Overview
- CNN reviewed 2019 messages in which Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. told Jeffrey Epstein he asked the territory’s top environmental official to pause enforcement over unauthorized building on Epstein’s islands.
- Bryan wrote that he asked the commissioner overseeing the case to recuse himself and concede on previous permit requests as Epstein raised concerns about fines and negative coverage.
- The texts included assurances such as “We got u” and a quick reply to a meeting request, “For u absolutely,” indicating direct, responsive communication.
- The communications took place a few months before Epstein’s July 2019 arrest on sex‑trafficking charges, and he was found dead in a New York jail about a month later.
- Bryan later testified in 2023 that he did not provide special treatment to Epstein, a stance now under renewed scrutiny with no new formal action reported.