Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak said he regrets his yearslong relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after newly released US documents detailed the extent of their contacts. In an interview with Israel’s Channel 12 on Thursday, Barak apologised for having known Epstein and acknowledged that his judgment should have been more thorough. Barak is not accused of wrongdoing and has not been implicated in Epstein’s sexual abuse of underage girls.
"I am responsible for all my actions and decisions, and there is definitely room to ask if there wasn't room for more in-depth judgment on my part and a more thorough examination of what the details really are, what exactly happened there," he said, as quoted by AP.
Epstein died by suicide in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal charges of sexually abusing and trafficking dozens of girls. He had previously pleaded guilty in 2008 in Florida to soliciting prostitution from an underage girl and served 18 months in prison.
Barak had earlier sought to distance himself from Epstein, but millions of pages of documents released by the US Justice Department show that he and his wife, Nili, remained in contact with Epstein for years, including after his 2008 conviction.
The records include references to multiple visits by Barak to Epstein’s Manhattan apartment and a visit to his private island in the US Virgin Islands. Barak said he and his wife, accompanied by security guards, made a brief three-hour visit to the island and saw only Epstein and maintenance workers.
He said he never witnessed or took part in inappropriate conduct and believed Epstein had “paid his debt to society” following the earlier case.
"Only in 2019, when a reinvestigation of the whole story begins, does the breadth and depth of the man's heinous crimes become apparent and I cut off relations with him, and everyone cuts off relations with him," Barak said.
Emails included in the newly released documents show regular communication between Epstein and the Baraks. Some messages discuss travel plans and meetings in New York, while others refer to social events. In one 2019 exchange shortly before Epstein’s arrest, Epstein wrote he was “dealing with Ehud in Israel. Making me crazy.”
The documents also indicate that Epstein introduced Barak to Steve Bannon, a former adviser to US President Donald Trump, and discussed arranging meetings between them. Bannon has not been accused of wrongdoing related to Epstein.
Barak, who served as Israel’s prime minister from 1999 to 2001 and later as defense minister, said more information could emerge from the documents but insisted he had done nothing improper. "I promise you that nothing will be discovered, because there is nothing," he said.
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