WEBVTT -  Was Jeffrey Epstein a Mossad spy?

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<v Speaker 1>Today's biggest news from The Australian. I'm Claire Harvey with

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<v Speaker 1>the Front's afternoon headlines. The latest dump of US Department

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<v Speaker 1>of Justice files on the disgraced financier and convicted pedophile

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<v Speaker 1>Jeffrey Epstein has posed difficult questions for powerful people and

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<v Speaker 1>organizations around the world. Now his connections to the State

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<v Speaker 1>of Israel and its famed external intelligence agency Mossad are

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<v Speaker 1>being picked over by journalists analyzing the files. Epstein was

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<v Speaker 1>born into a middle class Jewish family in New York,

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<v Speaker 1>and after starting his career as a teacher, stumbled into

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<v Speaker 1>investment banking and rose rapidly through the high testosterone world

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<v Speaker 1>of finance. He then set about using his access to

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<v Speaker 1>wealthy individuals to build an incredible network. From movie directors

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<v Speaker 1>to politicians and Middle Eastern Saiks to British royals. Epstein

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<v Speaker 1>knew everyone and spent his time providing advice and finding

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<v Speaker 1>investment opportunities for his friends and clients. He also kept

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<v Speaker 1>meticulous records, photographs, emails, and handwritten documents about his contacts,

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<v Speaker 1>and it's those records that have been released by American

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<v Speaker 1>authorities on the orders of President Donald Trump over recent months.

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<v Speaker 1>They've already resulted in the fall from grace of a

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<v Speaker 1>British Prince Andrew Mountbatten Windsor and a Duchess Sarah Ferguson,

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<v Speaker 1>who are now exiled from the royal family. Microsoft founder

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<v Speaker 1>Bill Gates has apologized forever spending time with Epstein and

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<v Speaker 1>denied any knowledge of his criminal offending. Bill and Hillary

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<v Speaker 1>Clinton have said they want to give evidence to a

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<v Speaker 1>congressional committee to explain the images where Bill Clinton is

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<v Speaker 1>in a jacuzi and at parties with Epstein. And One

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<v Speaker 1>of the best known names in the files is Deepak Chopra,

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<v Speaker 1>an Indian author who became famous in the nineteen eighties

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<v Speaker 1>for his wellness books. The emails show Chopra inviting Epstein

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<v Speaker 1>to come to Israel, where he had a speaking in

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<v Speaker 1>gay Relax and have fun with interesting people. Chopra wrote,

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<v Speaker 1>according to the files, if you want use a fake name,

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<v Speaker 1>bring your girls. It will be fun to have you love.

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<v Speaker 1>Epstein declined the invitation, but asked Chopra to find him

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<v Speaker 1>acute Israeli blonde matter over mind. Chopra responded that Israeli

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<v Speaker 1>women were militant, aggressive and v sexy. The files also

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<v Speaker 1>include FBI reports relating to Epstein, including one note from

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<v Speaker 1>October twenty twenty, after Epstein had served a prison sentence

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<v Speaker 1>for child prostitution offenses, where a source told investigators they

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<v Speaker 1>believed Epstein was a co opted Mossad agent. The informant

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<v Speaker 1>told the FBI, according to the notes, that Mossad had

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<v Speaker 1>trained Epstein as a spy. The files also contained communications

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<v Speaker 1>between Epstein and former Israeli Prime Minister Ahud Barak, who

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<v Speaker 1>is from Israel's Labor Party. The pair gossip about former

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<v Speaker 1>UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and discuss issues like Russian

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<v Speaker 1>migration into Israel. A twenty eighteen email shows Epstein asking

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<v Speaker 1>Barak to make clear that I don't work for Mossad

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<v Speaker 1>with a smiley face emoji. Current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanya,

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<v Speaker 1>who a political enemy of Ahood Barak, says the pair's

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<v Speaker 1>unusual close relationship proves that Epstein was not an Israeli spy. Netanya,

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<v Speaker 1>who said on X stuck on his election loss from

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<v Speaker 1>over two decades ago. Barak has for years obsessively attempted

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<v Speaker 1>to undermine Israeli democracy by working with the anti Zionist

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<v Speaker 1>radical left. In failed attempts to overthrow the elected Israeli government.

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<v Speaker 1>Deepak Chopra says he was never involved in any criminal

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<v Speaker 1>or exploitative conduct. You can check out all our coverage

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<v Speaker 1>of the Epstein files right now at the Australian dot

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<v Speaker 1>com dot a U and come back to the front

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<v Speaker 1>first thing in the morning for a look at why

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<v Speaker 1>everything's suddenly changed in the Asia Pacific. Japan is ending

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<v Speaker 1>eight decades of pacifism with a new Prime minister who

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<v Speaker 1>wants to arm it to the chief and is standing

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<v Speaker 1>up to China. That's right here, Tuesday morning.