To understand the monster, you must first meet his makers.

Part 1 of The Epstein Files is a journey into the swamp that created him. We uncover the interconnected worlds of Adnan Khashoggi, the arms dealer who brokered secret wars; Robert Maxwell, the spy who ran a media empire; and Roy Cohn, the political fixer who taught a generation how to wield power.

This is the story of a failing, privatized deep state and the new, more ruthless machine that was built from its ashes. This is the story of Jeffrey Epstein's apprenticeship, and, as it happens, Donald Trump's.