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View all search resultsKremlin laughs off idea Epstein was Russian spy
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Tuesday that Warsaw would launch an investigation into what it said were possible links between Epstein and Russia's intelligence services, and into any potential impact on Poland.
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This undated handout photo obtained July 8, 2019, courtesy of the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Departmant shows Jeffrey Epstein. (Palm Beach County Sheriff's Department/AFP/File)
T
he Kremlin said on Thursday it did not want to waste time answering questions about unproven suggestions in Western media and by Poland's premier that late sex offender Jeffery Epstein may have been some sort of Russian intelligence asset.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Tuesday that Warsaw would launch an investigation into what it said were possible links between Epstein and Russia's intelligence services, and into any potential impact on Poland.
Tusk gave no evidence for his assertions, though Western media have questioned over recent days whether or not Epstein was a Russian agent collecting compromising material about the rich and powerful.
Asked by Reuters about Tusk's remarks and about Western media reports, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "I would like to joke about such versions, but let's not waste our time."
Russian officials say that claims of a link between Epstein and Russian intelligence are clearly being thrust into the public sphere to distract from a scandal they say has laid bare the hypocrisy of powerful men across the US and Europe.
In the files on Epstein released by the US Department of Justice, Russia is mentioned thousands of times.
They also indicate that some of the young women Epstein was in contact with were from Russia, including a 26-year-old woman he sought to introduce to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the younger brother of Britain's King Charles.
The files show Epstein on multiple occasions talking about his desire to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin -- though there is no evidence they ever did.
Peskov told a Russian state media outlet earlier this week that the Kremlin had never received a request from the disgraced financier who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Putin's name features heavily in the latest release of documents from Epstein's email account -- mostly news reports about the Russian leader, though also several apparent attempts by Epstein to set up a meeting.
Various media organisations and bloggers have also speculated that Epstein was spying for Israel's Mossad foreign intelligence service or the US Central Intelligence Agency.
No definitive proof has yet been published by a major news organisation that he was working for any intelligence service.
