Vance says Israeli intelligence had ties to Epstein: What to know

US Vice President JD Vance stated that Jeffrey Epstein had ties to Israeli and American intelligence in a Wednesday interview while doubling down on his recent criticism of Israel and its influence on US policy.

What happened: Vance said Epstein, a financier and sex offender who died in 2019, “clearly had connections to the highest levels of American intelligence, he clearly had connections to the highest levels of Israeli intelligence."

Vance clarified that he does not believe there is a clear link to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Epstein seemed to be connected to the elements of the Israeli deep state that were left of center,” he said.

Epstein was a financier who had pleaded guilty to sex crimes involving minors in 2008. When he died by suicide in custody in 2019, he was facing additional accusations, largely related to alleged sexual crimes against underage girls at his property in the US state of Florida. Epstein was known to have met with Trump, former US President Bill Clinton and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, among other prominent political figures around the world.

The idea that Epstein had ties to intelligence agencies is driven by his connections to so many elites, though no definitive evidence has emerged that he was an asset of any country.

The Trump administration released millions of pages of documentation and thousands of videos and images from the Epstein files. The documents detail the disgraced financier's ties with several well-known individuals and contain unverified allegations against Trump himself.

Epstein's case has spawned numerous conspiracy theories, many focusing on his Jewish heritage and relations with Barak, a longtime minister and commander who was a member of the center-left Labor Party. Barak apologized in February for his years-long friendship with Epstein.

Netanyahu has criticized Barak for his ties to Epstein since at least 2020, particularly via the X platform.

Vance also cited a Monday article from Time Magazine that accused Brad Parscale, a senior campaign official for President Donald Trump in 2020, of currently running an Israeli influence operation targeting supporters of the president. Vance said that some within the Israeli government are seeking to "shift" the US away from a deal with Iran and toward a "military campaign."

Vance added that he has some “good relations” in the Israeli government and that many in Israel support the “peace process” with Iran. He said he does not have a problem with efforts to influence US policy, saying that “foreign governments try to influence the United States all the time,” and he takes issue when such efforts “affect American political judgment.”

Why it matters: Since assuming the vice presidency, Vance has positioned himself as a critic of Israel within the Trump administration. In June, he pushed back against apparent Israeli criticism of the US deal with Iran, saying, “If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world.”

The US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding in June on ending the war that began in February and starting a period of negotiations. Trump has since declared the ceasefire over after fighting resumed earlier this month. Al-Monitor’s Ben Caspit wrote on Tuesday that Israeli officials are concerned the US has deprioritized the threat of Iran’s nuclear program by focusing on the strait. Vance was heavily involved in the diplomacy leading up to the agreement.

Vance has defended conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, a virulent critic of Israel and the war, telling the Washington Post in February that “you have to be willing to tolerate debate and disagreement” within the Republican Party. He made the comments after a heated debate between Carlson and US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, a staunch Christian Zionist.

Vance has offered pushback to some of Israel’s critics on the right. In June of last year, he told podcaster Theo Von, “I don’t think it’s a genocide,” in reference to the Israeli war on Hamas in Gaza. Von has used the term to describe the Israeli campaign.

Know more: Vance is considered a leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2028, as is Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Younger Republican voters are more likely to be critical of US support for Israel than their older counterparts. A June poll by the conservative news site the Washington Free Beacon found that 57% of Republican primary voters agree with continuing US military aid to Israel. Among voters between the ages of 18 and 34, however, the figure was just 35%.