RSS
Dershowitz Shoots Down Epstein-Mossad Conspiracy Theories: ‘No Intel Agency Would Really Trust Him’
Donald Trump’s then-defense lawyer Alan Dershowitz answers questions from US senators during the president’s impeachment trial. Photo: Reuters/US Senate TV
With political controversy surrounding the Trump administration’s pivot toward a reluctance to release further files on the crimes and associates of Jeffrey Epstein — the late multi-millionaire sex trafficker who committed suicide at 66 on Aug. 10, 2019 — his former attorney Alan Dershowitz has started to speak out, addressing speculation promoted by both left-wing and right-wing influencers of alleged involvement by Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency.
Dershowitz — an emeritus professor of law at Harvard University, prominent pro-Israel advocate, and author of the new book The Preventive State: The Challenge of Preventing Serious Harms While Preserving Essential Liberties — flatly rejected the suggestion that Epstein had worked as a spy.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Dershowitz said that if Epstein did have intelligence connections, then the disgraced financier would have revealed them to him in order “to try to get him a better deal” with the initial prosecutions that resulted in what has widely been characterized as a light sentence received on June 30, 2008. “That’s not something he would keep from his lawyers. That’s something he would tell his lawyers,” Dershowitz explained.
Recounting a conversation with his former client about working with spies, Dershowitz said, “we discussed it, and the answer was no. He laughed. No intelligence agency would really trust him.”
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett affirmed Dershowitz’s position, saying on Monday that “with the Mossad having reported directly to me, I say to you with 100 percent certainty: The accusation that Jeffrey Epstein somehow worked for Israel or the Mossad running a blackmail ring is categorically and totally false.”
Bennett identified the theory’s most prominent advocate, saying that “this accusation is a lie being peddled by prominent online personalities such as Tucker Carlson pretending they know things they don’t.”
On Friday at the Turning Point USA summit in Tampa, Florida, a gathering of right-wing college student activists organized by the group’s CEO Charlie Kirk heard Carlson lay out his personal speculations about the Epstein case.
“And I think the real answer is Jeffrey Epstein was working on behalf of intel services, probably not American,” Carlson, a former Fox News host turned podcaster provocateur, told attendees. “And we have every right to ask, on whose behalf was he working? How does a guy go from being a math teacher at the Dalton School in the late 70s with no college degree to having multiple airplanes, a private island, and the largest residential house in Manhattan? Where did all the money come from? And no one has ever gotten to the bottom of that because no one has ever tried.”
Carlson added, “Moreover, it’s extremely obvious to anyone who watches, that this guy had direct connections to a foreign government. Now, no one’s allowed to say that the foreign government is Israel because we have been somehow cowed into thinking that’s naughty. There is nothing wrong with saying that. There is nothing hateful about saying that. There’s nothing antisemitic about saying that. There’s nothing even anti-Israel about saying that.”
Carlson claimed that accusations of antisemitism for those asking questions about potential Epstein-Israel connections inspired broad feelings of resentment.
“And you have the right to expect your government will not act against your interests, and you have a right to demand that foreign governments not be allowed to act against your interests. That’s not creepy. It shouldn’t be forbidden,” Carlson said. “And yet all of us have trained ourselves to believe that you can’t say that somehow. That that’s like too naughty and forbidden. And the effect of making that off-limits has been to create a lot of resentment and I’ll say it, hate online, where people feel like they can’t just say, ‘What the hell is this? You have the former Israeli prime minister living in your house? You have all this contact with a foreign government. Were you working on behalf of them? Were you running a blackmail operation on behalf of a foreign government?’”
Carlson asserted broad support for his conspiracy theory, saying, “By the way, every single person in Washington, DC thinks that. I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t think that. I don’t know any of them that hate Israel. But no one feels they can say that. Why? And I think the longer we play along with it, the more subterranean and creepy and hateful the conversation becomes. So, I think it’s better just to say it right out loud.”
Megyn Kelly, also a former Fox News anchor-turned-podcaster like Carlson, defended his position and offered profanity for those who would question her pro-Israel bona fides.
“Tucker’s saying what his opinion is, which is not outside of the mainstream at all, that he thinks Epstein worked for Mossad or was it was somehow an asset to them,” Kelly said. “Even if you’re in my position, you get lunatics out there. Who accuse you of being like antisemitic because you are exploring this theory, which is such utter bulls–t. And honestly, like I will just say this for the record, if you think that those kinds of smears are going to stop me from reporting, you haven’t been paying attention to my career at all. If anything, when you accuse me of s–t like that, I will double, triple and quadruple down. It tells me that I’m onto something. So nice try, but you’ve chosen the wrong person.”
Kelly added, “I’ve been a defender of Israel, so people who say I’m not can f–k off. They don’t know me at all. I’m allowed to figure out what Jeffrey Epstein’s actual connections were. And if that leads me to our government or Israel’s, too bad!”
Earlier this month, actor John Cusack had also explored speculations of potential Mossad-Epstein connections when he shared a meme linking the deceased sex offender to the Mossad through pointing to accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell’s father Robert Maxwell. He deleted the post two hours later.
On Wednesday, during an oval office meeting with Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the prime minister and crown prince of Bahrain, US President Donald Trump condemned Republicans who continued to ask questions about Epstein.
“Some stupid Republicans and foolish Republicans fall into the net, and so they try and do the Democrats’ work,” Trump said. “I call it the Epstein hoax. Takes a lot of time and effort. Instead of talking about the great achievements we’ve had … they’re wasting their time with a guy who obviously had some very serious problems, who died three, four years ago. I’d rather talk about the success we have with the economy.”
In a Wednesday morning Truth Social post, Trump wrote that he no longer wanted the support of Republicans concerned about the Epstein case.
“Their [Democrats] new SCAM is what we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax, and my PAST supporters have bought into this ‘bulls–t,’ hook, line, and sinker. They haven’t learned their lesson, and probably never will, even after being conned by the Lunatic Left for 8 long years. I have had more success in 6 months than perhaps any President in our Country’s history, and all these people want to talk about, with strong prodding by the Fake News and the success starved Dems, is the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax,” Trump wrote. “Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats work, don’t even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don’t want their support anymore!”
Dershowitz told to The Telegraph that Trump had chosen to protect individuals named in the files.
“I know there are names. There are people’s names that are being suppressed, and I know that there are still documents,” Dershowitz said. “My position is I want everything revealed. I want everything out there.”
The post Dershowitz Shoots Down Epstein-Mossad Conspiracy Theories: ‘No Intel Agency Would Really Trust Him’ first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
US House Members Ask Marco Rubio to Bar Turkey From Rejoining F-35 Program
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, US, April 10, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Nathan Howard
A bipartisan coalition of more than 40 US lawmakers is pressing Secretary of State Marco Rubio to prevent Turkey from rejoining the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, citing ongoing national security concerns and violations of US law.
Members of Congress on Thursday warned that lifting existing sanctions or readmitting Turkey to the US F-35 fifth-generation fighter program would “jeopardize the integrity of F-35 systems” and risk exposing sensitive US military technology to Russia. The letter pointed to Ankara’s 2017 purchase of the Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile system, despite repeated US warnings, as the central reason Turkey was expelled from the multibillion-dollar fighter jet program in 2019.
“The S-400 poses a direct threat to US aircraft, including the F-16 and F-35,” the lawmakers wrote. “If operated alongside these platforms, it risks exposing sensitive military technology to Russian intelligence.”
The group of signatories, spanning both parties, stressed that Turkey still possesses the Russian weapons systems and has shown “no willingness to comply with US law.” They urged Rubio and the Trump administration to uphold the Countering American Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) and maintain Ankara’s exclusion from the F-35 program until the S-400s are fully removed.
The letter comes after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed during a NATO summit in June that Ankara and Washington have begun discussing Turkey’s readmission into the program.
Lawmakers argued that reversing course now would undermine both US credibility and allied confidence in American defense commitments. They also warned it could disrupt development of the next-generation fighter jet announced by the administration earlier this year.
“This is not a partisan issue,” the letter emphasized. “We must continue to hold allies and adversaries alike accountable when their actions threaten US interests.”
RSS
US Lawmakers Urge Treasury to Investigate Whether Irish Bill Targeting Israel Violates Anti-Boycott Law
A pro-Hamas demonstration in Ireland led by nationalist party Sinn Fein. Photo: Reuters/Clodagh Kilcoyne
A group of US lawmakers is calling on the Treasury Department to investigate and potentially penalize Ireland over proposed legislation targeting Israeli goods, warning that the move could trigger sanctions under longstanding US anti-boycott laws.
In a letter sent on Thursday to US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, 16 Republican members of Congress expressed “serious concerns” about Ireland’s recent legislative push to ban trade with territories under Israeli administration, including the West Bank, Gaza, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights.
The letter, spearheaded by Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY), called for the US to “send a clear signal” that any attempts to economically isolate Israel will “carry consequences.”
The Irish measure, introduced by Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Simon Harris, seeks to prohibit the import of goods and services originating from what the legislation refers to as “occupied Palestinian territories,” including Israeli communities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Supporters say the bill aligns with international law and human rights principles, while opponents, including the signatories of the letter, characterize it as a direct extension of the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement, which seeks to isolate Israel as a step toward the destruction of the world’s lone Jewish state.
Some US lawmakers have also described the Irish bill as an example of “antisemitic hate” that could risk hurting relations between Dublin and Washington.
“Such policies not only promote economic discrimination but also create legal uncertainty for US companies operating in Ireland,” the lawmakers wrote in this week’s letter, urging Bessent to determine whether Ireland’s actions qualify as participation in an “unsanctioned international boycott” under Section 999 of the Internal Revenue Code, also known as the Ribicoff Amendment.
Under that statute, the Treasury Department is required to maintain a list of countries that pressure companies to comply with international boycotts not sanctioned by the US. Inclusion on the list carries tax-reporting burdens and possible penalties for American firms and individuals doing business in those nations.
“If the criteria are met, Ireland should be added to the boycott list,” the letter said, arguing that such a step would help protect US companies from legal exposure and reaffirm American opposition to economic efforts aimed at isolating Israel.
Legal experts have argued that if the Irish bill becomes law, it could chase American capital out of the country while also hurting companies that do business with Ireland. Under US law, it is illegal for American companies to participate in boycotts of Israel backed by foreign governments. Several US states have also gone beyond federal restrictions to pass separate measures that bar companies from receiving state contracts if they boycott Israel.
Ireland has been one of the fiercest critics of Israel on the international stage since the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre across southern Israel, amid the ensuing war in Gaza, leading the Jewish state to shutter its embassy in Dublin.
Last year, Ireland officially recognized a Palestinian state, a decision that Israel described as a “reward for terrorism.”
RSS
US Families File Lawsuit Accusing UNRWA of Supporting Hamas, Hezbollah
A truck, marked with United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) logo, crosses into Egypt from Gaza, at the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, during a temporary truce between Hamas and Israel, in Rafah, Egypt, Nov. 27, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
American families of victims of Hamas and Hezbollah attacks have filed a lawsuit against the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, accusing the organization of violating US antiterrorism laws by providing material support to the Islamist terror groups behind the deadly assaults.
Last week, more than 200 families filed a lawsuit in a Washington, DC district court accusing the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) of violating US antiterrorism laws by providing funding and support to Hamas and Hezbollah, both designated as foreign terrorist organizations.
The lawsuit alleges that UNRWA employs staff with direct ties to the Iran-backed terror group, including individuals allegedly involved in carrying out attacks against the Jewish state.
However, UNRWA has firmly denied the allegations, labeling them as “baseless” and condemning the lawsuit as “meritless, absurd, dangerous, and morally reprehensible.”
According to the organization, the lawsuit is part of a wider campaign of “misinformation and lawfare” targeting its work in the Gaza Strip, where it says Palestinians are enduring “mass, deliberate and forced starvation.”
The UN agency reports that more than 150,000 donors across the United States have supported its programs providing food, medical aid, education, and trauma assistance in the war-torn enclave amid the ongoing conflict.
In a press release, UNRWA USA affirmed that it will continue its humanitarian efforts despite facing legal challenges aimed at undermining its work.
“Starvation does not pause for politics. Neither will we,” the statement read.
Last year, Israeli security documents revealed that of UNRWA’s 13,000 employees in Gaza, 440 were actively involved in Hamas’s military operations, with 2,000 registered as Hamas operatives.
According to these documents, at least nine UNRWA employees took part directly in the terror group’s Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of and massacre across southern Israel.
Israeli officials also uncovered a large Hamas data center beneath UNRWA headquarters, with cables running through the facility above, and found that Hamas also stored weapons in other UNRWA sites.
The UN agency has also aligned with Hamas in efforts against the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an Israeli and US-backed program that delivers aid directly to Palestinians, blocking Hamas from diverting supplies for terror activities and selling them at inflated prices.
These Israeli intelligence documents also revealed that a senior Hamas leader, killed in an Israeli strike in September 2024, had served as the head of the UNRWA teachers’ union in Lebanon, where Lebanon is based,
UNRWA’s education programs have been found by IMPACT-se, an international organization that monitors global education, to contribute to the radicalization of younger generations of Palestinians.