Welcome back to the Epstein Files. We're interrupting our regular schedule because as of February 16, 2026, Tom Pritzker, executive chairman of Hyatt Hotels Corporation, heir to one of the largest hotel dynasties in the world, has announced his retirement from Hyatt's board, citing in his own words, his association with the late Jeffrey Epstein. Today, we're connecting this resignation to what the documents already show about Pritzker's relationship with Epstein. As always, every document and source we reference is available at Epstein Files FM. The most significant evidence comes from two directions. First, under oath, court testimony from the USVI VJP Morgan case. And second, nine emails from the DOJ's own Epstein Files Transparency act release showing direct, ongoing correspondence between Tom Pritzker and Jeffrey Epstein from 2017 through 2018.
Right. The timeline is what we need to establish for you right away. We have a public resignation in February 2026, but the underlying documentary evidence forcing that resignation dates back to 2017 and 2018. Our focus today is bridging that gap. We need to answer directly what these documents actually show about how Jeffrey Epstein integrated Tom Pritzker, the chairman of a $13 billion hotel empire, into his corporate network.
And we also need to address what Pritzker's February 2026 resignation tells us about the. The ongoing fallout from the Epstein files. Exactly. This requires a strict audit of the institutional decisions. We rely solely on the paper trail. We start with Exhibit 46 from the USVI versus JPMorgan Chase lawsuit. The docket number is 1.22 EV 10904 JSR, filed in the Southern District of New York. This is the deposition of James Jess Staley, taken under oath on June 10, 2023.
Staley was a senior executive at JP Morgan. He was deposed because the US Virgin Islands filed a $75 million lawsuit against the bank arguing they enabled Epstein's trafficking operations. And during that deposition, Staley was pressed on the exact nature of the value Epstein brought to J.P. morgan. Why did the bank tolerate him? Staley testified under oath that Jeffrey Eckstein introduced Tom Pritzker to him.
That is the foundation of the corporate relationship Epstein brokers. The introduction between the executive chairman of Hyatt and a top tier banking executive. Following that introduction, Tom Pritzker became a JP Morgan private banking client. Right. And the attorneys questioning Staley specifically asked for the motivation. Why would Epstein facilitate that?
Staley's exact answer on the record is, quote, he valued his network of contacts. Introducing me to Tom, vice versa. Enhanced that network for him. Enhanced that network we have to view this transactionally. Epstein introduces Pritzker to the bank. The bank secures a high net worth client. Epstein then uses that transaction to validate his own utility to J.P. morgan. He proves he is a gateway to institutional wealth.
Exactly. And for Pritzker, the utility has access. But the result is that Pritzker is now operating within Epstein's financial ecosystem. This deposition, which was filed publicly on July 25, 2023, establishes the banking nexus. It sets the baseline. They had a financially relevant relationship. But the DOJ Epstein Files Transparency act release, specifically Dataset 11 shows us the frequency of their contact.
Yes. Dataset 11 contains the schedules maintained by Leslie Groff, who was Epstein's executive assistant. The Grove schedules give us a highly specific look at late 2017, keeping in mind that 2017 is nearly a decade after Epstein's 2008 convict. A registered sex offender at this point. Right. Document EFTA 0222 1397. The date is September 13, 2017. Grof's schedule shows an entry reading quote, TBD Dinner W. Tom Pritzker, end quote. And that is slated for September 19th or 20th.
The TBD and the question marks indicate it is actively being negotiated. He is on the priority list for that week. The schedule tightens up a few weeks later. We have document EFTA 02228419. This is dated November 7, 2017. The entry is exact 5.00pm Apt W. Tom Pritzker. And two days later, document EFTA 0228969 confirms that same 5.00pm appointment for Thursday, November 9, 2017.
You have to look at the other names on the schedule that week. It contextualizes the environment Pritzker was walking into. The logs show Pritzker was not an isolated visitor during that specific week in November. The schedule includes appointments for Leon Black and Kathy Rummler. Leon Black, the head of Apollo Global Management? Yes, And Kathy Rimler, the former White House counsel who was then a top lawyer at Goldman Sachs.
Right. And on November 9, the exact day of Pritzker's 5.0pm appointment, the schedule also lists a breakfast with Leon Black and a meeting with Boris Nikolic, the biotech investor. Right. So the document establishes a very clear rotation. You have corporate power brokers, legal chiefs, financial titans, all cycling through Epstein's properties on the same day. Pritzker is part of that specific rotation.
Document EFTA 022-35907 shows this continuing into the next year. This is dated January 19, 2018. The entry reads 5.30pm dinner par pritzker and again on that exact same day. Leon Black and Borsa Niklick are on the schedule. It indicates a recurring cohort. They are booking appointments on the same days month after month. It is a sustained social and professional proximity. We see how the assistants manage the schedules. But data set 11 also contains direct emails between Pritzker and Epstein.
Direct correspondence completely bypasses the executive assistance. It shows a peer to peer access. We have document EFT 022-21325. The date is September 1, 2017. Tom Pritzker emails Jeffrey Epstein directly. The subject is coordinating the dates for that September 19th or 20th dinner we saw in the Grof logs. But Pritzker includes extra logistical data. He notes he has a Middle east trip scheduled for October 24th through the 28th.
Sharing international travel itineraries requires a certain level of familiarity. He is proactively giving Epstein his coordinates. It suggests they were coordinating schedules on a global basis, not just dropping by a townhouse in New York. And Epstein is personally tracking this. We have document EFTA 022-22-290 from September 18, 2017. This is an internal system alert. Epstein writes, quote, did we schedule Tom Fritzger for 19th dinner or 20th afternoon or dinner?
He isn't delegating and forgetting about it. He is actively managing the Pritzker appointments. It demonstrates priority. He wants to ensure Pritzker is locked in. Then we have a direct two way exchange in November. Document EFT 022-29045 covering November 6th through the 9th, 2017.
00am on Friday. Epstein replies directly. Two words. Thir's better. No capitalization, no sign off. Thir's better. The brevity is forensic evidence of the relationship's tone. They don't need formal pleasantries. They are established. The logistics get even tighter in 2018. Document EFT 022-4167. May 7, 2018. This is a confirmation for a breakfast on Friday, May 11 at 8. 00am the critical detail is in the scheduling note. It says he has 10am wheels up from Teterboro.
Teterboro being the private aviation hub in New Jersey. Right. The fact that Epstein's schedule explicitly tracks Pritzker's private jet departure time shows a highly integrated level of planning. Epstein is fitting into the narrow window right before Pritzker flies out. The relationship had operational utility. Which brings us to the April 2018 documents regarding the SCDA Singapore architects.
This is a Major shift in the document trail up to this point. We are looking at social and financial networking. Document EFTA 02241335 moves us into brand leverage. April 17, 2018. Epstein sends an email to an associate. Epstein was managing construction projects on his private properties in the U.S. virgin Islands, Little St. James and Great St. James. He needed SCDA, an architecture firm based in Singapore, to engage with the project.
Epstein's directive to his associate is explained explicit. He writes, quote, call the Sing and Poor office directly. Tell him Tom Pritzker from Hyatt suggested him, end quote. Tom Pritzker from Hyatt. He does not say my associate Tom. He explicitly deploys the corporate brand Hyatt Hotels Corporation, a publicly traded global hospitality standard.
Right. Epstein is using the reputation of a $13 billion hotel empire to validate his own private island construction projects. He is signaling to the architects in Singapore that he has the backing or at least the referral of the highest levels of the international hospitality industry. The documents confirm Epstein felt authorized to use Pritzker's name in that capacity in 2018. It acts as a high level professional reference. It smooths the operational friction for Epstein's developments.
That brings us to Karina Schuliak, the Travel facilitation documents document EFT 0224167 from April 2018. This exchange has been independently verified by reporting from the Independent, the New York Post and Business Insider. The context here is an Epstein associate, Karina Schuliak, needing to travel to Malaysia and Tokyo. Pritzker emails Epstein regarding this travel. He writes, quote, yes, I can go with her. Happy to help. He is volunteering to accompany her.
Happy to help. He is offering to facilitate an international trip for a member of Epstein's inner circle. But the news organizations reporting on this exchange verify a critical piece of context. Pritzker asked what she was doing in Asia. Chuliak replied, quote, going to try to find a new girlfriend for Jeffrey, 2018, a decade after the solicitation conviction. She explicitly states the purpose is to find a girlfriend for him.
And Pritzker's documented response to that stated mission is, quote, may the force be with you, followed by a smiley face emoji, may the force be with you. It frames the procurement effort as a lighthearted endeavor. He did not distance himself. He volunteers to accompany her and wishes her luck. This specific email exchange is what bridges the gap to February 16, 2026, right? The resignation.
Tom Pritzker announces his retirement as executive chairman of Hyatt Hotels Corporation. He confirms he will not stand for re election to the board. His successor, Hyatt CEO Mark Hoplamazian, is appointed chairman immediately. The transition is abrupt.
Pritzker's public statement directly addresses the document trail we just reviewed. He states, quote, my job and responsibility is to provide good stewardship. Good stewardship also means protecting Hyatt. Particularly in the context of my association with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, which I deeply regret. He specifically names both Epstein and Maxwell.
He continues, quote, I exercised terrible judgment in maintaining contact with them. And there is no excuse for failing to distance myself sooner. No excuse. The documents made the position untenable. You cannot maintain the chairmanship of a public hospitality company when the paper trail shows you wishing an associate. May the force be with you on a trip to find a girlfriend for a registered sex offender. And Epstein leveraging the Hyatt brand for his islands.
Exactly. The corporate governance standards simply cannot absorb that level of reputational risk. And we have to look at this resignation as part of a much larger ongoing wave. The broader reckoning from the Epstein files. Transparency Act. Right. Pritzker is not an isolated casualty of these documents. We have documented the resignation of Katherine Rumler from Goldman Sachs. We saw Brad Karp resign as chairman of Paul Weiss. Sultan Ahmed Bin Salim was replaced at DP World.
Casey Wasserman stepped back and moved to sell his talent agency business. The institutional tolerance for this specific type of association has reached zero. The market is dictating that proximity is a liability regardless of criminal charges. We need to be very precise about that limitation. The documents we review today do not show Tom Pritzker participating in illegal acts. We do not have documentation proving criminal conduct by Pritzker.
What the EFTA release and the JP Morgan deposition prove is proximity facilitation and professional validation. But there is a structural caveat to his resignation. He stepped down from Hyatt Hotels Corporation. The public entity. Yes. He remains the executive chairman of the
Pritzker Organization which is the private family office. It manages the family's personal assets. He removed himself from the board that is accountable to public shareholders. But he retains his authority within the private wealth structure. The accountability is strictly enforced by the public markets. The public markets forced the governance change. The documents prove a relationship that spanned multiple sectors. It started with the J.P. morgan Private Banking introduction under Jess Staley.
It moved into consistent social scheduling confirmed by the Leslie Grof logs, overlapping with Leon Black and Kathy Rumler. It involved direct peer to peer logistical coordination for international travel and private aviation out of Teterboro. It included Epstein actively leveraging the Hyatt brand to secure architects for his island developments, and it culminated in Pritzker offering to facilitate Asian travel for an associate explicitly tasked with finding a girlfriend for Epstein in 2018.
The timeline confirms this active operational association lasted a full decade after Epstein's initial conviction, and the release of these specific documents is what ultimately forced his retirement from the Hyatt board in February 2026. The paper trail enforces its own accountability. We'll be watching this closely. If more documents surface or charges are filed, we'll be back with an update.