- Ehud Barak, who led Israel from 1999 to 2001, said he met with convicted sex offender Epstein more than 10 times but always in the company of prize winners or "very respected people."
- "I never attended a party with him," Barak told The Daily Beast , "I never met Epstein in the company of women or young girls."
- Barak defendedhis ties to Epstein on Israeli TV on Sunday, saying hehad no idea the wealthy financier was convicted of prostitution involving a minor in 2008.
- Epstein is currently facing new charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy. Thecharging document alleges Epstein "sexually exploited and abused dozens of minor girls."
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
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Israel's former prime minister says he visited convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s private Caribbean island, but never partied with him or met younger girls
Israel's former prime minister said he visited Jeffrey Epstein 's Caribbean island, butnever partook in parties or spent time with young girls.
Former Prime Minister of Israel Ehud Barak and his wife Nili Priel arrive for the TIME 100 Gala in New York April 21, 2015. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
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Israel's former prime minister Ehud Barak has said he visited convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein 's private Caribbean island and Manhattan mansion, but never partied with him or met younger girls while he was there.
In an interview with The Daily Beast , Barak said he met with Epstein"more than 10 times and much less than a hundred times," but never in the presence of women or young girls.
"I never attended a party with him," Barak, who led Israel from 1999 to 2001, said. "I never met Epstein in the company of women or young girls."
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U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein appears in a photograph taken for the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services' sex offender registry March 28, 2017 and obtained by Reuters July 10, 2019. New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services/Handout via REUTERS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. THIS IMAGE WAS PROCESSED BY REUTERS TO ENHANCE QUALITY, AN UNPROCESSED VERSION HAS BEEN PROVIDED SEPARATELY.
Reuters
He added that many influential figures and political elites, including Bill and Hillary Clinton, were members of Epstein's circle.
"At [Epstein's] home, I met many very respected people, scientists, Nobel Prize winners, and I met him also in Boston, at MIT or the Harvard labs he supports."
jeffrey epstein island temple
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In January 2016, Barak was inadvertently photographed by Daily Mail paparazzo wearing a huge winter coat and a Russian-style pelt hat entering Epstein's Manhattan mansion.
The Upper East Side mansion was named by prosecutors as one of the locations at which Epstein is accused of having sex with young women.
When asked by The Daily Beast about the meeting, Barak said: "It is me in the picture. It was so cold the Middle Easterner had to put on a hat. I was there, for lunch or chat, nothing else. So what?"
On Sunday,Barak defendedhis business ties with Epstein on Israeli TV , saying hehad no ideathat the wealthy financier was convicted of prostitution involving a minor in 2008.
Donald Trump, Melania Knauss, Jeffrey Epstein, & Ghislaine Maxwell At Mar-A-Lago
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"He'd served his sentence for soliciting prostitution the indictment didn't say she was a minor," Barak said.
"The American system itself did not label him as a persona non grata the secretary who just resigned in the Trump administration was the prosecutor and he said he'd been negligent so you expect me to have noticed?"
Read more: Here's how Jeffrey Epstein may have acquired a $77 million Upper East Side townhouse for $0
The revelation that Barak visited Epstein's Caribbean island comes less than a month after he announced in June that he planned to form a new political party to challenge incumbent prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu has often targeted Barak over his ties to Epstein. Most recently, on July 9, Netanyahu tweeted : "What else did the sex offender give Ehud Barak?"
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jeffery epstein
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Epstein's accusershave testifiedthat the financier recruited under-aged girls around the world , and that he leveraged his wealth and connections to extend his sex trafficking operation.
Epstein's former associates include former US President Bill Clinton and current President Donald Trump , along with high-profile business owners, socialites, celebrities, and scientists.
Epstein is the only person accused of crimes in the current indictment. He is currently being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan.
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He is pleading not guilty the charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking . He faces a maximum sentence of 45 years in prison.
The charging document alleged Epstein "sexually exploited and abused dozens of minor girls at his homes in Manhattan, New York, and Palm Beach, Florida, among other locations."
See Also:
- Trump once hosted an exclusive party with Jeffrey Epstein at his Mar-a-Lago estate, a new report says. It was just the 2 of them and '28 girls.'
- A stunning report details Trump's labor secretary's role in plea deal for sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein
- Trump's labor secretary who previously cut a plea deal with Jeffrey Epstein says his alleged crimes 'are horrific' amid calls for him to resign
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