Vice President JD Vance embraced claims that there were ties between the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the “highest levels” of Israeli intelligence, echoing conspiracy theories that have been a source of tension among conservatives.
During an episode of his popular podcast, Joe Rogan said there was a widespread perception that Mr. Epstein’s financial support and drive to influence thinking at American universities stemmed from links to Mossad, Israel’s foreign intelligence service. Mr. Vance agreed that such a view exists, before asserting his own perspective.
“Most people think he was Mossad,” Mr. Rogan, a frequent promoter of conspiracy theories, said of Mr. Epstein in an episode of the “The Joe Rogan Experience” released on Wednesday.
“Yeah, Mossad or C.I.A., or some other deep state, whether in America or Israel or another country,” Mr. Vance replied.
“He clearly had connections to the upper — the highest — levels of American intelligence,” the vice president added. “He clearly had connections to the highest levels of Israeli intelligence.”
Although Mr. Epstein did have ties to a top Israeli leader, the millions of files released by the U.S. government related to Mr. Epstein have not turned up any conclusive proof that he was an intelligence agent or asset for Mossad, as Mr. Vance acknowledged.
“I’ve asked, Were there like, were there documents connecting Jeffrey Epstein directly to our intelligence agencies or anybody else’s, and the answer is no,” Mr. Vance said. “But if that shit existed, it wouldn’t exist in 2026.”
The comments, made during a nearly three-hour episode that covered a broad range of issues, marked a striking embrace of conspiracy theories from an official in one of the highest perches of the U.S. government. Such claims have been promoted by some powerful conservative figures, including Tucker Carlson, a longtime ally of Mr. Vance. They’ve also drawn accusations of antisemitism.
Former Representative Peter T. King, a New York Republican who strongly supports Israel, described Mr. Vance’s remarks as a “dog whistle” to a wing of the Republican Party that he said “is antisemitic, is anti-Israel, is conspiratorial and is unhinged.”
“It’s not like you’re a junior congressman,” Mr. King said in an interview on Saturday, referring to Mr. Vance. “You’re the vice president of the United States. Unless you know what you’re talking about, unless you have absolute facts to back it up, before you undermine an ally — before you undermine your own intelligence agencies — you better know what you’re talking about.”
Asked for comment, Mr. Vance’s office provided a statement, attributed to an unnamed White House official, asserting that everything the vice president had said was true and to suggest otherwise was “in bad faith, stupidity, or both.” Aides from his office declined to clarify his remarks.
The Israeli prime minister’s office, which also oversees the Mossad intelligence agency, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Mr. Vance’s remarks. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pushed back in the past on the idea that Mr. Epstein had worked for Israel.
Some Republicans have wanted to see Mr. Vance take a more aggressive approach denouncing antisemitism and show stronger support for Israel. His latest comments appeared to intensify concerns about his posture.
Ben Shapiro, a prominent conservative podcaster who is Jewish and strongly supportive of Israel, wrote in a newsletter that Mr. Vance’s appearance on Mr. Rogan’s podcast had left him “concerned.”
On his own show, Mr. Shapiro said Mr. Vance’s commentary had been “unworthy of the office” of vice president and had undercut core tenets of conservatism.
“Conservatives, generally, are not in favor of baseless conspiracy theorizing,” Mr. Shapiro said, “because that undermines the idea that you have capacity in the world to act.”
The online publication Tablet, which focuses on Jewish news and culture, published a column headlined “JD Vance’s Big Crashout” by the journalist Lee Smith. It said the vice president had “attacked Jews and spread baseless rumors, for which he admits to having zero evidence, about some kind of dark plot involving Jeffrey Epstein.”
Mr. Epstein, who cultivated associations with powerful people, including officials, from across the globe, had a yearslong friendship and business relationship with Ehud Barak, the center-left former Israeli prime minister.
“Epstein seemed to be connected to the elements of the Israeli deep state that were left of center,” Mr. Vance told Mr. Rogan. “I’ve always found that fascinating.”
Mr. Barak has said that the Israeli leader Shimon Peres first introduced him to Mr. Epstein in 2002. Mr. Barak attended lunches and dinners at Mr. Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse and received some $2.3 million in payments from a foundation associated with Mr. Epstein. Mr. Epstein also invested a reported $1 million in a limited partnership established by Mr. Barak in 2015.
Mr. Barak has said he did not witness or take part in any sexual abuse. “I now deeply regret having any association with him,” he said.
And top Israeli officials have staunchly denied any formal relationship between the Israeli government and Mr. Epstein.
“Jeffrey Epstein’s unusual close relationship with Ehud Barak doesn’t suggest Epstein worked for Israel. It proves the opposite,” Mr. Netanyahu posted on social media in February, after disclosures of emails between Mr. Epstein and Mr. Barak.
Naftali Bennett, the former Israeli prime minister, denounced the theories of a clandestine relationship even more forcefully last year, after Mr. Carlson promoted them at a conference hosted by Turning Point USA, a major conservative organization. From the stage, Mr. Carlson said the question of whether Mr. Epstein had worked for Mossad was one “that every U.S. citizen has a right to an answer on.”
At the time, Mr. Bennett wrote on social media, “The accusation that Jeffrey Epstein somehow worked for Israel or the Mossad running a blackmail ring is categorically and totally false.”
Mr. Bennett added: “Epstein never worked for the Mossad. This accusation is a lie being peddled by prominent online personalities such as Tucker Carlson pretending they know things they don’t.”
In his recent podcast appearance, Mr. Vance did not entertain all of the ideas about Israeli influence suggested by Mr. Rogan.
Mr. Vance pushed back when Mr. Rogan raised an unfounded theory that the Epstein files had been used to blackmail the Trump administration into going to war.
The vice president also cast himself as a “reasonable moderate” in the debate over Israel’s relationship with the United States, expressing confusion over why “many people” have accused him of being antisemitic.
“I’ve never heard a good compelling argument for why I am an antisemite, even though I’ve been accused of being an antisemite by many people,” he said.
Aaron Boxerman contributed reporting from Jerusalem.
