US Vice President J.D. Vance suggested that Jeffrey Epstein “appeared to be connected” to elements of the “Israeli deep state” as well as to the “highest levels of American intelligence”. He made these remarks during a three-hour interview with podcaster Joe Rogan, which attracted over one million views on YouTube in less than 24 hours. Vance also acknowledged that the Donald Trump administration “failed in communication” regarding Epstein’s files.
Jeffrey Epstein, a financier and socialite, was convicted of multiple sex crimes in the US. He was found dead in his prison cell in New York in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking. In 2008, he pleaded guilty in a case involving the procurement of a minor for prostitution, striking a deal with prosecutors that critics labeled “favorable”. Epstein’s victims alleged that he operated a large-scale sexual exploitation network, whose services were utilized by members of the elite. During the interview, Vance also discussed US foreign policy, the war with Iran, and US-Israeli relations.
Vance’s speculations about Epstein’s connections
Approximately 1 hour and 47 minutes into the interview, Joe Rogan noted that many people believe Epstein was connected to the Mossad and asked Vance for his thoughts. In response, the vice president stated: “Yes, Mossad or the CIA, or some other deep state — in America, Israel, or anywhere else. He clearly had connections to the highest levels of American intelligence. He clearly had connections to the highest levels of Israeli intelligence.”
Vance also mentioned that Epstein “appeared to be connected to elements of the Israeli deep state that were left-centrist.” He added that “it does not appear that he was too connected to right-centrist Israeli politics,” although in the US, Epstein had acquaintances across the political spectrum. At the same time, the vice president emphasized that there are no documents directly linking Epstein to American or foreign intelligence agencies. According to him, “if such a document existed, it would no longer exist by 2026.”
Epstein’s files and Israeli contacts
The US Department of Justice released 3.5 million documents related to Epstein in January 2026. None of these documents directly confirm that he was an agent of any intelligence service. However, they contain several other details. Notably, an FBI memo from 2020 suggests that one of the bureau’s sources considered Epstein to be a “likely recruited Mossad agent” who was “trained as a spy.”
The documents also indicate extensive correspondence between Epstein and high-ranking Israeli politicians, including former Defense Minister Ehud Barak, as well as with Mossad veteran Yoni Koren, who frequently visited his residence in New York. The correspondence suggests that Epstein allegedly paid for Koren’s cancer treatment in 2012. Additionally, through his foundation, he donated $25,000 to the organization Friends of the Israel Defense Forces and $15,000 to the Jewish National Fund.
Speculations about Epstein’s possible connections to Israel gained significant attention, prompting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address the issue on social media. “Jeffrey Epstein’s unusually close relationship with Ehud Barak does not indicate that Epstein worked for Israel. It proves the opposite,” he wrote in February.
Trump administration’s communication
During the interview, Vance also stated that he does not believe the Department of Justice under former US Attorney General Pam Bondi acted with malicious intent. Despite the requirements of the “Epstein Files Transparency Act” for full disclosure of documents, the department still did not release some materials. Bondi also previously claimed that the so-called “client list” of Epstein “is lying on my desk right now,” but this was not later confirmed. In April, she was dismissed amid controversies surrounding the case.
“I know Pam. I like her. I don’t think anything malicious was happening there,” Vance told Rogan. “I think Pam was trying to respond to a political moment. She exaggerated what we had and what we didn’t have.” According to the vice president, this led to criticism of Bondi and undermined trust in the administration’s efforts to release the case materials. “We absolutely failed in communicating about Epstein’s files. But do I think the reason for this is that we were trying to hide something? No,” Vance concluded.
Source: Al Jazeera
