Pam Bondi Claims ‘No Knowledge’ Of Epstein Being Intel Asset — But Evidence Is Overwhelming

Questions persist over mounting evidence of Jeffrey Epstein’s potential ties to intelligence agencies, despite Attorney General (AG) Pam Bondi’s denial.

Bondi was pressed by reporters at President Donald Trump’s Cabinet meeting Tuesday regarding speculation that Epstein was an intelligence asset for U.S. or foreign intelligence agencies.

“Your memo and release yesterday with Jeffrey Epstein left some lingering mysteries, one of the biggest ones is whether he ever worked for an American or foreign intelligence agency,” the reporter asked.

“The former labor secretary and Miami U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta, he allegedly said that he did work for an intelligence agency. So could you resolve whether or not he did?” (RELATED: Trump DOJ Reportedly Concludes Epstein Had No Client List, Killed Himself)

“Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein?”

President Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi responded to questions about Jeffrey Epstein during a Cabinet Meeting. pic.twitter.com/SOeNIA85No

— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) July 8, 2025

“I have no knowledge about that. We can get back to you on that,” Bondi replied.

Following the release of a memo Sunday, a February interview with Fox News resurfaced in which Pam Bondi was pressed about the existence of Jeffrey Epstein’s client list.

“The DOJ may be releasing the list of Jeffrey Epstein’s clients? Will that really happen?” Fox News’ John Roberts asked Bondi on “America Reports” in February.

“It’s sitting on my desk right now to review. That’s been a directive by President Trump. I’m reviewing that,” Bondi said.

Roberts followed up, asking if anything in the list had made her “go, ‘oh my gosh.’”

“Not yet,” Bondi replied.

Acosta allegedly indicated that Epstein was tied to intelligence, according to Vicky Ward in The Daily Beast. Ward previously covered Epstein in a 2003 Vanity Fair (VF) story.

Alex Acosta, the DOJ official who gave Jeffrey Epstein the sweetheart plea deal in 2008 and who was quoted saying he was “told to back off Epstein because he belonged to intelligence” mysteriously had all 11 months of DOJ emails to him in that time period mysteriously disappear pic.twitter.com/ZOO0iF9R2G

— Mike Benz (@MikeBenzCyber) July 7, 2025

A veteran journalist with a background in finance and politics authored the original Vanity Fair article on Epstein in 2003, describing him as charming, though noting that his eyes were “steely and calculating.”

Approximately 12 years later, Ward first revealed that Graydon Carter — the magazine’s former editor — allegedly refused to publish key information she had uncovered, according to her 2015 Daily Beast report.

This included recorded statements from three women — two who identified themselves as victims — that were ultimately omitted from the final VF article.

“It came down to my sources’ word against Epstein’s,” Ward wrote, noting that “at the time Graydon believed Epstein.”

In 2007, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Southern Florida — under Acosta — granted Epstein and his associates federal immunity as part of a plea deal.

In exchange, Epstein pleaded guilty to lesser state charges and served 13 months in a county jail with work release privileges for most of the week.

The deal was further scrutinized following Epstein’s 2019 arrest in New York on new sex trafficking charges that were not covered by the original Florida agreement.

At a 2019 press conference, Acosta defended his actions, claiming the state prosecutors’ charges would have let Epstein avoid jail entirely.

He further defended his role in the deal during the press conference, claiming he strengthened the case against Epstein.

Acosta again separately defended the deal during congressional testimony, stating he was “too aggressive” in Epstein’s plea deal during questioning by Democrat Florida Rep. Frederica Wilson.

While being vetted during the Trump administration’s first transition, Acosta was reportedly questioned about whether the Epstein case might pose a problem for his confirmation. (RELATED: Trump Gives Update On Epstein File Release)

He allegedly said he was told to leave the case alone because Epstein “belonged to intelligence,” according to Ward’s report.

“I was told Epstein ‘belonged to intelligence’ and to leave it alone,” he allegedly informed Trump transition interviewers.

Acosta was ultimately appointed as secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor.

Bondi’s recent comments follow public backlash to a two-page memo and jailhouse footage leaked to Axios late Sunday. The memo claims Epstein died by suicide and there was “no incriminating ‘client list’” — a sharp reversal from her earlier assertion that the list was “on [her] desk.”

The Miami Herald spent five years in a legal battle to obtain documents related to Epstein, while extensively covering both the current case and earlier proceedings against him in Florida, according to a Vanity Fair report.

“It’s not beyond the realm of possibility that Epstein had connections to the [Israeli intelligence community],” Julie K. Brown, investigative reporter for the Miami Herald, told the Times of Israel in a 2021 interview.

She pointed to Epstein’s convicted co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell’s father, Robert Maxwell.

“Robert Maxwell certainly had those kinds of connections, and Epstein had a close relationship with Robert Maxwell,” she told the outlet.

Maxwell’s 1991 burial on Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives drew Israeli political leadership, according to a New York Times (NYT) obituary.

Ehud Barak, the former Israeli prime minister, allegedly visited Epstein numerous times, taking private jet flights and spending time at Epstein’s homes in both Florida and New York, according to documents obtained by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) in 2023.

Following Epstein’s 2019 arrest, newspapers published photos from 2016 showing Barak entering Epstein’s townhouse, according to the WSJ. (RELATED: Tucker Carlson Accuses Pam Bondi’s DOJ Of Epstein Cover-Up — Gives Two Theories)

The documents revealed Epstein scheduled around three dozen meetings with Barak between 2013 and 2017, including monthly meetings for nearly a year starting in late 2015, the WSJ reported.

The closeness of Ehud Barak to Obama’s intelligence state and to Biden’s WestExec State Dept, DOD, CIA network makes you wonder what he had so much to talk to Jeffrey Epstein about 30 times https://t.co/nMHNfYFkZy pic.twitter.com/HXOlwy8Kwo

— Mike Benz (@MikeBenzCyber) February 28, 2025

Barak told the outlet he met Epstein through former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres in 2003 and often visited Epstein’s New York townhouse with his wife.

“I flew only twice on his airplane, together with my wife and Israeli security detail,” Barak told the outlet. He recalled a trip to visit a U.S. military installation in Tampa, Florida, the WSJ noted.

“I never participated in any party or any other improper event around [Epstein], and never met him with girls or minors, or even adult women in improper context or behavior,” Barak said.

There is also speculation surrounding Epstein’s ties to U.S. intelligence agencies.

William Burns, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) under the Biden administration, had three scheduled meetings with Epstein in 2014 during his time as deputy secretary of state, according to a separate 2023 WSJ report.

Tammy Kupperman Thorp, former CIA spokeswoman, told the publication that Burns “did not know anything about [Epstein] other than that he was introduced as an expert in the financial services sector and offered general advice on transition to the private sector.”

“They had no relationship,” she told the outlet.

Burns recalled being introduced to Epstein by a mutual friend in Washington, D.C., and meeting him once in New York.

“The director does not recall any further contact, including receiving a ride to the airport,” Thorp stated to the WSJ.

Editor’s Note: This piece has been updated with additional information about Vicky Ward’s reporting.