The Rest Is Classified

Episode 117: Epstein Files Declassified: Mossad, Israel and Ghislaine Maxwell (Ep 2)
Date: January 14, 2026
Hosts: David McCloskey (former CIA analyst and novelist) & Gordon Corera (security correspondent)

Episode Overview

In this episode, David McCloskey and Gordon Corera continue their deep-dive into the enduring question: Was Jeffrey Epstein working for, or with, an intelligence agency—most notably Israel’s Mossad? Drawing connections through Ghislaine Maxwell and her father Robert Maxwell, the hosts explore the facts, fictions, and myths around Epstein’s alleged intelligence ties, dissecting the nuances between being a formal “spy” versus moving in “spy-adjacent” circles.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Framing the Central Question (02:43)

• Main Focus: Re-examining claims that Epstein worked with/for intelligence services, especially Mossad.

• Host Stance: Both challenge the “blackmail ring for Mossad” theory as lacking evidence and plausibility.

• “... that theory doesn’t hold a lot of water... there isn’t any facts to back it up.”
  — David (03:04)

• Shift in Focus: If not blackmail, what other forms of intelligence world relationships might have existed?

[Notable Quote]

• “The absence of facts is one of the issues with this, that nothing has really been proven.”
  — Gordon, 04:53

2. Robert Maxwell: The Spy-Adjacent Patriarch (05:48-18:17)

Who Was Robert Maxwell?

• Notorious press baron, larger-than-life figure, complex background (Czechoslovakian-born Holocaust survivor).
• Served in British military intelligence after WWII, operating under pseudonyms and possibly conducting covert tasks.
• Built a publishing/media empire; became a UK Labour MP.

Alleged Intelligence Connections

• Rumors of links: Soviet and British intelligence, then later Mossad.
• Documented facts:
  • Developed business and information ties with Israel in the 1980s.
  • Passed information to Mossad informally (“not a recruited and handled agent”—David, 12:28).
  • Notorious for bugging his offices and staff—echoes of Epstein’s surveillance tactics.
    “He actually bugged the Daily Mirror offices... with concealed microphones...” — Gordon, 13:41

Maxwell’s Death & Aftermath

• 1991: Died mysteriously after falling from his yacht Lady Ghislaine.

• Prompted wild conspiracy theories that Mossad assassinated him; hosts call these theories implausible and unsupported.

• “I don’t think anyone seriously buys it... even if there was any kind of substance, the idea that they might have done it, it just doesn’t make sense.” — Gordon, 18:32

3. Ghislaine Maxwell: The Connective Link (20:48-23:26)

• Ghislaine was the youngest and closest to her father, joined Epstein in New York soon after Robert’s death.
• Conspiracy theory: Robert “groomed” Epstein for Mossad—a claim the hosts dismiss as unsupported fiction.

Key Distinction (22:48)

• Robert Maxwell had informal, ad hoc contact with Mossad—more “contact and source” than agent.
• No evidence transfers to Ghislaine or Epstein; serial conspiracy leaps are unsupported.

4. Epstein, Mossad & Israeli Connections (25:01-34:44)

Epstein’s Real Ties: Ehud Barak & Israeli Circles

• Epstein maintained a business relationship with former Israeli PM Ehud Barak (28:41).

  • Barak acknowledges knowing Epstein but denies any awareness or involvement in his crimes.
  • Financial links: investments, business coordination, and meetings—shown in leaked emails (31:25).
  • Epstein assisted Barak with brokering meetings, including with Russian contacts and ex-Iran Contra logistics.

• “It’s a very interesting mix of things... much more under the category of Epstein being a kind of fixer as opposed to working, you know, formally for any intelligence service.” — David, 31:03

Spy-Adjacent, Not a Spy

• Epstein emerges as a “social broker” or “fixer” with ties to powerful, sometimes security-connected figures.
• “But it isn’t spy work, is it... it doesn’t support that idea that he was certainly an intelligence asset.” — Gordon, 33:38

5. What’s an “Intelligence Asset,” Anyway? (35:03-41:30)

Dissecting Possible Roles

• Not a blackmail-collecting agent (FI producer)—no ongoing access to state secrets or classic spy tasks.

• Could be valuable as:

  • Social broker (arranging introductions or access)
  • Assessment collector (providing insights for targeting)
  • “Deep pockets guy” (providing logistical/resources help)

• “There are types of contacts and sources beyond FI producers and I think this is where, again, in theory, Epstein could make more sense.” — David, 36:54

Historical Context

• Parallels to other party-circuit “access agents” (e.g., Anna Chapman, Guy Burgess).
• Some value to intelligence services in these informal connectors, but different from being “run” as spies.

6. Final Takeaways: What’s Substantiated? (40:42-end)

Epstein’s Real Network Usage

• Used his Rolodex and position for personal gain: financial, social, and criminal.
• Likely acted as a “social broker” for friends like Barak, moving in circles adjacent to intelligence, but no hard evidence of agency tasking.

The Kompromat Theory

• “There’s no credible evidence that Mossad had anything to do with that. CIA would not have touched it with a 10,000 foot… The Brits wouldn’t have either.” — David & Gordon, 43:39

• Epstein likely created his own “private kompromat operation for his own service of his own dark ends, rather than doing it for a formal foreign intelligence service” (44:58).

Hosts’ Conclusion

• Epstein floated in “spy adjacent” networks, sometimes helping powerful individuals, sometimes interfacing with intelligence-adjacent figures, but not working for Mossad or any agency per the evidence.
• “It’s not as simple as being an agent or not, or a spy or not. There are lots of people who kind of bump alongside the intelligence world... But that is slightly different from actually being a spy.” — Gordon, 41:30

Notable Quotes & Moments

• [04:53] Gordon: “The absence of facts is one of the issues with this, that nothing has really been proven.”
• [12:28] David: "Not that he was a recruited and handled agent."
• [13:41] Gordon: "He actually bugged the Daily Mirror offices... with concealed microphones..."
• [18:32] Gordon: "I don't think anyone seriously buys it... it just doesn't make sense."
• [31:03] David: "It's a very interesting mix of things... much more under the category of Epstein being a kind of fixer..."
• [43:39] David/Gordon: "There's no credible evidence that Mossad had anything to do with that. CIA would not have touched it with a 10,000 foot... The Brits wouldn't have either."
• [44:58] Gordon: "You do wonder how far he was also running almost like a personal intelligence agency and kompromat operation for his own service of his own dark ends, rather than... for a formal foreign intelligence service."

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 02:43 – Introduction to the theory: Was Epstein an intelligence asset?
• 05:48 – Deep-dive: Who was Robert Maxwell? His biography and spy-world rumors.
• 13:41 – Maxwell’s surveillance of staff; parallels to Epstein.
• 18:17 – Theories around Robert Maxwell’s death; debunking Mossad involvement.
• 20:48 – Ghislaine Maxwell’s relationship to father, then Epstein.
• 25:01 – Reevaluating the Maxwell → Epstein → Mossad chain.
• 28:41 – Epstein’s links to Ehud Barak; discussing leaked Barak emails.
• 31:25 – Epstein’s role as “fixer” in Israel/Egypt gas deal, Iran-Contra airplane relocation, and Russian meetings.
• 35:03 – Exploring the “social broker” and “deep pockets” roles; what value to intelligence agencies?
• 40:42 – Final conclusions; Epstein’s real-world functions and the limits of conspiracy theory.
• 43:39 – Dismissing the blackmail-for-Mossad narrative.
• 44:58 – Epstein as “personal kompromat operator.”

Tone & Style

• Forthright, skeptical, with flashes of dry humor and banter.
• Relentlessly fact-focused, but open to the nuance of human networks in espionage.
• Self-aware about public appetite for conspiracy theories, but demystifying in approach.

Summary

The Epstein-as-Mossad-agent theory doesn’t hold water, hosts argue. The real story is one of proximity: Epstein, like Robert Maxwell before him, was a master networker moving in close orbit to the intelligence world. If Epstein played a role useful to anyone, it was as an informal “fixer,” an access agent, or a deep pockets facilitator—roles adjacent to, but not inside, the formal apparatus of the spy world. The evidence points to self-serving exploitation of his network, not a blackmail machine for Israel or any spy service.

Next Episode Tease

Next week: Four-part series on confirmed super-spy Kim Philby, Britain’s greatest traitor, his infiltration of MI6, and the psychology of “the real spy” compared to Epstein's world. Bonus content and more for Declassified Club members.

For deeper dives and bonus material, join the Declassified Club at therestisclassified.com.