2. CIA Involvement: Protection, Meetings, and Shared Operations
Epstein’s U.S. intelligence ties are evidenced by high-level meetings and inexplicable legal leniency. In 2019, then-U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta (who oversaw Epstein’s 2008 non-prosecution agreement, or NPA) resigned amid scrutiny, reportedly telling Trump transition officials that he was instructed to back off because Epstein “belonged to intelligence” and the matter was “above his pay grade.” This NPA was unusually broad and secretive, shielding unnamed co-conspirators (including Maxwell) from prosecution across districts, despite evidence of widespread trafficking. A Department of Justice Office of Professional Responsibility report criticized its “unusual breadth, leniency, and secrecy,” noting Epstein’s “powerful and politically connected friends” as a factor—consistent with intelligence protection to avoid exposing assets.
Epstein met multiple times with CIA Director William Burns (2014–2021, while Burns was deputy secretary of state) and Barack Obama’s White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler, ostensibly for “career advice,” but in contexts suggesting deeper ties. Former CIA officer John Kiriakou and whistleblower Kevin Shipp have publicly stated that Epstein’s setup mirrored CIA “honeytrap” operations, with Mossad as a partner due to the “Five Eyes” intelligence-sharing alliance. Epstein’s former business partner Steven Hoffenberg claimed Epstein bragged about intelligence work involving “blackmail and influence trading” for multiple governments, including Israel and the U.S. This collaboration is logical: the CIA has a history of joint ops with Mossad (e.g., Iran-Contra), and Epstein’s network provided deniable assets for compromising targets without direct agency fingerprints.