The German government says it is closely monitoring the evaluation of the so-called Epstein files. "We are watching what is coming to light in other countries and how it is affecting politics there," said government spokesman Stefan Kornelius at a press conference.

Kornelius stressed that if the documents reveal any criminal offense committed by German nationals, the country's law enforcement agencies would take action.

"The federal government is not an investigative authority," the spokesman explained, adding that he is "not currently aware of any criminal proceedings."

Are Germans mentioned in the Epstein files?

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel is mentioned in the published documents dozens of times; for example, in email correspondence between Jeffrey Epstein and Steve Bannon, the former chief strategist to US President Donald Trump. Both men make disparaging remarks about Merkel and express their desire to see her fail politically.

Another German name in the Epstein files is that of former German Defense Secretary Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg's ex-wife, now known as Stephanie von Bismarck. She appears twice, but only on a list of customers of a bank where Epstein also had an account. The accounts are not related to each other.

Reporters for German news magazine Der Spiegel found a copy of a press card seemingly issued by the German Union of Journalists Ver.di for Epstein's accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. Ver.di has since described it as a forgery, and reserves the right to take legal action.

German politicians demand investigation

Several German lawmakers have argued that there should be a systematic evaluation of the files. They want to know whether political or economic influence was exerted in Germany through Epstein's network.

Konstantin von Notz of the opposition Green Party says the German government must provide information on the extent to which German intelligence services and other security agencies were aware of Epstein's actions.

Notz, the Green Party's deputy leader in Bundestag, toldthe Handelsblatt newspaper he wants to know whether the German authorities knew of the "exploitative, criminal, or pedo-criminal networks," as well as Epstein's international connections. 

Sebastian Fiedler, domestic policy spokesman for the parliamentary group of the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) in the Bundestag, referred to speculation over a possible European intelligence dimension to the case. He pointed to a suspicion expressed by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who spoke of an Russian influence operation.

"Given the numerous interconnections within European power circles, it cannot be ruled out that interconnections could also arise in Germany," Fiedler told the Handelsblatt.

Fiedler said the Epstein files showed a form of "serious organized crime" that had infiltrated institutions, business and culture across national borders.

Epstein files release a 'wake-up call'

Ethicist Peter Dabrock from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg said the Epstein files are causing "total outrage" in Germany.

However, given the massive scale of the case, he expects apathy rather than a concrete political response.

Dabrock, who teaches theological ethics, told DW it's important to insist on transparency and democratically legitimized processes. But it must be clear, says Dabrock, that although transparency is formally served by the publication of the Epstein files, it is actually counteracted by the extensive redactions of the files.

The release of the files is a wake-up call, Dabrock argues, to rethink effective transparency in the age of digitalization and AI.

This article was originally written in German.

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