Vance says Epstein tied to Israeli deep state, US intel, admits mishandling

US Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday that deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein maintained ties to elements of the Israeli deep state and the highest levels of American intelligence, while conceding the administration had botched its handling of recently released case files.

Intelligence connections

Speaking on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Vance addressed speculation that Epstein had links to Israel's Mossad agency. "Yeah, Mossad or CIA or some other deep state, whether in America, Israel, or another country," he said. The vice president added that Epstein's network extended across the American political spectrum.

"He clearly had connections to the upper, the highest levels of American intelligence. He clearly had connections to the highest levels of Israeli intelligence," Vance stated. He noted that Epstein appeared closer to left-leaning elements within Israeli intelligence than to right-wing political figures, adding that this contrasted with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's current standing in Washington.

Document release

Vance acknowledged the administration had poorly managed the release of Epstein-related documents. "We absolutely screwed up the comms of the Epstein files," he said, adding that officials should have released all materials "as quickly as possible" after completing necessary redactions to protect victims.

The US Justice Department released more than 3 million pages of records, 2,000 videos and 180,000 images in January under legislation signed last November. Epstein was found dead in his New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, having previously secured a controversial 2008 plea deal in Florida that critics condemned as overly lenient.