.
“Whilst we recognise the drivers of the sentiment shift, and now model 880 aircraft deliveries in 2026 against 905 previously, we also now see risks skewed to the upside at Q4 results,” Douglas-Pennant said.
Airbus delivered 793 commercial aircraft last year, slightly beating its revised target of 790. The company had cut its earlier goal of 820, citing supplier quality issues involving fuselage panels that affected deliveries of its A320 family.
Barclays analysts described the disruption as a “temporary execution setback” and said the “long-term ramp” remained “intact.”
Airbus has enjoyed a strong momentum over the past few years as rival Boeing has been battling a crisis over design and production issues for its best-selling narrowbody plane, the 737 Max.
Boeing is showing signs of recovery
Deliveries are a closely watched metric as planemakers receive the bulk of the payment for an aircraft when it’s handed over to the customer.
That, along with Airbus’ recent quality issues, has led some to see the tide changing for Boeing under the leadership of CEO Kelly Ortberg.
Ortberg, who took the top job in 2024 to lead it out of crisis, was positive about his company’s ability to ramp up production in the near term, after it reported fourth-quarter revenue ahead of Wall Street’s expectations in late January.
Airbus and Boeing’s order backlogs have spiked in recent years due to supply chain issues that arose during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Boeing also secured more deliveries and net orders in the first month of 2026 than Airbus.
Boeing delivered 46 aircraft in January and booked 103 net orders, while Airbus reported only 19 deliveries and 49 net orders over the same period.
Airbus’ January number was notably soft, even accounting for the fact that its deliveries are typically lower at the start of the year.
“While January deliveries in any given year is not historically a good indicator of production rates for the year, we view 19 deliveries in Jan-26 as materially weaker than expected vs 25 delivered in Jan-25,” said UBS in a note to clients last week.
“Due to the typically low levels YTD, we can’t deduce much from this trend other than that the expected 2026 delivery profile is likely to be back-end-loaded again,” noted Barclays analysts.
Boeing shares have outperformed Airbus over the past 12 months.
Airbus reported early Thursday adjusted earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) of 2.98 billion euros in the fourth quarter, beating estimates of 2.87 billion from a company-provided consensus poll. Revenues totaled 25.98 billion euros, slightly below the 26.5 billion euros expected.
For the full year, EBIT totaled 7.13 billion euros, on revenue of 73.4 billion euros.
Looking ahead, Airbus said it expects adjusted EBIT of around 7.5 billion euros and free cash flow before customer financing of about 4.5 billion euros in 2026, alongside its target of around 870 commercial aircraft deliveries.
— CNBC’s Lee Ying Shan contributed to this report.
Traders work at the New York Stock Exchange on Feb. 10, 2026.
NYSE
LONDON — European stocks opened higher on Wednesday as investors weighed the latest U.K. inflation data and monitored global market developments.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 was roughly 0.5% higher shortly after the open, and the U.K.’s FTSE 100 and France’s CAC 40 were up 0.3%, while Germany’s DAX rose 0.4%.
German life sciences company Bayer extended losses and was down 7.3% in early trading after its Monsanto Unit had proposed paying $7.25 billion to settle lawsuits claiming that its weed killer Roundup was causing cancer, it said in a press release on Tuesday.
It said it expects its provisions and litigation liabilities to rise from 7.8 billion euros ($9.24 billion) to 11.8 billion euros, with approximately 5 billion euros in litigation-related payments in 2026. Bayer expects a negative free cash flow for this year.
The UK inflation rate fell to 3% in January, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the consumer price index to fall to 3%, down from 3.4% in the twelve months to December.
“The UK has experienced higher and more prolonged inflation compared to the US or eurozone area, but today’s data shows the tide is changing,” David Smith, portfolio manager at Henderson High Income Trust plc, said.
“Inflation is likely to drop to 2% by the end of the year if not earlier, opening the door to further interest rate cuts by the Bank of England,” Smith added.
The British Pound was flat against the dollar following the as-expected data, at $1.3562. British government bond yields, known as gilts, also held steady.
Sterling dipped and British government bond yields fell during Tuesday’s trading session after data showed the U.K.’s unemployment rate rose to a five-year high, while wage growth slowed.
Earnings on Wednesday come from Glencore, BAE Systems, Orange and Euronext.
Asian stocks pushed higher overnight in holiday-thinned trade with markets in mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea among those closed for Lunar New Year holidays.
U.S. stock futures were near the flatline in overnight trading after a tepid session on Tuesday. Traders on Wednesday will be watching for the Federal Reserve minutes from the policymakers’ January meeting.
The next big catalyst this week, however, will likely be the personal consumption expenditures price index reading that’s due on Friday. The PCE, the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge, will give further insight into the state of the economy.
— CNBC’s Pia Singh contributed to this market report.
A customer looks at goods on a shelf in a supermarket on January 15, 2025 in London, England.
Dan Kitwood | Getty Images News | Getty Images
The U.K. inflation rate cooled to 3% in January, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Economists polled by Reuters had expected the consumer price index to fall to 3%, down from 3.4% in the twelve months to December.
Core inflation, excluding energy, food, alcohol, and tobacco, stood at 3.1% in January, down from 3.2% in December.
The data will be closely analysed by the Bank of England as it looks for further signs to confirm its view that the U.K.’s inflation rate will fall close to the central bank’s 2% target by April.
U.K. jobs and wage data out Tuesday gave the BOE further signs of weakness in the labor market and an easing of inflationary pressures with the unemployment rate rising to 5.2% in December, the highest level in five years. Annual wage growth, a key inflation metric closely watched by the central bank, weakened in the last three months of 2025.
Growth data released last week showed the wider slowdown continued, with the economy growing a meager 0.1% in the fourth quarter. We’ll get another shot of economic activity in the country this coming Friday when purchasing managers’ index (PMI) data is released.
Economists expect that the latest batch of data could prompt the BOE to cut its benchmark interest rate, currently at 3.75%, at its next meeting in March.
“The gloomy picture painted by recent U.K. growth figures and today’s evidence of a lacklustre jobs market has increased the likelihood that the Bank of England will cut rates at the next meeting in March. It has also increased expectation that rates could reach as low as 3% by the end of the year,” Danni Hewson, head of financial analysis at AJ Bell, said in emailed comments Tuesday.
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Close up image of a tablet screen displaying a portrait of Jeffrey Epstein beside the official U.S. Department of Justice website page titled Epstein Library in Washington District of Columbia United States on February 11, 2026.
Veronique Tournier | Afp | Getty Images
The recent release by the Department of Justice of millions of pages of emails and other documents related to the notorious sex predator Jeffrey Epstein has led to a wave of resignations and other uncomfortable fallout for high-profile people around the world whose dealings with him have been exposed.
Those individuals include the top lawyer at the major investment bank Goldman Sachs, the CEO of Dubai’s largest port, a former president of Harvard University, a former U.S. president and ex-secretary of State, and the chairman of a leading American corporate law firm.
The fallout from the Epstein files and people mentioned in them has even imperiled the government of United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer, even though the Labour Party leader never knew the convicted sex offender.
Epstein, who cultivated relationships with many rich and powerful men and women, pleaded guilty in 2008 in Florida to state criminal charges related to soliciting prostitution, with one charge related to a girl under the age of 18.
He ended up serving 13 months in prison in that case, but was allowed to go to his office many days for work.
In August 2019, Epstein killed himself in a jail in New York City, weeks after being arrested on federal child sex trafficking charges.
A number of the people who have resigned their jobs in recent weeks had friendly dealings with Epstein after his 2008 conviction, which was widely publicized at the time.
Being mentioned in the Epstein files does not mean that someone was implicated in any of the crimes that he previously pleaded guilty to, or was later charged with. No one on the list of names compiled by CNBC of those affected by their association with Epstein has been charged for such conduct.
Here are some high-profile figures who have been burned by their appearances in the Epstein files:
Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem (L), Kathryn Ruemmler (C), Brad Karp (R)
Reuters | Getty Images | Getty Images
Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem: CEO of DP World
Sulayem resigned as CEO of Dubai’s largest port operator on Feb. 13, after leading the company for 10 years. Documents showed Epstein once referring to Sulayem as one of his “most trusted friends.” CNBC has reached out to the government of Dubai Media Office and DP World, seeking comment from Sulayem, who to date has not issued a statement on the situation.
Kathryn Ruemmler: Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel at Goldman Sachs
Ruemmler, a former White House counsel under then-President Barack Obama, announced her resignation from Goldman Sachs on Feb. 12, effective at the end of June. Last week, The Wall Street Journal reported that Ruemmler was one of three people Epstein called when he was arrested in July 2019. She once thanked Epstein after receiving luxury gifts from him, calling him “Uncle Jeffrey.” Ruemmler told the Journal in January: “As I have said, I regret ever knowing him, and I have enormous sympathy for the victims of Epstein’s crimes.”
Brad Karp: Chairman of Paul Weiss
Karp resigned as chairman of Paul Weiss on Feb. 4, after leading the major corporate law firm since 2008. Files show Karp thanking Epstein for a “once in a lifetime” evening in 2015, and asking if he could help his son land a job on a Woody Allen film in 2016. Days before he resigned, Paul Weiss issued a statement to The New York Times saying, “Mr. Karp attended two group dinners in New York City and had a small number of social interactions by email, all of which he regrets.”
David Gelernter (L), Bill and Hillary Clinton (C-R)
AP (L) | Getty Images (R)
David Gelernter: Yale University computer science professor
Gelernter was barred from teaching classes at Yale on Feb. 11 as the university conducts a review of his relationship with Epstein. Gelernter had extensive email communications with Epstein, which included one 2011 missive in which the professor recommended a Yale student for a project, referring to her as a “small goodlooking blonde.” Gelernter has not responded to CNBC’s requests for comment after Yale took action.
Bill Clinton: Former U.S. president
Clinton flew on Epstein’s private plane multiple times in 2002 and 2003, and was photographed in casual social settings with Epstein and the sex offender’s now-convicted procurer, Ghislaine Maxwell. Clinton initially resisted a subpoena by the House Oversight Committee to testify about Epstein, but agreed to appear after it threatened to hold him in contempt of Congress. Clinton is due to testify on Feb. 27. Clinton’s spokesman in 2019 issued a statement saying, “President Clinton knows nothing about the terrible crimes Jeffrey Epstein pleaded guilty to in Florida some years ago, or those with which he has been recently charged in New York.” Clinton on Feb. 7 retweeted a post on X from his spokesman that said, “What DOJ has released thus far, and the manner in which it has done so, makes one thing clear: someone or something is being protected. We don’t know who, what, or why. We do know this: we need no such protection. It’s why only the Clintons have called for a public hearing.”
Hillary Clinton: Former secretary of State
Hillary Clinton, who is married to the former president, has said she does not recall ever speaking to Epstein. Despite that, the House Oversight Committee subpoenaed her to testify for its inquiry into the predator. Like former President Clinton, the former secretary of State initially refused to appear, but then agreed to testify on Feb. 26 after being threatened with a contempt finding. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 14, Clinton again called for the release of all of the Epstein files, saying, “It is something that needs to be totally transparent,” The Independent reported. “I’ve called for many, many years for everything to be put out there so people can not only see what’s in them but also, if appropriate, hold people accountable. We’ll see what happens,” she said.
Lord Peter Mandelson (L), Morgan McSweeney (C), Larry Summers (R)
Mandelson was fired by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sep. 12 and resigned from the Labour Party on Feb. 2 over his ties to Epstein. Mandelson wrote a note in Epstein’s 50th Birthday Book, addressing him as “my best pal,” and has been accused of sending Epstein market-sensitive government information following the 2008 financial crisis. Mandelson, in comments to the Financial Times in February 2025, said, “I regret ever meeting him or being introduced to him by his partner Ghislaine Maxwell.” He also said, “I regret even more the hurt he caused to many young women. I’m not going to go into this. It’s an FT obsession and frankly you can all f— off. OK?”
McSweeney resigned Feb. 11, taking responsibility for Starmer’s appointment of Mandelson as ambassador. McSweeney told reporters, “The decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was wrong,” adding that the former ambassador “damaged our party, our country and trust in politics itself.”
Larry Summers: OpenAI board member and former Harvard University president
Summers announced in November that he would step back from public commitments, including serving as a board member at the artificial intelligence company OpenAI and teaching classes as a professor at Harvard. The former Treasury secretary was named as a backup executor in a 2014 version of Epstein’s will. Summers, in a statement in November, said, “I am deeply ashamed of my actions and recognize the pain they have caused. I take full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein.”
Andrew Mountbatten Windsor (L), Sarah Ferguson (C), Jack Lang (R)
Getty Images
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor: Former prince, Duke of York
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, Duke of York, was stripped of his titles and mansion in a statement from Buckingham Palace on Oct. 30. Mountbatten-Windsor settled a lawsuit filed by Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre in 2022 without admitting wrongdoing, and is being investigated by authorities in London for claims that he sent Epstein confidential trade documents. In a 2019 statement, Mountbatten-Windsor said, “I continue to unequivocally regret my ill-judged association with Jeffrey Epstein. His suicide has left many unanswered questions, particularly for his victims, and I deeply sympathise with everyone who has been affected and wants some form of closure. I can only hope that, in time, they will be able to rebuild their lives. Of course, I am willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations, if required.”
Ferguson’s charity, Sarah’s Trust, which focused on improving the lives of women and children, announced on Feb. 2 that it would be shutting down. The ex-wife of Andrew Mountbatten Windsor described Epstein as “a legend” and “the brother I have always wished for” in emails long after his first conviction in 2008. In a statement to the Guardian last September, a spokesperson for Ferguson said, “The duchess spoke of her regret about her association with Epstein many years ago, and as they have always been, her first thoughts are with his victims.”
Jack Lang: President of the Arab World Institute and former Culture minister of France
Lang, the highest-profile figure in France affected by the files, resigned as president of the Arab World Institute on Feb. 7 after leading the cultural center since 2013. Lang was mentioned more than 600 times in newly released files dating back to 2012 when he was introduced to Epstein by their mutual friend Woody Allen, according to The New York Times. French authorities have said they are investigating reports of financial connections between Lang and Epstein, with the financial prosecutor’s office probing Lang and his daughter, Caroline, on suspicion of “aggravated tax fraud laundering.” Lang has called the allegations against him “baseless,” and said the investigation “will bring much light on to the accusations that are questioning my probity and my honour.” His daughter denies any wrongdoing.
Juul resigned on Feb. 8 after Norway’s foreign ministry suspended her earlier in the week. She resigned after reports that her children and husband, Terje Rød-Larsen, were left $10 million in a will written by Epstein two days before his suicide. Juul said in early February that she had contact with Epstein through Rød-Larsen, but also said that she “should have been much more careful.”
Miroslav Lajčák: National security advisor to the prime minister of Slovakia and former president of the UN General Assembly
Lajčák resigned Jan. 31 after serving four Slavic governments. Messages from 2018 show Lajčák discussing women with Epstein, writing, “Why don’t you invite me for these games? I would take the ‘MI’ girl.” Lajčák reportedly told Radio Slovakia, “When I read those messages today, I feel like a fool.” He said in the same interview that he had shown “poor judgment and inappropriate communication … Those messages were nothing more than foolish male egos in action, self-satisfied male banter.” He added, “There were no girls … the fact that someone is communicating with a sexual predator does not make him a sexual predator.”
David Ross: Chair of New York’s School of Visual Arts
Ross, formerly the director of the Whitney Museum, resigned as the chair of the Master of Fine Arts in art practice at SVA on Feb. 3. Ross called Epstein “incredible” after he suggested an exhibit featuring girls and boys aged 14-25 titled “Statutory.” Ross told The New York Times that he regretted being “taken in” by Epstein’s claim that he had been the victim of a political frame-up because of his connection to Bill Clinton. “I continue to be appalled by his crimes and remain deeply concerned for its many victims,” he told the Times.
Rubinstein announced her resignation on Feb. 2 from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees after documents unveiled a 2012 family visit to Epstein’s private island. In an email, Rubinstein thanked Epstein for “an afternoon in paradise” on behalf of her children and herself. “I was aware of the verdict at the time of the visit. What has subsequently emerged about the extent of the abuse is appalling and something I strongly distance myself from,” Rubinstein told the Swedish newspaper Expressen.
Casey Wasserman:Founder, Chairman and CEO of Wasserman talent agency; Chairman of the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games
Wasserman, owner of a high-profile talent and marketing agency and the chairman of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games, began the process of selling his company after emails between him and Maxwell from over 20 years ago were made public. Following the revelations, several clients, including Grammy winner Chappell Roan, announced they were leaving the agency. Wasserman said he “never had a personal or business relationship with Jeffrey Epstein” and that he’d “become a distraction” in a memo to his staff, which was reported by The Wall Street Journal. The Journal also reported, citing people familiar with the situation, that the committee organizing the LA Olympic Games had voted unanimously to keep Wasserman as chairman.
Steve Tisch: Chairman and co-owner of the New York Giants
The National Football League announced Feb. 2 that it will look into Tisch, a former film producer who has been the Giants’ executive vice president since 2005. Tisch was named over 400 times in the files, with one document showing that he asked Epstein whether women were “pro or civilian.” In a January statement to ESPN, Tisch said, “We had a brief association where we exchanged emails about adult women, and in addition, we discussed movies, philanthropy, and investments.” Tisch added, “I did not take him up on any of his invitations and never went to his island. As we all know now, he was a terrible person and someone I deeply regret associating with.”
Thorbjorn Jagland, Jes Staley, and Alex Acosta.
Stian Lysberg Solum | AFP | Tayfun Salci | Anadolu | Getty Images | Alex Brandon | AP
Jagland was charged with “aggravated corruption” on Feb. 12 after a police probe into his ties with Epstein. Jagland, who served as Norway’s prime minister from 1996 to 1997, is being investigated to see whether “gifts, travel and loans were received in connection with his position,” according to investigators. A 2014 email shows a planned visit for Jagland and his family to Epstein’s private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Jagland’s lawyers have said he “denies all the charges.”
Jes Staley: CEO of Barclays
Staley served as CEO of Barclays from October 2015 until his resignation in late 2021. Staley’s departure followed a probe by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority into his relationship with Epstein. The regulator fined him more than $2 million and permanently banned him from holding a management role in the sector in 2023. In 2020, Staley said, “Obviously I thought I knew him well and I didn’t. For sure, with hindsight with what we know now, I deeply regret having any relationship with Jeffrey.”
Alex Acosta: U.S. Labor secretary
Acosta announced his resignation in a letter to President Donald Trump on July 12, 2019, following controversy over his striking a federal non-prosecution deal with Epstein in 2008 when he was the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida. Acosta defended that deal — which had required Epstein to plead guilty to Florida state charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution — in six hours of testimony in September to the House Oversight Committee. “I testified for six hours. I’ll let the record speak for itself,” Acosta said after the hearing.
— CNBC’s Garrett Downs contributed to this report.
WATCH: Commerce Sec. Howard Lutnick admits visiting Epstein island during family vacation
