The chairman of elite law firm Paul Weiss resigned after newly released Justice Department records revealed email exchanges with Jeffrey Epstein, prompting broader fallout for figures linked to the financier.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison announced Feb. 4 that its longtime chairman, Brad Karp, has resigned following the public release of emails he exchanged with Jeffrey Epstein, records that were made public by the U.S. Department of Justice last month.
In a statement issued by the firm, commonly known as Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, Karp said his departure was necessary to avoid further distraction. “Leading Paul, Weiss for the past 18 years has been the honor of my professional life,” he said. “Recent reporting has created a distraction and has placed a focus on me that is not in the best interests of the firm.”
The Justice Department in January released millions of pages of emails sent and received by Epstein as part of its compliance with court-ordered disclosures. The trove included messages exchanged with Karp, who has chaired the firm since 2008.
Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution. According to the released emails, Karp attended dinners with Epstein and sought his assistance in helping his son obtain a job with a Woody Allen film production.
One email from 2015, sent from Karp’s firm address, thanked Epstein for hosting him. “Jeffrey, I can’t thank you enough for including me in an evening I’ll never forget,” Karp wrote. “It was truly ‘once in a lifetime’ in every way, though I hope to be invited again. You are an extraordinary host – and your home….!!!” Another exchange occurred in early 2019.
Earlier this week, Paul Weiss said Karp regretted his interactions with Epstein. Epstein was later charged in July 2019 with sex trafficking of minors and died in prison while awaiting trial.
The disclosures have triggered additional resignations among people whose correspondence with Epstein appeared in the newly released records. Peter Mandelson, the former U.K. ambassador to the United States, resigned as a lawmaker after an initial review by the Cabinet Office found he had passed on information deemed “likely market-sensitive” to Epstein. British police are investigating Mandelson, who has not responded to requests for comment.
Separately, Peter Attia resigned as chief science officer of David Protein, according to company founder Peter Rahal. Rahal wrote on X that the company remains focused on serving customers. CBS News, which recently named Attia as a contributor, has not commented on the email disclosures.
Attia addressed the matter in an email he posted publicly, stating that he did not witness, enable, or participate in criminal activity and that he never flew on Epstein’s plane or visited his island. “That said, I apologize and regret putting myself in a position where emails, some of them embarrassing, tasteless, and indefensible, are now public, and that is on me,” he wrote. “I accept that reality and the humiliation that comes with it.”
The Justice Department’s ongoing release of Epstein-related records continues to generate professional and political consequences for individuals whose names appear in the correspondence, even as authorities have emphasized that inclusion in the files does not itself establish criminal conduct.
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