The Ministry of External Affairs on Saturday rejected reports emerging from the so-called Epstein files that made references to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his official visit to Israel, terming the claims baseless and contemptible.
In a statement issued on January 31, the MEA spokesperson said the government had taken note of an email purportedly linked to the Epstein files that mentioned the Prime Minister’s Israel visit. Clarifying the matter, the spokesperson said that while Prime Minister Modi did undertake an official visit to Israel in July 2017, all other insinuations in the email were completely without substance.
“Beyond the fact of the Prime Minister’s official visit to Israel in July 2017, the remaining references are nothing more than trashy ruminations by a convicted criminal,” the statement said, adding that such claims deserve to be “dismissed with the utmost contempt.”
The government’s response comes amid renewed circulation of documents and emails linked to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.
These files form part of a large disclosure by the US Justice Department. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Friday that the release marked the final tranche of disclosures planned under a law mandating that all Epstein-related records be made public. According to Blanche, the latest batch includes more than three million pages of documents, around 2,000 videos and nearly 1.8 lakh images, aimed at ensuring transparency in the legal proceedings connected to Epstein’s crimes.
Officials stressed that the reference to Prime Minister Modi in the documents pertained solely to his official visit to Israel in 2017 and nothing beyond that.
Epstein was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges in July 2019 and was found dead in his jail cell a little over a month later.
The newly released documents also include internal emails exchanged between investigators following Epstein’s death, including observations questioning the nature of his final communication. However, multiple official investigations have concluded that Epstein died by suicide.