TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on Wednesday, July 15, that the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein appeared to have links to elements of the Israeli "deep state" and senior figures within U.S. intelligence circles.
Speaking on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Vance was asked about allegations that Epstein had ties to Israel's intelligence agency, Mossad.
"Yeah, Mossad or CIA or some other deep state, whether in America, Israel, or another country," Vance said.
"He clearly had connections to the upper, the highest levels of American intelligence. He clearly had connections to the highest levels of Israeli intelligence," he added, as quoted by Anadolu.
Vance also suggested that Epstein's alleged connections in Israel were more closely associated with the country's center-left political establishment than with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's camp.
"As much as I know, (Israeli) Prime Minister Netanyahu, not a particularly popular person in the United States of America right now, Epstein seemed to be connected to the elements of the Israeli deep state that were left of center," he said.
"It wasn't like he was super connected to the right of center of Israeli politics. America, he was connected across the board. Like he had Republican friends, he had Democratic friends. He had much deeper connections to the Israeli left of center than right of center," Vance claimed.
Vance Says Trump Administration Mishandled Epstein Files Communication
During the same interview, Vance acknowledged that the Trump administration mishandled its communication regarding the release of documents related to the Epstein case.
"If people want to say we mishandled the Epstein release, guilty. We did mishandle, especially the communications of it," he said.
"We absolutely screwed up the comms of the Epstein files."
Asked what should have been done differently, Vance said the administration should have moved more quickly to disclose the records while ensuring victims' identities remained protected.
" think that we should have just dropped everything at the very beginning, and obviously takes a little time to review the stuff, to find the stuff, to redact things where you have victims and so forth. But we should have just done it as quickly as possible," he said.
The U.S. Department of Justice recently released more than 3 million pages of documents, 2,000 videos, and 180,000 images under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which was signed into law in November last year.
Epstein died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. In 2008, he pleaded guilty in Florida to soliciting prostitution from a minor and received a sentence that critics described as an unusually lenient "sweetheart deal."
Several victims have accused Epstein of operating a large-scale sex trafficking network involving wealthy and politically connected individuals.
Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
Palestinians in Gaza: Stuck Between Hamas and Israel
19 jam lalu
Hamas is planning to transfer control of Gaza's civilian administration to Palestinian technocrats as part of the fragile US ceasefire.
Iran: Living in Limbo Between War and Ceasefire
1 hari lalu
Repeated ceasefire violations, mixed political signals and emergency measures have fueled exhaustion, anger and deep uncertainty among Iranians.
Trump Ally Lindsey Graham Dies at 71 After Sudden Illness
3 hari lalu
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of Trump, died on Saturday, Aug. 15, at the age of 71 following a sudden illness.
Iran Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei Vows Revenge for Father's Death
4 hari lalu
Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei says the nation 'demands' revenge for the killing of his father and predecessor, Ali Khamenei.
Israel Says It Shared Intelligence on Alleged Iranian Plot to Kill Trump
5 hari lalu
Israel says it shared intelligence with the US on an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate President Donald Trump.
What's Behind Hamas's Move to Dissolve Gaza Government
7 hari lalu
Hamas plans to hand over civil administration in the Gaza Strip.
UN Says Israeli Restrictions Reduce Aid Deliveries to Gaza
8 hari lalu
UN says Israeli restrictions and closures reduced the amount of vital aid delivered to Gaza in June.
Students Leave Gaza to Continue Studies, Others in Limbo
9 hari lalu
More than three school years since the start of Israel's war in Gaza, more Palestinian students are restarting studies at universities abroad.
Hamas to Dissolve Gaza Governing Body
9 hari lalu
Officials for the militant organization Hamas have confirmed the move, which was agreed to earlier this year in a peace deal with Israel.
Over 400,000 Displaced Lebanese Return South Amid Ceasefire
10 hari lalu
During the fragile ceasefire, Southern Lebanon is seeing droves of displaced residents returning.
