“A collector of people” was how Jeffrey Epstein was described in a fond birthday message from the former prime minister of Israel Ehud Barak and his wife in 2016, at a time when the financier had already been imprisoned for soliciting a child for prostitution.“You gather the most extravagant, influential, bright thinkers, magicians, musicians, linguists, philosophers and mathematicians, the most affluent people in the world,” the couple wrote.“All have one united characteristic in common ‘we are friends of Jeffrey’. It is like an ‘open sesame’ code of a friendship.”That friendship circle contained a staggering array of rich and powerful people, many of whom remained on friendly terms with Epstein long after his 2008 conviction gave him the press moniker “billionaire paedophile”.A new cache of roughly three million files released by the United States department of justice, amassed during investigations into Epstein for sex trafficking, reveals details of his relationships with the people he “collected”.Friends and acquaintances ranged from top politicians to business magnates to royalty – connections Epstein then leveraged to do favours and gain further access. Examples of this include arranging a tour of Downing Street for Woody Allen and making an appointment for tea with the then-Prince Andrew at Buckingham Palace.The documents include witness testimony, photographs and years of emails and messages to and from Epstein, seized during searches of his properties. Inclusion in the files does not imply wrongdoing. Epstein’s emails and messages show many of his powerful friends were untroubled by his conviction and treated his lascivious reputation with casual bonhomie. “How is freedom feeling?” Peter Mandelson, who was then UK business secretary, wrote to Epstein shortly after his release from prison. “She feels fresh, firm and creamy,” Epstein replied. Mandelson’s response was, “Naughty boy”.Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Photograph: US department of justice