Jeffrey Epstein Connection Forces World Economic Forum President to Resign

The World Economic Forum is facing fresh turmoil after President and CEO Børge Brende resigned following revelations of his connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in 2019.

Brende stepped down on February 26 after an independent investigation revealed he had three dinners with Epstein, along with email and text message communications. In his resignation statement, Brende claimed ignorance of Epstein’s criminal history.

“Had I known about his background, I would have declined the initial invitation to join Rod-Larsen and any subsequent dinner invitations or other communications,” Brende said.

Critics have met this explanation with skepticism, pointing out that Epstein’s 2008 conviction for soliciting sex from a minor was public knowledge and easily discoverable, particularly for someone who served as Norway’s foreign minister from 2013 to 2017.

“If you are standing on a public stage, you have to know who you are standing with,” said Ben Habib, leader of the right-leaning British political party Advance UK and an entrepreneur.

Alan Mendoza, founder of the UK-based Henry Jackson Society, echoed this sentiment, adding: “The moral is that people in positions of authority should be very careful with whom they have dinner.” Mendoza also questioned how many individuals with criminal records have attended WEF events over the years.

This latest controversy follows a series of setbacks for the organization, which hosts the annual high-profile gathering in Davos, Switzerland. Last July, Klaus Schwab, the WEF’s founder, stepped down amid accusations of fund misuse and inappropriate treatment of employees. While Schwab and his wife were ultimately cleared of material wrongdoing by the WEF board, a statement acknowledged “minor irregularities, stemming from blurred lines between personal contributions and Forum operations.”

The WEF has also faced growing criticism for its economic and environmental policies. During the 2024 Davos meeting, Argentina’s President Javier Milei delivered a scathing rebuke of the forum’s philosophy.

“The Western world is in danger,” Milei warned. “It is in danger because those who are supposed to have to defend the values of the West are co-opted by a vision of the world that inexorably leads to socialism, and thereby to poverty.”

Milei, who took office in 2023, has implemented policies that helped reduce Argentina’s inflation from over 200% to 32%, according to Trading Economics data.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick delivered equally pointed criticism at this year’s Davos meeting. “Globalization has failed the West and the United States of America,” Lutnick declared. “It’s a failed policy. It is what the WEF has stood for.”

Lutnick argued that the WEF’s encouragement of manufacturing offshoring to regions with cheaper labor has left American workers behind. He advocated for an “America First” approach that prioritizes workers and questioned Europe’s push toward net-zero carbon emissions.

“Why would Europe agree to be net zero in 2030 when they don’t make a battery?” Lutnick asked, suggesting such policies would leave the EU dependent on China, which produces approximately one-third of global renewable energy compared to America’s 11%.

Ben Habib offered perhaps the most damning assessment: “The WEF is the embodiment of power and wealth. Big money is diverting policy. It’s fascism.” He suggested that the world is beginning to see through the economic promises made by globalist organizations. “The shine is now off. It is failing and not gaining traction.”

Habib extended his criticism to the European Union, claiming it exercises similar influence over its member states through extensive regulations.

As the WEF searches for new leadership, these converging controversies raise questions about the forum’s future influence and direction in global economic policy discussions.