Epstein Emails Reveal Bitcoin Talks with Tether Founder, Summers

According to documents recently released by the U.S. Oversight Committee, Tether co-founder Brock Pierce and former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers discussed Bitcoin in Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse after the convicted sex offender’s 2008 conviction. The conversation likely took place after 2011, following a scientific conference named Mindshift that Epstein hosted. This revelation comes as United States lawmakers continue to investigate the Epstein case and its relation to President Donald Trump.

The emails reveal that Pierce, a former child actor who starred in Disney films like First Kid and The Mighty Ducks, was a Bitcoin advocate at the time and described himself as the most active investor in the leading cryptocurrency. Pierce co-founded Tether in 2014, although in a passive role, and transferred his full ownership and relinquished control of the company in 2015. Since then, he has held no roles or positions at the company, which has grown into one of the most prominent crypto firms issuing the largest stablecoin by market capitalization.

During the discussion at Epstein’s residence, Summers expressed that he saw opportunities with Bitcoin but was skeptical about getting involved with the digital asset. His primary concern was the potential damage to his reputation if his investment went sideways, especially given Bitcoin’s rapid fluctuations. Summers specifically worried that he could go from being seen as ‘a figure of some probity and some intelligence’ to one with much less of the qualities he mentioned.

In contrast, Pierce insisted that there would be some ‘low-quality characters playing early’ in the crypto space before the sector gained recognition. This perspective reflected the nascent state of Bitcoin and cryptocurrency at the time, when many traditional finance industry leaders expressed cynicism toward the emerging industry. Pierce’s comments acknowledged the sector’s early challenges while maintaining optimism about its long-term potential.

The Bitcoin discussion included other high-profile industry participants, most notably PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel. A 2024 Reuters report disclosed that Thiel’s venture capital company, Founders Fund, had purchased bitcoin in 2014 and was one of the earliest institutional investors in the project. The presence of multiple financial heavyweights at Epstein’s townhouse underscores the breadth of interest in cryptocurrency among elite financial circles during its early development.

The newly released emails revealed that a New York Magazine article was going to reference the Bitcoin discussion in 2015, but the story has not been published to date. While Pierce claims his interactions with Epstein were limited to just Bitcoin discussions, information obtained from the emails suggests the convicted sex offender may have played a larger role in the child actor’s business ventures beyond cryptocurrency conversations.

These revelations raise significant questions about the intersection of high finance, emerging technology, and the controversial networks surrounding Epstein. The timing of these discussions—occurring after Epstein’s conviction but before his 2019 death—adds another layer of complexity to understanding the full scope of relationships and business dealings that took place within his orbit.