Attorneys for convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein filed requests for records retained by American intelligence agencies that could reflect an affiliation with the CIA or whether the National Security Agency retained information about him, according to documents released by the Justice Department.
The latest documents, released to comply with a law requiring the disclosure of files from federal investigations into the deceased financier, have unveiled a trove of correspondence outlining how Epstein sought to nurture relationships with world leaders, diplomats, scientists, financiers, lawyers and entrepreneurs — long after serving time for state prostitution charges and registering as a sex offender.
The documents, which also revealed the extent of Epstein’s Russian connections, have added to suspicions that Epstein worked with or was targeted by intelligence agencies because of his personal ties to international elites.
One piece of correspondence from the CIA, sent to Epstein’s attorney Martin Weinberg, said “we searched for CIA-originated responsive records that might reflect an open or otherwise acknowledged Agency affiliation” for a period between 1999 — when Epstein appears to have previously sought such information — and 2011.
“We were unable to locate any information or records,” states the letter, dated July 29, 2011, from the CIA’s information and privacy coordinator, whose name is redacted. “With respect to responsive records that would reveal a classified connection to the CIA … the CIA can neither confirm nor deny the existence or nonexistence of records responsive to your request.”
A separate letter in 2014 from the National Security Agency denied an appeal from another Epstein lawyer under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for information relating to his client.
The agency concluded that it could “neither confirm nor deny the existence or nonexistence of any intelligence material” related to the request, adding that “to do so otherwise when challenged under the FOIA would result in the exposure of intelligence information, sources, and methods, which could harm our national security and severely undermine [National Security Agency/Central Security Service] activities in general.”
The July 30, 2014, denial letter indicates that Epstein’s lawyer Darren K. Indyke had been seeking “records, documents, files, communications, memoranda, orders, agreements, and/or instructions relating to or referring to Mr. Epstein” for about a 14-year span until early 2014.
The CIA and the NSA did not respond to requests for comment on the records requests, which were earlier reported by Bloomberg News.
The latest set of documents released by the Justice Department also includes records requests from Weinberg to the CIA and the FBI, sent between 2010 and 2012. The requests note that Epstein is seeking any information related to him — including any that could “document monitoring, surveillance, observation, questioning, interrogation, investigation, and/or collection of information relating to Epstein.”
Representatives for Weinberg and Indyke could not immediately be reached for comment over the weekend.
The Washington Post has previously reported that the latest release from the Justice Department includes emails that show Epstein got help from and networked with Russian expatriate tech investors who have drawn scrutiny from U.S. intelligence agencies over their past ties with the Kremlin. Epstein also maintained connections with senior Russian government officials. The new documents prompted the Polish government to reopen an inquiry into possible links between Epstein and Russian intelligence services, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Tuesday. A Russian government spokesperson dismissed the move.
The latest trove of documents also revealed that Epstein took part in meetings with and texted with William J. Burns, who served as CIA director under Joe Biden, during his time as a diplomat. Burns has not been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.
Burns, a spokesperson said in a statement, recalls meeting Epstein briefly on two occasions “more than a decade ago as the Ambassador was preparing to leave government service.”
“Ambassador Burns deeply regrets ever meeting with him, and did not know anything about him before those two brief meetings, other than that he was introduced as an expert in the financial services sector and offered general advice on transition to the private sector,” the statement said. “When Ambassador Burns learned about Mr. Epstein’s record not long after those two brief meetings, he was appalled. He never met with him again. They had no relationship.”
Joseph Menn contributed to this report.
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