Epstein Fallout Claims Another Global Power Player as WEF Chief Resigns

Borge Brende, the longtime face of the World Economic Forum, said Thursday he is stepping down after an independent review examined his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The resignation lands less than a month after newly released Epstein files appeared to show Brende stayed in contact with the disgraced financier long after Epstein had already been convicted of soliciting a minor for prostitution.

The World Economic Forum, best known for its annual Davos gathering of global elites, said the review found no “additional concerns beyond what has been previously disclosed.”

Brende said that after “careful consideration,” he believed the forum should move forward “without distractions.”

“We respect his decision to step down,” the organization said, thanking Brende for what it called “instrumental” leadership during a “pivotal period of reforms.”

Still, the resignation is another blow to an institution that has spent years preaching moral seriousness while now finding itself tangled in scandal.

The forum was already under pressure. In May, its board launched an investigation into allegations of improper behavior by founder Klaus Schwab, who stepped down as chair in April.

Brende, a former foreign minister of Norway, is one of several prominent Norwegians named in recently released Justice Department files showing how Epstein cultivated relationships with influential figures across the globe.

And Norway has been hit especially hard by the fallout.

This month, former Prime Minister Thorbjorn Jagland was charged with “gross corruption” over his ties to Epstein. Crown Princess Mette-Marit publicly expressed regret over “having had any contact with Epstein” after emails surfaced suggesting a lengthy and close relationship. Norwegian diplomat Mona Juul and her husband, Terje Rod-Larsen, also came under investigation after reports claimed the couple had been left $10 million in Epstein’s will. Juul has since resigned.

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The latest batch of documents appears to show Brende maintained contact with Epstein until at least mid-2019, just months before Epstein died in a New York jail.

Brende had previously told Norway’s public broadcaster he was “completely unaware of his criminal actions and past,” adding that he never would have met Epstein “had I known.”

But the new material appears to complicate that defense.

In March 2019, Epstein is said to have texted Brende a letter written by his lawyers and published in The New York Times. In the letter, Epstein’s attorneys referenced his prior conviction and argued that “the number of young women involved in the investigation has been vastly exaggerated,” among other claims.

According to the files, Brende appeared to respond with a thumbs-up emoji.

That detail, minor as it may sound, has become politically radioactive.

For critics of the Davos crowd, Brende’s exit is likely to reinforce a broader view that powerful international institutions have long operated with one set of rules for ordinary people and another for the well-connected.

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