Ex-Israeli Spy Claims Jeffrey Epstein Blackmailed Politicians
for Israel's Mossad
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In an interview published three days before the arrest of Ghislaine Maxwell, Ari Ben-Menashe joined Afshin Rattansi at RT to talk about how Jeffrey Epstein used honeypots to blackmail politicians to be recruited to work for Israel's Mossad.
Ben-Menashe was a spy for Israel's Military Intelligence Directorate between 1977-1989. In 1992, Ben-Menashe published 'Profits of War: Inside the Secret US–Israeli Arms Network', a book about his involvement in the Iran–Contra affair on behalf of Israeli intelligence. He also gave Seymour Hersh information about Israel's nuclear program, which was published in Hersh's book, 'The Samson Option'.
Ben-Menashe was the first to publicly claim that Robert Maxwell, then owner of the UK's Mirror Group newspapers was a Mossad agent and when Maxwell fell from his yacht in 1991, Ben-Menashe claimed he'd been assassinated by Mossad for trying to blackmail them.
RT's Rattansi asks him, "I suppose what the most alarming allegations you've been making are that the entire Epstein operation was a honeytrap operation to entrap politicians, policymakers, celebrities, people in the media, basically to become Israel's assets...
"Tell me about what evidence you have for this, because the...mainstream media narrative is, 'We don't know about Ghislaine Maxwell. She denies all wrongdoing and basically, Epstein was a pedophile and was a successful banker. He made lots of money and he was a criminal pedophile and he died in a jail, awaiting justice.' That's the story. Nothing to do with Mossad. Nothing to do with the Israeli military intelligence, nothing to do with Israel."
Ben-Menashe: Yeah, they would deny it. That's a real bad story and they would deny it but [Epstein] was put straight with Israelis by Robert Maxwell, at the time, at [Israeli] military intelligence and he started working there for them.
Rattansi: I'm sure Israel's Ambassador to London would deny that. Over here [in the UK] obviously, Prince Andrew is a big story, because he's supposed to be the Queen's favorite son. What do you think -
Ben-Menashe: Prince Andrew was a different story. Prince Andrew wasn't being blackmailed. He was being used as a useful idiot and he was bringing in some of the celebrities to get blackmailed.
Rattansi: Now, I can't ask you for your sources but when things have been written about this - Ehud Barak has been named as part of this operation. Tell me about whether you think Barak would have been aware of these operations?
Ben-Menashe: Well, Ehud Barak was, at some point head of Military Intelligence in Israel and he apparently was very friendly with Epstein and yeah, he probably would have known about it.
Rattansi: The problem area with your accusations and allegations are that you're not providing any evidence that Israel was part of running Jeffrey Epstein.
Ben-Menashe: Again, Maxwell was working for Israel. Epstein was working for Maxwell at the time and he was introduced to Maxwell's daughter and they were introduced to Israeli intelligence. How much more evidence - I cannot give you photos of them working for Israeli intelligence.
Rattansi: This is the problem area; is that you're making these allegations without any evidence, other than circumstantial evidence, arguably that is Israel is involved.
Ben-Menashe: That's fine. I was asked. I'm giving you my take on it.
Rattansi: So, what do you think about the Epstein's death? A lot of people are suspicious about it, although it was ruled a suicide by New York's Chief Medical Examiner, despite Epstein's brother alleging it was murder.
Ben-Menashe: I was in that facility [in 1989, when Ben-Menashe was jailed on charges of trying to sell three C-130 transport planes to Iran on behalf of Israeli intelligence - of which he was acquitted]. Exactly in that facility. It would almost be impossible to commit suicide there, unless here you had outside help.
Rattansi: Now, I'm not alleging that Black Cube has anything to do with this. What do you know about Black Cube, the private Israeli intelligence company which has reputedly been hired to intimidate people chasing down the Epstein story?
Ben-Menashe: I was not in the intelligence service at this time. I really can't comment about that.
Rattansi: Do you think, when you heard news that Epstein had apparently committed suicide, did you see any echoes of your former colleague, the disgraced Daily Mirror proprietor, Robert Maxwell when he died on his boat?
Ben-Menashe: Yeah, I said to a colleague, 'First, Maxwell dies the way he dies - and now this guy!'
Rattansi: But no one's saying that Israel killed their agent, Robert Maxwell. After all, as you said, you alleged Robert Maxwell was an Israeli agent, as well.
Ben-Menashe: Yes, he worked with with the Israelis. That's right.
Rattansi: So, who would who would have killed Robert Maxwell?
Ben-Menashe: Well again, at the time, he was in real trouble over the pension funds. The British police were about to arrest him over pension funds fraud and Israelis were terrified that once he's arrested, he'd start telling stories.
Rattansi: See, what surprises me, when you say that there's no evidence you can give me to suggest even that Israel was behind Epstein's entire career, it was none other than Alex Acosta, Trump's now-resigned Labor Secretary who said, when he was in charge of the plea deal over Epstein, he said he 'belonged to intelligence'. What do you think Acosta meant?
Ben-Menashe: Epstein, his deal [with the DOJ] goes back to about 10 years ago. Well, it was a very strange and generous deal; a surprising deal for a man that was accused of abusing young girls. It was a very surprising deal. So, I suppose somebody was helping him. Somebody was behind him, helping him to get out of real trouble.
Rattansi: But when Trump's former Labor Secretary Acosta says he 'belonged to intelligence', you think he means Israeli intelligence, not US intelligence?
Ben-Menashe: Correct. I think he meant Israeli intelligence, that's right.
Rattansi: Your allegations about involvement in blackmail plots. I mean, do you think that ironically, the rape survivor, Virginia Roberts-Giuffre signed Epstein's death warrant when she filed suit?
Ben-Menashe: I believe that's what made whomever kill him because, if this lawsuit would have gone forward, it would have been a lot of revelations. Nobody wanted those revelations.
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This, of course means that the same is true for Ghislaine Maxwell and that it will be a miracle if she survives to testify.
Running Time 13 mins:
