Last July at a Turning Point USA summit, Charlie Kirk and Megyn Kelly suggested that Jeffrey Epstein could have been a spy for “MI6, Saudi or Mossad,” the intelligence services of Britain, Saudi Arabia and Israel, respectively.
Last November, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., told reporters that Epstein “had close ties to our own intelligence agencies and Israel’s intelligence agencies” and “that’s why there’s so much effort in trying to stop this.”
And Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk this month directed his government to investigate whether Epstein spied for Russia, citing fears that “compromising materials” about Polish officials may have been collected.
“More and more leads, more and more information, and more and more commentary in the global press all relate to the suspicion that this unprecedented pedophilia scandal was co-organized by Russian intelligence services,” Tusk said. “I don’t need to tell you how serious the increasingly likely possibility that Russian intelligence services co-organized this operation is for the security of the Polish state. This can only mean that they also possess compromising materials against many leaders still active today.”
But no evidence has emerged yet to suggest that Epstein worked as a spy for Russia, the U.S. or any other nation, eight current and former U.S. officials with knowledge of American intelligence efforts told MS NOW. And some current and former intelligence officials think Epstein himself may have been spied on by Russian and Chinese operatives.
“There is absolutely no evidence that he was an intelligence asset of the United States or of any foreign power,” Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence committee, told MS NOW. Two other congressional officials who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed Himes’ assessment.
The denials, though, have failed to stop speculation about whether Epstein might have been a spy. And the Epstein files have sparked recriminations, resignations or criminal investigations in Britain, France, Norway, Slovakia, Sweden, Dubai and other areas across the globe as officials’ communications with Epstein garner public attention.
In a post on X earlier this month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Epstein was not a spy for Israel as some speculated, citing documents showing Epstein’s communications with Ehud Barak, the former Israeli prime minister.
“Jeffrey Epstein’s unusual close relationship with Ehud Barak doesn’t suggest Epstein worked for Israel,” Netanyahu wrote.
Massie held firm to his suspicion on Tuesday, telling MS NOW, “I think the weight of the evidence suggests he worked with Israeli and U.S. intelligence.”
And Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., on Tuesday asked the CIA to release all information it had regarding Epstein. “I believe Epstein was an intel asset and I believe the information in Epstein’s possession is why the government is covering it up,” she wrote.
The CIA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence did not respond to MS NOW’s requests for comment.
Some current and former U.S. officials laid out a different scenario involving Epstein and espionage. They said Epstein’s vast contacts with members of the American and European elite made him a potentially ripe target for Russian and Chinese spies. A former senior U.S. national security official said one way the U.S. tries to obtain intelligence about foreign leaders, such as Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, is by monitoring the communications of people close to them. Epstein’s myriad email exchanges with members of the American elite could have interested foreign intelligence agencies. “The way they get to Putin is the people around him,” said one former senior U.S.official, who asked not to be named, citing the sensitivity of intelligence practices. “Their stock in trade is to communicate with other important people.” The former intelligence official remarked of Epstein, “It’s amazing how many emails he sent.” Other current and former U.S. officials disputed the premise that Epstein might have been a target of Russian and Chinese operatives, noting that foreign intelligence services are interested in secret American military plans and high-level policy deliberations. “To assume Epstein ‘likely’ was an intelligence target of Russia and China, I think, is a stretch,” said a former senior FBI official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “Epstein is infamous now but before his conviction and this ‘Epstein files’ frenzy, he was one of a million rich and influential people in the U.S. Nothing special,” the former official said. “Russia and China could have targeted him to go after someone else, but I think that’s unlikely.”
David Rohde
David Rohde is the senior national security reporter for MS NOW. Previously he was the senior executive editor for national security and law for NBC News.
Mychael Schnell is a reporter for MS NOW. Recommended
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