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Published : 17 Jul 2026, 10:27 AM
United States Vice-President JD Vance has said Jeffrey Epstein "seemed to be connected" to elements of the "Israeli deep state" as well as the "highest levels of American intelligence", Al Jazeera reports.
In a nearly three-hour interview with podcaster Joe Rogan on Wednesday, Vance also admitted the Trump administration "screwed up" its communication over the Epstein files.
The Qatari broadcaster said the interview was viewed more than one million times on YouTube within 24 hours.
Epstein was a financier and socialite before being convicted of sex offences in the US.
Known for his extensive ties to influential figures, he was found dead in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
He pleaded guilty in Florida in 2008 to procuring a minor for prostitution, receiving what critics described as a lenient sentence.
His victims have alleged that he ran a wide-ranging sex trafficking network involving powerful individuals.
Besides the Epstein case, Vance discussed US foreign policy, the war on Iran and US-Israel relations during the interview.
Nearly one hour and 47 minutes into the interview, Rogan asked Vance whether Epstein had been linked to Israel's Mossad intelligence agency.
Vance replied that Epstein could have been connected to Mossad, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), or another "deep state" organisation in the United States, Israel or elsewhere.
He said Epstein clearly had connections to senior American intelligence figures and to the highest levels of Israeli intelligence.
Vance also claimed Epstein appeared to have links with elements of Israel's "deep state" aligned with the political left rather than the right.
He added that Epstein had associates across the political spectrum in the US, unlike in Israel.
The president, however, said there was no document directly linking Epstein to any US or foreign intelligence agency.
He added that even if such a document had once existed, it was unlikely to have survived until 2026.
Al Jazeera reported that the US Department of Justice released 3.5 million Epstein-related files in January 2026.
According to the Qatari outlet, none of the documents explicitly identified Epstein as an intelligence asset.
The files did, however, reveal that a 2020 Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) memo cited a source who believed Epstein had been recruited by Mossad and trained as a spy.
The documents also showed Epstein exchanged extensive emails with former Israeli defence minister Ehud Barak and Mossad veteran Yoni Koren, who regularly visited Epstein's New York residence.
The correspondence suggested a close relationship, with Epstein allegedly paying for Koren's cancer treatment in 2012.
The files also showed Epstein's foundation donated $25,000 to Friends of the Israel Defense Forces and $15,000 to the Jewish National Fund.
Al Jazeera said the allegations became so widespread that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed them publicly in February.
Netanyahu wrote on social media that Epstein's close relationship with Barak did not indicate he had worked for Israel.
Vance also defended former US attorney general Pam Bondi during the interview.
He said he did not believe Bondi had acted with malicious intent over the handling of the Epstein files.
According to Al Jazeera, Bondi's Justice Department withheld some Epstein-related documents despite the requirements of the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
She also claimed an alleged Epstein "client list" was on her desk, a remark that later proved inaccurate.
Bondi was dismissed in April after controversy surrounding the files.
Vance said Bondi had tried to respond to political pressure but overstated what the department possessed.
He said mistake damaged public trust in the administration's transparency efforts.
"We absolutely screwed up the comms of the Epstein files," Vance said, adding that he did not believe the administration had been trying to conceal anything.
