Epstein Files: EFTA01211330 / EFTA00782904 An Apple message conversation retrieved from Epstein’s Macbook (Device: NYC024365.aff4), shows that Epstein feared Trump would bomb Iran or start a large diversion to distract the public if he feels cornered. “I always urge people not to corner a rat.. they become extremely dangerous and unpredictable.” “He’s psychotic.”
iMessage Conversation
December 20, 2018
Participants:
Sender A = Jeffrey Epstein
Sender B = Redacted (probably Terje Rød-Larsen)
What we know about Sender B from the messages:
He or she was in Moscow (Red Square) on 20th December meeting with Russia’s economy minister that night, was going to London on 21st December, had recent White House access, and knew Geir Pedersen (UN Syria envoy) personally (“someone who used to work for me”).
I think Sender B might be Børge Brende, the then current President of the World Economic Forum (WEF). (04)
Update: 4th April 2026 – One of the videos showed the same conversation in EFTA00782904 which had the name partially unredacted as “Terje”, which means Sender B is more likely Terje Rød-Larsen; a Norwegian former diplomat and politician, and known close-associate with Epstein. (05) (06)
See bottom of post for how the above information lines up.
10:30-11:30am – Philosophical
10:36 – Epstein: “All good”
11:43am – Red Square / Moscow
11:43 – Redacted: “On Red Square! Beautiful in an air of drifting snowflakes. Dinner with minister for economy tonight. London tomorrow. So far very good. You”
(“redacted” was in Moscow, meeting with Russian Minister, and heading to London the next day.)
11:45-midday – Trump, Syria, and Iran
11:45 – Epstein: “Trump pulling troops out of syria, is a bad sign. He is up to something. And its not good”
11:46 – Epstein: “btw. I believe that his pulling troops out of syria is step one”
11:46 – Epstein: “He needs a large diversion”
Trump needed a major crisis to distract from something (Mueller investigation? the Trump Foundation scandal? the Sealed vs Sealed ruling? Something Else?)
(see end of post for all the things we know he was dealing with that week)
11:51 – Redacted: “Total diversion– but the Right is on to him”
11:52 – Redacted: “Everybody here surprised – and happy about it. Nobody quite understand why he did it – including myself. Completely opposite to what I was told in the White House. What is he up to
Spoke with new Syria UN envoy, Geir Pedersen, who used to work for me. Russians very good and kind.”
11:53 – Epstein: “You guys need to understand that he is psychotic. And would not blink twice at encouraging an attack on us. So he can leap to the country’s defense. mindset. If I go down I’m taking everyone with”
Geir Pedersen is a Norwegian diplomat. He served as the UN Special Envoy for Syria.
Epstein believes Trump is psychotic enough to allow or provoke an attack on Americans to justify a military response. “If I go down I’m taking everyone with”.
11:54 – Epstein: “Cornering a rat, never a good idea”
11:56 – Redacted: “Syria shows that– I’m no fan of our involvement but u can’t do what he did and how he did it”
11:56 – Epstein: “Could be he doesn’t want them there if a much bigger operation might put them in jeopardy. Reminder, he will take everyone down with him, if he feels the end is near. I always urge people not to corner a rat.. they become extremely dangerous and unpredictable“
11:56 – Redacted: “The right punching out”
11:57 – Epstein: “One explanation, is that he doesn’t want them in harms way if he starts a larger regional issue”
11:58 – Epstein: “Take your family out of the house before you blow it up”
11:58 – Epstein: “Its the right move.”
12:00 – Epstein: “China- paki. Russian turkey Iran. – he also might have just decided to trade the Kurds to turkey for them standing down on Saudi. The game is now on”
12:02 – Redacted: “My God! Is he that cornered”
12:02 – Redacted: “You are the invisible in the midst of the visible. ‘Who am I in the middle of this thought traffic’ – RUMI.
Beyond a certain level there is no physicality in science either – just mathematical abstractions in consciousness.
Running to yoga class”
Midday-12:47pm: Iran Prediction
12:06 – Epstein: “Worse. Because it is not only him, it is his family. Biz etc., I believe that mueller is making a mistake. And treating him like he is organized crime.. no organized crime leader has a 1 million man army”
Could be a direct reference to the Trump Foundation lawsuit. Two days earlier, the NY Attorney General announced Trump’s family charity was being shut down for “illegal” conduct – and the lawsuit against his 3 eldest children was continuing. Trump’s family was literally under legal assault.
Also a direct reference to the Mueller investigation. “Treating him like he is organized crime leader” resonates with the “sealed v sealed” case. The secret court ruling on December 18 revealed Mueller was successfully pressuring a foreign-owned corporation – a tactic often used in organized crime investigations (to follow money trails).
12:07 – Redacted: “See your point!”
12:14 – Epstein: “They are going drip by drip. But rats go crazy BEFORE the cage closes. Too much time. The republicans are beginning to understand.. I would nt be surprised to see him do things that might encourage a real problem”
The “cage” was closing:
- Flynn’s sentencing (judge called him a traitor)
- A week prior: Trump’s personal lawyer was sentenced to jail for 3 years for paying hush money on behalf of Trump
- Court forced the shutting down of the Trump Foundation in separate case
- The investigation was continuing with the Russia scandal
- A secret corporate subpoena
- (See end of post)
- Plus whatever else Epstein knew about Trump at the time that I couldn’t find publicly.
12:14 – Epstein: “So he can rush to the country defense”
Create a national security crisis, position himself as wartime leader/hero. Win back his base / Change the Media headlines.
12:16 – Epstein: “Either he traded the Kurds to turkey for Saudi. Or, he prefers to remove his family. Before he bums down his house” (07) (08) (09) (10)
Would Trump sacrifice U.S. allies in Syria in exchange for something from Saudi Arabia?
If Iran was his next target; the 2,000 troops in Syria might be targeted by Iran?
12:22 – Redacted: “Oh! That would be crazy!!”
12:22 – Epstein: “Not from his perspective”
Epstein thinks Trump would see bombing Iran as rational, not crazy – that’s pretty scary.
12:23 – Redacted: “Then he is really crazy!”
12:25 – Epstein: “https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/repeated-execution-dates-called-psychological-torture” (12)
12:25 – Epstein: “Sound familiar”
3pm-8pm:
15:04 – Redacted: [Message not captured in OCR]
16:11 – Epstein: “Great”
16:50 – Redacted: “I’m grateful for your help with my business. Look forward to talking in January. Best for a healthy and happy 2019!”
18:58 – Epstein: “You must have really beaten him up on wall”
18:59 – Redacted: “He is getting crushed”
19:44 – Epstein: “Sen George Mitchell a very close friend when senate majority leader. Said a budget deal is never done earlier than 11 55 pm on the eve of a shutdown“
Epstein’s role: He was the strategist; laying out the theory that Trump would start a war to save himself.
Redacted’s role: A well-connected insider; in Moscow meeting ministers, London, had recent White House access, knew UN envoy Pedersen personally.
The “cornered rat”: Trump would become dangerously unpredictable if pressed.
Iran prediction: Explicit, direct, and seven years later, fulfilled.
Back then, he wouldn’t put it past Trump to start a war with Iran to distract people from the Mueller case; is it really beyond him to start a war to distract the public from the Epstein files?
Sender B Candidates:
What we know about Sender B from the messages:
He or she was in Moscow (Red Square) on 20th December meeting with Russia’s economy minister that night, was going to London on 21st December, had recent White House access, and knew Geir Pedersen (UN Syria envoy) personally (“someone who used to work for me”).
With DeepSeek & Google AI’s help, Sender B might be Børge Brende, the former Norwegian Foreign Minister and at the time, President of the World Economic Forum (WEF). (13)
Update: 4th April 2026 – One of the videos showed the same conversation in EFTA00782904 which had the name partially unredacted as “Terje”, which means Sender B is more likely Terje Rød-Larsen; a Norwegian former diplomat and politician, and known close-associate with Epstein. (14) (15)
The new files must’ve been redacted further, because it’s still mostly redacted, but if I scroll through EFTA00782904, I do see “Sender: Terje”.
Terje Rød-Larsen
Watch “International Peace Institute” Terje (and World Economic Forum president, Borge) speak together at WEF, April 2009. (16)
At 11:52 timestamp: “Spoke with new Syria UN envoy, Geir Pedersen, who used to work for me.”
Geir O. Pedersen used to work for Terje Rød-Larsen in a direct reporting capacity at the United Nations. After they worked together on the Oslo Accords team in the 1990s, Rød-Larsen was appointed as the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1559 (concerning Lebanon). In that role, Rød-Larsen brought Geir Pedersen onto his team as his “Second Personal Representative” to South Lebanon, where Pedersen served directly under him. (17)
Pedersen later served as the head of a department in the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he oversaw grants to the International Peace Institute (IPI), a think tank of which Terje Rød-Larsen was the president. This created a situation where Pedersen was in a position to influence funding for an organization run by his former colleague and friend, a relationship that drew the attention of Norway’s Office of the Auditor General, and where a full investigation was announced in August 2020. (18)
At 11:52: Sender B indicated they had direct White House access (“completely opposite to what I was told in the White House”).
Terje Rød-Larsen had direct White House and State Department access:
- [EFTA01975082 | EFTA01968806 | EFTA01970317 | EFTA01916290 | EFTA02587321] Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns: The files show Epstein actively arranging meetings between Rød-Larsen and Bill Burns, who was then the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State (the #2 position at the State Department and a key White House national security official). In April 2013, Epstein emailed Rød-Larsen: “lets set a meeimg [sic] with Bill burns in wash or ny” . Epstein later suggested Rød-Larsen reach out to Burns directly, saying “i suggst [sic] you reach out to Bill Burns and tell him you are there if he needs help”. (19) (20) (21) (22) (23) (24)
- White House Meetings: The documents confirm Rød-Larsen was a guest at the White House for the signing of the Abraham Accords in September 2020. Additionally, his wife, Mona Juul, served as Norway’s ambassador to the United Nations, a role that inherently involves high-level access to the White House and State Department. He was also the President of the International Peace Institute and spoke at the World Economic Forum. (25) (26) (27) (28)
- Direct Line to Power: Rød-Larsen’s entire career was built on informal, secret channels to world leaders. As a former United Nations Under-Secretary-General and the mastermind of the Oslo Accords, he was known to have “virtually free access to world leaders”. The files show him using this access to arrange introductions and meetings for Epstein. (29)
Russia 20th December 2018?
- 19 Dec 2018: Trump announces Syria withdrawal.
- 20 Dec 2018: Person B is in Moscow (Red Square) having dinner with the economy minister, texting Epstein about Trump, Syria, and Iran.
- 21 Dec 2018: Person B is in London.
- 22 Dec 2018: US government shuts down.
[EFTA01614499] Directly confirms Terje Rød-Larsen was in Moscow on December 19-20, 2018.
The iMessage conversation shows:
- Dec 19, 2018, 5:35 PM: “I am! In Moscow.” [EFTA01614499]
- Dec 19, 2018, 5:35 PM: “Great meetings. Minister for economy dinner tomorrow. Want to have fun. No capacity.” [EFTA01614499]
- Dec 20, 2018, 5:37 AM: “Russia iran turkey. winning” (EFTA01614499/Epstein)
- Dec 20, 2018, 11:43 AM: “On Red Square! Beautiful in an air of drifting snowflakes. Dinner with minister for economy tonig[ht]” [EFTA01211330]
- Location confirmed: Terje was physically in Moscow on December 19-20, 2018.
- High-level contacts: He was meeting with the Russian Minister for Economy.
- Device forensics match: EFTA00782892 contains messages from December 20, 2018 with “Terje” as a participant, and EFTA01614499 is the complementary device showing Terje’s outbound messages from Moscow that same day.
- “Sender B” validation: The timing and content align – Terje was actively communicating about Moscow/Russia on the exact date EFTA01211330 shows activity.
He was definitely in London earlier in the month, on 6 December, with his wife, attending the annual Norwegian Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Trafalgar Square. (30) (31)
Børge Brende
Old notes – nutting out Borge Brende (if you are curious as to why I thought it was him):
What was happening in December 2018?
Epstein:
Epstein was under enormous pressure in December 2018. The Miami Herald had just published its explosive series “Perversion of Justice” in November, reigniting scrutiny of his 2008 non-prosecution agreement. His circle (Les Wexner, Bill Clinton, Alan Dershowitz, Prince Andrew, etc.) was facing renewed exposure. (42)
Trump:
1.) The Shutting Down of the Trump Foundation: His family charity being forcibly shut down for “illegal” conduct. (43)
- New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood announced that the Donald J. Trump Foundation had agreed to dissolve under court supervision. (44)
- This followed a lawsuit alleging a “shocking pattern of illegality,” including using charitable funds to settle personal legal obligations and to advance Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
- The agreement allowed the state to distribute the foundation’s remaining assets to other charities while continuing its pursuit of millions in penalties against Trump and his adult children.
- The foundation would distribute its remaining $1.7 million to charities approved by the New York Attorney General’s office (Trump could not choose where the money went)
- While the foundation was shutting down, the lawsuit against Trump and his three eldest children (Trump, Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric) continued, they still faced potential millions in restitution and penalties.
- It was a public, legal rebuke that went directly after the Trump family’s reputation and finances.
The Donald J. Trump Foundation was a private charitable foundation established in 1988. It claimed to raise money for veterans, children, and other causes. But the New York Attorney General’s investigation found it was largely used as a personal piggy bank for Trump’s business and political interests.
19 Dec 2018 YouTube (Washington Post)
2.) Mueller Investigation on Trump: Robert Mueller was a former FBI director; a Republican. He was seen as a straight shooter. He was appointed in May 2017 to run an investigation on Trump to determine whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to influence the 2016 election, and whether Trump tried to interfere with the investigation itself (by firing people to stop it).
- Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen was sentenced 12 Dec 2018 to 3 years prison for paying hush money to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal and lying to Congress. The judge said Cohen committed crimes “out of loyalty” to Trump and “in coordination” with Trump. This was the first time a sitting president was directly implicated in a federal crime by a judge. (45) (46) (47)
- Trumps campaign chairman Paul Manafort was convicted in August 2018 of tax and bank fraud. (48)
- Trump’s national security advisor Michael Flynn pleaded guilty in Dec 2017 to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russia. His sentencing was set for December 18, 2018. Judge Sullivan delivered a blistering rebuke, telling Flynn, “Arguably, you sold your country out”. He expressed “disgust” and “disdain” for Flynn’s crime of lying to the FBI while serving as National Security Advisor. Because of the judge’s harsh words and the possibility that he might sentence Flynn to prison, Flynn’s legal team requested a postponement to allow him to continue cooperating with the Russia investigation. The judge granted this request and postponed sentencing. (49)
- Later – On 25 November 2020, Flynn was issued a presidential pardon by Trump. On 8 December 2020, Judge Sullivan dismissed the criminal case against Flynn, while stating that he likely would have denied the Justice Department motion to drop the case. In 2023, Flynn sued the department for $50m alleging he had been politically targeted and wrongfully prosecuted. And 2 days ago (25 March 2026) the Justice Department settled the lawsuit with Flynn for approx. $1.2 million. (50) (51) (52)
- When Mueller died last week (20 Mar 2026) at 81 years old, Trump said “Good, I’m glad he’s dead”. (53) (54)
BUT – key to note, that in a few weeks time, in January 2019, the Democrats would control the House and could start impeachment hearings. (So lots of pressure to take the focus away from all of these things “immediately”).
The Mueller investigation was legal pressure closing in, it dominated the news. Trump’s own lawyer went to prison; directly implicated Trump, which made the threat real and public.
3.) Mystery “Sealed v. Sealed” Ruling
The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling in a heavily redacted, secretive case known as “Sealed v Sealed,” which was widely believed to involve a Mueller subpoena. (55)
The court issued a ruling regarding an unnamed foreign state-owned corporation that was fighting a subpoena. The ruling revealed the case involved an unnamed corporation owned by a foreign country (“Country A”) that was fighting the subpoena. The appeals court affirmed that the company was in contempt and had to comply. (56)
This was a rare, public glimpse of the immense, behind-the-scenes legal pressure Mueller was exerting on foreign entities, fuelling speculation that the investigation was closing in on Trump’s financial dealings.
How to change the news 101
Withdraw your troops and blindside your allies
Syria: December 19, 2018: Trump announced Syria withdrawal.
The US first sent troops into Syria in late 2015, under President Obama. The stated mission was to fight the Islamic State (ISIS). In 2017-2018, troop levels grow to about 2,000 and approximately 18 bases, with troops stationed in oil-rich areas. By September 2018, the official policy became an indefinite stay to counter Iran and prevent Assad’s consolidation of power. The US was no longer just hunting ISIS – it was acting as a buffer against Iran and a check on Russian influence.
Trump’s advisors had prepared a full set of talking points for a December 14 call with Erdogan, and that was to push-back. His entire national security team: Pompeo, Mattis, Bolton, and the Syria envoys, were aligned on this message. Trump ignored every word of the script and instead of pushing back, Erdogan put him on the defensive with a simple question: “Why are you still there? You said the only reason was to defeat ISIS, and they’re 99% defeated”. Trump turned to John Bolton (listening on the call) and asked why US troops were still in Syria. Bolton was forced to admit that intelligence did confirm ISIS only held 1% of its former territory. Trump agreed to withdraw on the spot. Everyone was stunned. (57) (58)
On December 19, 2018, Trump tweeted that ISIS was defeated and US troops were coming home. This is the same day as these Epstein messages. Epstein saw this as step one toward something bigger: a diversionary war with Iran. (59)
Trump blind-sided his own government and allies. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigned the next day in protest, citing views not “aligned” with Trump’s. Brett McGurk, the special envoy to the anti-ISIS coalition also resigned. Foreign allies like Germany said they weren’t informed in advance. Top Republicans (Graham, Rubio) called it a “disaster” and a gift to Iran and Russia. Congress (Senator Bob Menendez gave a blistering speech on Dec 20 calling it foolhardy). US Commanders on the ground found out via Twitter. (60) (61) (62)
In these messages, Epstein feared the pulling out the troops in Syria = potential war on Iran, to distract the public from the legal issues, and to make himself a war hero and keep his power.
Shut down the Government for 35 days
December 22, 2018: Government shutdown began over Trump’s border wall demand. This happened 2 days AFTER the Epstein conversation above, but does describe the “rat cornered can do unpredictable things” that Epstein talks about.
Trump refused to sign funding bills unless Congress gave him $5.7 billion for his border wall. Democrats refused. So the government shut down for 35 days. (63)
Epstein was texting on December 20. He was saying Trump needed a “large diversion” from Mueller and the legal pressure. Two days later, Trump shut down the government over the border wall. This shutdown became the #1 news story for over a month. The investigation was no longer “Front page news”. Instead of “Trump is under investigation”, the fight became “Trump vs Democrats over the wall”.
The shutdown changed the media conversation. Instead of the investigation and Syria, Trump had created a new crisis that MAGA loved, his opponents hated, and the media couldn’t ignore. “800,000 federal workers unpaid” “Will he declare a national emergency?”
A cornered president creates chaos, dominates the news, changes the political fight, and buys himself time.
~ People with eyes.
What will a cornered president do next?
The most famous strategic origin of “never corner a rat” is Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. He didn’t specifically mention rats, but he taught the idea that if an army is completely surrounded with no way to retreat, they will fight with “triple the spirit” because they have no other choice. He famously advised to always leave a “way out” for a surrounded enemy so they don’t become fearless. A cornered enemy is unpredictable and will fight with a “berserker mode” resolve that can cause massive, unnecessary casualties to your own side.
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