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US Vice President JD Vance has said that the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein “seemed to be connected” to elements of the “Israeli deep state” and to the “highest levels of American intelligence.” In a lengthy interview with podcaster Joe Rogan released on Wednesday, Vance also acknowledged that the Trump administration “screwed up” in its communications surrounding the release of the Epstein files.

Coverage Comparison

Vance’s remarks have been reported by Al Jazeera and The Guardian, with slightly different emphases. Al Jazeera focused on the intelligence connections, quoting Vance’s responses to Rogan’s direct question about Epstein being connected to the Mossad. The Guardian, meanwhile, centred its coverage on Vance’s admission that the administration botched the communications about the files, citing his statement that “we absolutely screwed up the comms.”

Both outlets reported Vance’s comment that Epstein had connections to the highest levels of American and Israeli intelligence. Al Jazeera further quoted Vance saying that Epstein’s connections in Israel appeared to have a left-of-centre 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. It wasn’t like he was super connected to the right of centre of Israeli politics,” he said.

Key Claims

  • Vance told Rogan that Epstein “clearly had connections to the upper, the highest levels of American intelligence” and “to the highest levels of Israeli intelligence,” as reported by Al Jazeera.
  • He said Epstein appeared to be connected to “elements of the Israeli deep state that were left of centre,” according to Al Jazeera.
  • Vance conceded the Trump administration mishandled the communications surrounding the Epstein files, saying “we absolutely screwed up the comms,” as quoted by The Guardian.
  • He told Rogan that the administration should have released all the documents from the beginning, The Guardian reported.
  • Vance pointed to comments by former Attorney General Pam Bondi, who had said Epstein’s alleged client list was “sitting on my desk right now.” He said, “I think Pam was trying to respond to the political moment. I think she overstated what we had and what we didn’t have,” according to The Guardian.
  • Al Jazeera reported that the US Department of Justice released 3.5 million files related to Epstein in January 2026, and that Vance conceded the administration mishandled the communications.
  • The Guardian noted that the Department of Justice’s repeated moves to delay the release of documents related to Epstein drew bipartisan disapproval last year, and that the department began releasing heavily redacted files in December.

Context

Jeffrey Epstein, a financier and socialite, was convicted in 2008 of procuring a minor for prostitution in Florida, a plea deal critics call a “sweetheart deal.” He was found dead in his New York City jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. The release of documents related to the Epstein investigations has been a persistent political issue for the Trump administration, drawing criticism from both sides of the aisle.

As of this writing, the sources did not provide further detail on the nature of Epstein’s alleged connections to Israeli intelligence or on the specific evidence behind Vance’s assertions.