Former Israeli prime minister also refutes claim Epstein worked for Israel’s national intelligence agency
www.telegraph.co.uk
Epstein laughed off Mossad spy claims
Former Israeli prime minister also refutes claim Epstein worked for Israel’s national intelligence agency
Connor Stringer
Sceptics allege Epstein had been working for the Mossad during the years in which he was accused of sexually abusing girls
Sceptics allege Epstein had been working for the Mossad during the years in which he was accused of sexually abusing girls Credit: New York State Sex Offender Registry
Jeffrey Epstein laughed off claims that he was an Israeli spy, his former attorney has said.
Alan Dershowitz,
who helped secure the controversial “sweetheart deal” for Epstein, said the disgraced financier denied being a foreign agent when grilled on the subject.
Epstein has been accused in recent days of being a Mossad spy by the likes of Tucker Carlson – something that has been strongly denied by Israel.
It comes as the Epstein case has come under renewed scrutiny over the potentially damaging so-called ‘client list’ that has failed to materialise despite promises from the Trump administration.
Asked about the claims that Epstein was a spy potentially holding leverage on the rich and powerful, Mr Dershowitz told The Telegraph: “We discussed it and the answer was no. He laughed. No intelligence agency would really trust him.”
Mr Dershowitz said he was convinced Epstein would have told him if he was a spy “to try to get him a better deal”.
“That’s not something he would keep from his lawyers. That’s something he would tell his lawyers,” he said.
Alan Dershowitz said he discussed the claim with Epstein, who 'laughed' at the suggestion
Alan Dershowitz said he discussed the claim with Epstein, who ‘laughed’ at the suggestion Credit: AP
Theories about Epstein’s supposed connection to intelligence agencies began to surface shortly after he was found to have hanged himself in his Manhattan prison cell while awaiting trial in 2019.
The conspiracy had added fuel to a growing belief in the Maga movement that Epstein was murdered to prevent the names of high-profile associates being made public.
On Monday, former Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett vigorously rebutted the claim, criticising the “vicious wave of slander and lies against” the Jewish state. 
“As a former Israeli Prime Minister, with the Mossad having reported directly to me, I say to you with 100 per cent certainty: The accusation that Jeffrey Epstein somehow worked for Israel or the Mossad running a blackmail ring is categorically and totally false,” Mr Bennett wrote.
“This accusation is a lie being peddled by prominent online personalities such as Tucker Carlson pretending they know things they don’t.”
Donald Trump is facing the biggest internal rebellion of his premiership after the Department of Justice last week concluded the disgraced financier had no “client list” and died by suicide, not murder.
The decision has sparked fury among Maga loyalists, who have called for Pam Bondi, Mr Trump’s attorney general, to resign over her mishandling of the case.
Pam Bondi has come under fire by Trump supporters for failing to uncover a broader conspiracy
Pam Bondi has come under fire by Trump supporters for failing to uncover a broader conspiracy Credit: AFP
As the White House scrambles to contain the row, Mr Trump is said to be weighing up removing redactions to previously released documents related to the deceased sex offender in a bid to placate his Maga supporters, according to Axios.
During an interview in March, Mr Dershowitz said the client list is being withheld in an effort to “protect” those involved with Epstein’s crimes.
The Harvard law professor was accused by Epstein survivor Virginia Roberts of having sexual relationships with minors.
She later acknowledged that she may have made a mistake in identifying Mr Dershowitz as one of her abusers.
“My position is I want everything revealed. I want everything out there,” he told The Telegraph.
“I know there are names. There are people’s names that are being suppressed, and I know that there are still documents.”
Ms Bondi, Kash Patel, the FBI director, and Dan Bongino, the bureau’s deputy director, have been heavily criticised by Trump supporters for failing to uncover a broader conspiracy relating to Epstein.
Conservative influencers from Megyn Kelly to Mr Carlson have called for Ms Bondi to resign over her failure to deliver, after she claimed in February that Epstein’s client list was “sitting on my desk”.
“I think the real answer is Jeffrey Epstein was working on behalf of intel services, probably not American. And we have every right to ask, on whose behalf was he working?”, Mr Carlson said during a speech on Friday.
“Now, no one’s allowed to say that the foreign government is Israel because we have been somehow cowed into thinking that’s naughty. There is nothing wrong with saying that,” he added.