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By: Jerome Brookshire

The swirling storm of conspiracy theories surrounding the late financier Jeffrey Epstein took a dramatic new turn this week as former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett publicly confronted conservative commentator Tucker Carlson over explosive claims that Epstein was a Mossad operative. The confrontation, reported by The Jerusalem Post on Monday, calls attention to the deepening rift between pro-Israel voices and prominent figures within the MAGA movement — a divide inflamed by ongoing speculation about Epstein’s alleged ties to global intelligence networks.

Bennett, who served as Israel’s prime minister and oversaw the Mossad during his tenure, issued a categorical denial of Carlson’s assertions. Writing on X/Twitter, Bennett declared, “As a former Israeli Prime Minister, with the Mossad having reported directly to me, I say to you with 100% certainty: The accusation that Jeffrey Epstein somehow worked for Israel or the Mossad running a blackmail ring is categorically and totally false.” As The Jerusalem Post report emphasized, Bennett made it clear that Epstein “never had anything to do with the Mossad or the state of Israel in any capacity.”

Carlson’s allegations, reported by The Independent of the UK, stem from comments he made at the Turning Point USA summit in Tampa, Florida. Addressing a crowd of young conservatives on Friday, the former Fox News host claimed that Epstein was working on behalf of foreign intelligence — and, notably, he suggested that foreign entity was Israel. “I think the real answer is Jeffrey Epstein was working on behalf of intel services, probably not American,” Carlson said. “And we have every right to ask, on whose behalf was he working?”

Carlson went further, asserting, “Now, no one’s allowed to say that the foreign government is Israel because we have been somehow cowed into thinking that’s naughty. There is nothing wrong with saying that. There is nothing hateful about saying that.” According to the report in The Independent, Carlson dismissed accusations of antisemitism, insisting that raising questions about Epstein’s alleged Israeli ties was neither anti-Israel nor anti-Jewish.

The Independent also reported that Carlson claimed “every single person in Washington D.C.” shared his suspicions, even if they wouldn’t admit it publicly. Carlson’s allegations gained further traction among elements of the MAGA base, who have long been agitating for the release of Epstein-related files.

Bennett’s rebuttal, according to The Jerusalem Post, minced no words. “This accusation is a lie being peddled by prominent online personalities such as Tucker Carlson, pretending they know things they don’t,” Bennett wrote. “There’s a vicious wave of slander and lies against my country and my people, and we just won’t take it anymore.”

Rather than backing down, Carlson responded with an open invitation for Bennett to appear on his podcast. As reported by The Jerusalem Post, Carlson wrote, “Instead of issuing threats on social media, why don’t you sit down for a rational interview on Epstein’s ties to the Israeli government? We’ll reach out to your office this morning.” As of yet, Bennett has not publicly responded to Carlson’s invitation.

The feud between Bennett and Carlson unfolded against the backdrop of rising discontent within MAGA ranks over the Department of Justice’s handling of the Epstein case. According to the information provided in The Independent report, a recently released two-page memo from the DOJ and FBI concluded that Epstein had no “client list” and reaffirmed that the disgraced financier died by suicide in his Manhattan jail cell in 2019 — conclusions that have fueled skepticism and anger among President Trump’s base.

Carlson has been among the most vocal critics of the DOJ’s findings, questioning both the official narrative of Epstein’s death and the absence of a definitive client list. “The real question is, why was he doing this, on whose behalf, and where did the money come from?” Carlson asked at the summit, according to the report at The Independent.

Adding fuel to the fire, Trump ally Laura Loomer called for the appointment of a special counsel to investigate the Epstein files. As The Hill reported on Monday, Loomer told Politico’s Playbook that a special counsel was needed “so that people can feel like this issue is being investigated, and perhaps take it out of [Attorney General Pam Bondi’s] hands.” Loomer, a staunch supporter of President Trump, criticized Bondi’s handling of the documents, accusing her of a lack of transparency.

Bondi, who previously pledged openness on the Epstein matter, now faces mounting backlash from within the MAGA coalition. According to the report at The Hill, Bondi defended the Justice Department’s handling of the evidence last week amid growing internal dissent at the DOJ and FBI — dissent that reportedly included tensions with Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino.

The Hill report also highlighted that Trump himself felt compelled to weigh in on the controversy, expressing frustration with his supporters’ fixation on the Epstein scandal. On Truth Social, Trump posted, “We’re on one Team, MAGA, and I don’t like what’s happening. We have a PERFECT Administration, THE TALK OF THE WORLD, and ‘selfish people’ are trying to hurt it, all over a guy who never dies, Jeffrey Epstein.”

Tech mogul Elon Musk publicly rebuked President Trump over his defense of Bondi’s handling of the Epstein investigation. Musk’s pointed criticism, delivered via his platform X on Saturday night, emphasized a rare convergence of frustration among political commentators, media allies, and even some within Trump’s staunchest base.

Responding directly to a user who shared a screenshot of Trump’s defense of Bondi, Musk remarked on X, “This is in the running for worst post ever made.” The billionaire’s sharp-edged comment was brief but resonant, particularly given his vast influence on political and media discourse.

The political reverberations continued on Sunday morning when the panel of Fox & Friends Weekend — often a reliable barometer of conservative sentiment — expressed visible concern over Trump’s attempts to downplay the Epstein controversy. During the 6 a.m. hour, co-host Kevin Corke, joined by Charles Hurt and Rachel Campos-Duffy, took turns warning the president against dismissing the story as a fringe obsession or trivial distraction.

“This isn’t a story you can just sweep under the rug,” Hurt remarked, noting the persistent interest among Trump’s own supporters in seeing the Epstein case fully investigated. Campos-Duffy echoed the sentiment, cautioning that a defensive posture risks alienating voters who feel the political establishment has habitually covered up the true extent of Epstein’s crimes and connections.

The hosts’ exchange, though measured, signaled a growing discomfort within Trump’s conservative media allies — an unease that Fox & Friends, according to observers, rarely telegraphs in such coordinated fashion.

According to a report on Monday in Newsweek, longtime political operative and confidant to former President Trump, Roger Stone, publicly welcomed reports that Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s close associate and convicted accomplice, may be prepared to testify before Congress about her involvement with the disgraced financier.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Stone addressed the unfolding speculation, seizing the moment to both encourage Maxwell’s potential testimony and exonerate Trump in the same breath. “Personally, I like the news that Epstein’s pimp Maxwell is ready to testify before Congress,” Stone wrote, as quoted by Newsweek. “Bill and Hillary [the Clintons] are going to be very embarrassed. She has nothing on Trump.”

Stone’s sharp remarks surfaced after The Daily Mail published a report citing an anonymous source who claimed Maxwell would be “more than happy” to testify before lawmakers — provided she is given the opportunity. The Daily Mail’s unnamed insider asserted that Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year federal prison sentence following her 2022 conviction for sex trafficking and other crimes tied to Epstein’s underage abuse network, had not been approached by any government agency about sharing what she knows.

The Daily Mail reported the source as saying: “Despite the rumors, Ghislaine was never offered any kind of plea deal. She would be more than happy to sit before Congress and tell her story. No one from the government has ever asked her to share what she knows. She remains the only person to be jailed in connection to Epstein and she would welcome the chance to tell the American public the truth.”

Newsweek, while noting the significance of the claim, also stated that it could not independently verify the Daily Mail’s reporting.

Nevertheless, the rumor mill in Washington and beyond has already been energized by the possibility of Maxwell providing testimony — a development that could reshape the contours of the Epstein saga, which has persistently haunted America’s political and social elite.

As MSNBC reported extensively, this debacle erupted anew following a tense exchange at a recent White House Cabinet meeting, and it has since become a vivid example of how Trump’s efforts to dismiss a story often end up amplifying it.

About a week ago, according to MSNBC, a reporter asked Attorney General Pam Bondi a pointed question concerning a controversial memo her department had issued a day earlier — a memo related to lingering questions about Epstein and the Justice Department’s handling of his case. But before Bondi could answer, President Trump himself abruptly cut in.

“Are people still talking about this guy, this creep?” the president scoffed, clearly annoyed. His dismissive tone suggested that the matter was beneath serious discussion, especially in a forum as high-profile as a Cabinet meeting. But as the MSNBC report observed, if Trump thought this would put the Epstein issue to rest, he miscalculated.

Far from burying the subject, Trump’s offhanded remark poured gasoline on the smoldering controversy — especially among his own MAGA supporters, who have long viewed the Epstein saga through a prism of government corruption and elite conspiracy.

“Nobody cares about Epstein,” Trump insisted, in what MSNBC characterized as a remarkable display of denial, considering the relentless interest from his own political base.

But Trump’s went further in his post on Truth Social. Instead of merely dismissing Epstein-related questions, the president offered a convoluted conspiracy theory of his own — one that, as the MSNBC report pointed out, seemed designed to undermine the credibility of the Epstein files while also suggesting they were a political hit job.

“Why are we giving publicity to Files written by Obama, Crooked Hillary, Comey, Brennan, and the Losers and Criminals of the Biden Administration?” Trump asked rhetorically in his social media post. “They created the Epstein Files, just like they created the FAKE Hillary Clinton/Christopher Steele Dossier that they used on me, and now my so-called ‘friends’ are playing right into their hands.”

To anyone following the Epstein case with a clear head, Trump’s accusation — that figures such as Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, former FBI Director James Comey, and former CIA Director John Brennan concocted the Epstein files — made little sense. As the MSNBC report indicated, none of these individuals were in public office when Epstein was arrested, charged, or died in federal custody in 2019. In fact, the Trump administration itself was responsible for investigating and prosecuting Epstein during the president’s first term.

Trump’s attempt to tie longstanding Epstein suspicions to his favorite list of political adversaries strained the limits of credulity. MSNBC analysts noted that it amounted to layering a new conspiracy theory atop an existing conspiracy theory — a self-defeating loop that suggested Trump might be more worried about the political fallout than about factual clarity.

The inconsistency in Trump’s evolving narrative became a focal point in MSNBC’s coverage. Initially, the White House line seemed to be that the Epstein files were genuine and worthy of scrutiny. Then, as MAGA activists pressed for more answers and criticism of Bondi mounted, the message subtly shifted to suggest that the Epstein files didn’t really exist and that the focus on them was a distraction.

Now, with his latest Truth Social salvo, Trump appeared to introduce a third stance: the files do exist, but they’re “fake” — a fabrication of the Deep State designed to ensnare him and his administration. MSNBC commentators likened this rhetorical spiral to a political ouroboros — a snake eating its own tail.

The real-world consequences of this chaotic messaging were evident, MSNBC noted, in the escalating unrest within Trump’s own camp. MAGA influencers and loyalists have continued to hammer away at Bondi, accusing her of failing to deliver transparency on the Epstein documents. The conservative ecosystem, MSNBC reported, is rife with speculation, distrust, and the sense that the Justice Department — even under Trump’s leadership — has mishandled or buried critical information.

Compounding the issue, MSNBC detailed how Trump’s own words served to revive, rather than silence, the Epstein furor. His social media posts reignited debates, fueled fresh conspiracy chatter, and ensured that Epstein’s name remained firmly lodged in the national conversation — precisely the opposite of what the president seemed to intend.

Adding another layer of complexity, MSNBC highlighted how this controversy unfolded within a broader political context. Trump’s reflexive embrace of conspiracy theories — from the Steele dossier to Deep State plots — has long served as a cornerstone of his political identity. But in this case, MSNBC suggested, his penchant for conspiratorial thinking may have backfired, turning supporters’ suspicions inward toward his administration.

Perhaps most paradoxically, the president’s comments ended up reinforcing the very narrative he wanted to discredit. By suggesting that “Radical Left inspired Documents on Jeffrey Epstein” were part of an orchestrated smear, Trump inadvertently breathed new life into a storyline his followers had already seized upon with fervor.

In today’s political environment, even the most brazen attempts to rewrite reality are subject to the unforgiving scrutiny of public attention — especially when those attempts come straight from the president’s own mouth.

The Epstein affair has become a political minefield — not just for the Trump administration or the Department of Justice, but increasingly for President Trump and his allies. The convergence of Epstein conspiracy theories, Israel-related accusations, and MAGA internal rivalries presents a combustible mix, one that threatens to fracture alliances among conservative influencers, lawmakers, and even heads of state.