US Vice President JD Vance stated in an interview with podcaster Joe Rogan that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein had unspecified connections to Israeli intelligence. “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 said.

The vice president also claimed that Epstein’s connections in Israel appeared to have a left-of-center ideological bent. “Epstein seemed to be connected to the elements of the Israeli deep state that were left of centre. I’ve always found that fascinating,” he added.

Vance conceded that the Trump administration “absolutely” mishandled communications surrounding the Epstein files. He criticized former Attorney General Pam Bondi, who had stated that an alleged client list was “sitting on my desk right now.”

“I know Pam. I like Pam. I don’t think there was anything malicious going on,” Vance told Rogan. “I think Pam was trying to respond to the political moment. I think she overstated what we had and what we didn’t have.” He said Bondi was “roasted” for her comments, leading to public mistrust.

“We absolutely screwed up the comms of the Epstein files. Like, we just did,” Vance said, but denied any intent to hide information. The remarks raise new questions about US-Israeli intelligence ties. Epstein faced sex trafficking charges before his death in 2019.

Source: www.aljazeera.com