Epstein Files Reveal Disinformation Campaign Against Dalai Lama, Investigation Finds

A comprehensive analysis of the recently released Jeffrey Epstein files has uncovered what researchers describe as a coordinated disinformation campaign targeting the Dalai Lama, falsely suggesting connections between the Tibetan spiritual leader and the convicted sex offender.

In November 2025, following the passage of the bipartisan “Epstein Files Transparency Act,” the Department of Justice released an unprecedented trove of over 3 million pages of documents, including 2,000 videos and 180,000 images related to Epstein’s operations. The records have exposed disturbing connections between Epstein and numerous high-profile figures across business, politics, and academia.

A group of Tibetan researchers has now conducted an exhaustive review of all 168 mentions of the Dalai Lama within these files, concluding that Chinese state media and other outlets have deliberately mischaracterized the nature of these references to damage the Tibetan leader’s reputation.

“Our exhaustive review confirms that the Dalai Lama was never a member of Epstein’s circle; he was a target for ‘collection’ by a man obsessed with proximity to moral authority,” the researchers wrote. “Epstein sought the Dalai Lama’s prestige to mask his own depravity, but the records show he never reached his goal.”

The investigation found that the Dalai Lama’s name appears in the files over a hundred times, but unlike figures such as Noam Chomsky and Deepak Chopra who were documented actively advising Epstein as late as February 2019, the references to the Dalai Lama tell “a fundamentally different story: one of Epstein’s unrequited pursuits, not the Dalai Lama’s complicity.”

According to the research team, led by scholars from institutions including Yale University and the Centre for China Analysis and Strategy, Chinese state media outlets like CGTN and China Radio International quickly weaponized the document release, flooding social media with misleading headlines framing references to the Dalai Lama as proof of meetings that never occurred.

The researchers categorized all mentions of the Dalai Lama within the files, finding that approximately 70% were duplicates or redundant system files. The remaining unique mentions fell into four categories: aspirational meetings that never occurred, intermediaries Epstein attempted to use to reach the Dalai Lama, automated newsletters or news articles, and incidental mentions in media or lists.

One widely circulated claim centered on an October 2012 exchange between Epstein and an unidentified female associate. The researchers found that this conversation has been deliberately misinterpreted to suggest the Dalai Lama visited Epstein’s island. In reality, the exchange shows the associate telling Epstein she wanted to attend a public event featuring the Dalai Lama in New York City – verified by researchers as a teaching at Lincoln Center.

“When the associate wrote ‘About the event I told u almost a month ago on the island that dalai lama is coming and I want to go there to see him,’ she was referring to the location where she originally informed Epstein of the upcoming public appearance, not suggesting the Dalai Lama was visiting Epstein’s property,” the researchers clarified.

The investigation also refuted claims by author Michael Wolff, who has previously claimed to have seen the Dalai Lama at Epstein’s Manhattan apartment. Email records from 2015-2016 show Epstein was still attempting to arrange a first meeting with the Dalai Lama during this period, contradicting Wolff’s assertion.

Between May and July 2015, Epstein attempted to leverage connections at MIT to secure a meeting with the Dalai Lama, part of what researchers describe as a pattern of “collecting” Nobel laureates and prominent figures to bolster his social credibility. Despite these efforts, no direct contact or meetings ever occurred between Epstein and the Dalai Lama or his office, according to the files and confirmation from the Dalai Lama’s office.

The research team expressed concern that the manufactured scandal places an unfair burden on the Tibetan community to defend against false allegations, particularly when legacy media outlets repeat sensationalist claims without proper verification.

“For the Tibetan community, this is more than misrepresentation; it is a coordinated attack on a movement’s moral heart,” the researchers concluded. “When such disinformation targets an already marginalized community, we must demand greater care and a far more critical eye from those with a platform.”