![U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance speaks during a press briefing in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., United States, on June 18, 2026. [Mehmet Eser - Anadolu Agency]](https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AA-20260618-41715108-41715095-US_VICE_PRESIDENT_JD_VANCE_HOLDS_PRESS_BRIEFING_AT_WHITE_HOUSE-1.jpg)
US Vice President JD Vance said on Wednesday that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein had “clear connections to the highest levels of Mossad”. Speaking on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Vance said Epstein had extensive connections “whether it was Mossad, the CIA, or some other deep state, whether in America, Israel, another country, or both”. Vance rejected suggestions that US President Donald Trump had been blackmailed over the Epstein files. “The idea that Donald Trump was being blackmailed seems crazy to me,” he said. “The idea that he would pick up the phone and say, ‘I’ll take orders from you’ – no, that’s not how Donald Trump operates.” Vance added: “If people want to say we mishandled the Epstein release, […]
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