{"id":2574858,"date":"2026-03-01T06:55:01","date_gmt":"2026-03-01T11:55:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/epstein-fallout-continues-to-hollow-out-the-leftist-elite-as-wef-president-resigns-in-disgrace\/"},"modified":"2026-03-01T06:56:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-01T11:56:49","slug":"epstein-fallout-continues-to-hollow-out-the-leftist-elite-as-wef-president-resigns-in-disgrace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/epstein-fallout-continues-to-hollow-out-the-leftist-elite-as-wef-president-resigns-in-disgrace\/","title":{"rendered":"Epstein Fallout Continues to Hollow Out the Leftist Elite as WEF President Resigns in Disgrace"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fepstein-fallout-continues-to-hollow-out-the-leftist-elite-as-wef-president-resigns-in-disgrace%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2574858&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>B\u00f8rge Brende resigned as World Economic Forum president and CEO after a review into his ties with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Brende, who has led the Forum since 2017, said the decision to step down came after careful consideration and that his eight-and<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rfk-jr-voters-shifting-to-trump-to-deliver-battleground-state-wins-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"RFK Jr. voters shifting to Trump to deliver battleground state wins ... Washington Examiner\">-a-half-year tenure<\/a> had been profoundly rewarding. DOJ-released documents indicated Brende attended Epstein\u2019s dinners and exchanged messages with him, including discussions about Davos and a June 2019 text that allegedly included Epstein sending a photo of a woman described as \u201cmss piggy.\u201d The autonomous review by WEF Co-Chairs Andr\u00e8 Hoffmann and Larry Fink reportedly found no additional concerns beyond what had already been disclosed. Alois Zwinggi will serve as Interim President and CEO, with the Board of Trustees overseeing the leadership transition and the search for a permanent successor.The Forum\u2019s leadership thanked Brende for his contributions, while noting the association\u2019s reforms and a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >prosperous recent davos meeting<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>World Economic Forum President and CEO B&oslash;rge Brende announced Thursday he is resigning following a review into his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.<\/p>\n<p>Brende, the former Norwegian foreign affairs minister who has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.weforum.org\/stories\/2017\/10\/welcome-return-borge-brende\/#:~:text=First%20of%20all%2C%20a%20significant,our%20employees%20in%20all%20cases.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">served<\/a> as the president of WEF&nbsp;since October 2017, said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.weforum.org\/press\/2026\/02\/press-statement-from-co-chairs-andre-hoffmann-and-larry-fink-on-behalf-of-the-board-of-trustees\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">statement<\/a> that he made the decision to step down &ldquo;after careful consideration.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The announcement comes after documents recently released by the Department of Justice revealed that Brende had previously attended three business dinners with Epstein and had also communicated with him by  and text, CNBC <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/02\/26\/world-economic-forum-ceo-epstein-files.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In part of a September 2018 <a href=\"https:\/\/assets.getkino.com\/documents\/EFTA02622807.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/a>&nbsp;exchange, Epstein and Brende&nbsp;discussed their views on the future of WEF&rsquo;s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, with Epstein claiming he thinks the global summit &ldquo;can really replace the UN.&rdquo; Additionally, during one text <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/epstein\/files\/DataSet%2010\/EFTA01612631.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">message<\/a> exchange in June 2019, Epstein appeared to send Brende a photo of a woman he referred to as &ldquo;mss piggy.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;After careful consideration, I have decided to step down as President and CEO of the World Economic Forum. My time here, spanning 8&frac12; years, has been profoundly rewarding,&rdquo; Brende, a member of Norway&rsquo;s Conservative Party, said in his Thursday statement. &ldquo;We have seen a record number of partners join us, and we have had a very successful Annual Meeting in Davos behind us, where we engaged with governmental leaders from all over the world like never before. I am grateful for the incredible collaboration with my colleagues, partners, and constituents, and I believe now is the right moment for the Forum to continue its important work without distractions.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I extend my deepest thanks to the Co-Chairs, Andr&eacute; Hoffmann and Larry Fink, for their unwavering support and partnership,&rdquo; he continued, naming the CEO of investment company BlackRock. &ldquo;I am proud of our d achievements and look forward to the Forum&rsquo;s future successes under the leadership of my colleague, Alois Zwinggi, as Interim President and CEO.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The WEF referred the Daily Caller News Foundation to its news release when reached for comment.<\/p>\n<p>In a separate joint statement issued on Thursday, WEF <a href=\"https:\/\/www.weforum.org\/about\/leadership-and-governance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Co-Chairs<\/a> Hoffmann and Fink expressed their &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawmakers-react-to-fema-director-resignation-good-riddance\/\" title=\"Lawmakers react to FEMA director resignation: &#039;Good riddance&#039;\">sincere appreciation&#038;rdquo<\/a>; for Brende&rsquo;s &ldquo;significant contributions&rdquo; to the WEF.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;His dedication and leadership have been instrumental during a pivotal period of reforms for the organization, leading to a successful annual meeting in Davos,&rdquo; the co-chairs said. &ldquo;We respect his decision to step down.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We are pleased to announce that Alois Zwinggi will serve as Interim President and CEO and looking forward to his continued collaboration and partnership over time,&rdquo; they added. &ldquo;The Board of Trustees will oversee the leadership transition including the plan to drive a proper process to identify a permanent successor.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The WEF announced in early February that it was probing Brende over his relationship with Epstein, Politico <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/davos-boss-borge-brende-investigation-over-us-jeffrey-epstein-link\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reported<\/a>&nbsp;on Feb. 5.<\/p>\n<p>Fink and Hoffman confirmed in their Thursday statement that &ldquo;the independent review&rdquo; into Brende has now concluded, adding that the investigation&rsquo;s findings &ldquo;stated that there were no additional concerns beyond what has been previously disclosed.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Former Harvard president Larry Summers similarly resigned from his professorship on Wednesday over his relationship to Epstein.<\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimer\">\n<p><em>All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/union-membership-plummets-to-record-low\/\" title=\"Union Membership Plummets to Record Low\">legitimate news publisher<\/a> that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter&rsquo;s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8211; World Economic Forum President and CEO B\u00f8rge Brende said he will resign after an independent review of his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Brende, a former Norwegian foreign minister who has led the WEF since 2017, said the decision came after careful consideration and that his eight-and-a-half-year tenure has been very rewarding.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; DOJ documents reportedly show Brende attended three Epstein business dinners and exchanged messages with him by email and text. In a September 2018 exchange, Epstein and Brende discussed the future of Davos, with Epstein suggesting the global gathering could \u201creally replace\u201d the UN. In June 2019, Epstein allegedly sent Brende a photo of a woman he called \u201cmss piggy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Brende thanked the Co-Chairs and noted the Forum\u2019s achievements, including a successful Davos meeting, and said the time is right for the Forum to continue its work without distractions. He will be succeeded on an interim basis by Alois Zwinggi, with the Board of Trustees overseeing the leadership transition to identify a permanent successor.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The WEF had said in February that it was examining Brende\u2019s relationship with Epstein. The independent review reportedly found no additional concerns beyond what had already been disclosed. Hoffmann and Fink, the WEF Co-Chairs, publicly expressed appreciation for Brende\u2019s contributions and leadership<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2574859,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-02-27T100749.543.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[9006,74819,12333],"class_list":["post-2574858","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-epstein","tag-leftist-elite","tag-wef"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-02-27T100749.543.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2574858","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2574858"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2574858\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2574862,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2574858\/revisions\/2574862"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2574859"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2574858"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2574858"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2574858"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}