Epstein emails reveal ties to US Syria envoy Tom Barrack

Newly disclosed emails released by the US House of Representatives Oversight Committee have shed further light on the relationship between sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and Tom Barrack, the private equity investor who now serves as US ambassador to Turkey and envoy to Syria.

The messages were part of a trove of roughly 20,000 pages of material made public on Wednesday, after both Republicans and Democrats on the committee issued competing sets of Epstein-related files.

One 2016 exchange has attracted particular scrutiny. In March of that year, Epstein emailed Barrack, writing: "Send photos of you and child. Make me smile." The documents do not specify which child he was referring to.

The message came shortly after Epstein told Barrack he was receiving "many calls" about his friendship with Donald Trump, but was choosing not to respond. Barrack had earlier suggested the two men should "catch up".

By the time of this exchange, Epstein's sexual misconduct was widely known. He had already served around a year in jail after being accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl he hired as a "masseuse" and paid in cash.

Epstein was arrested again in 2019 for further sex offences and committed suicide in prison.

The latest documents appear to illustrate the breadth of Epstein's social and political network during this period, with the cache also containing messages between Epstein and several prominent figures, including economist Larry Summers.

The newly released correspondence also includes Epstein's claim that Donald Trump was aware of the young and underage girls he had exploited, alleging that Trump had once spent "hours" with one of them.

Trump has repeatedly denied knowing about Epstein's abuse and has sought to distance himself from him, despite previously describing Epstein as a friend.

Responding to the document release, Trump attacked Republicans on the committee, calling the renewed focus on Epstein a "hoax" intended to distract from other political issues.

Barrack, who was confirmed as US ambassador to Turkey in April, has not commented publicly on the emails, and the State Department did not respond to requests for comment.

The publication of the documents has renewed scrutiny of Epstein’s connections to influential political and business figures, more than six years after his death in a Manhattan jail.

Following his death, reports emerged pointing to Epstein having extensive ties to Israeli intelligence. Investigations reveal that senior Israeli intelligence officers, such as Yoni Koren, stayed at Epstein's Manhattan residence for weeks, and Epstein coordinated at least one security deal involving Israel and Mongolia.

Insiders, including former Israeli intelligence officer Ari Ben-Menashe, have repeatedly claimed that both Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell were involved in early blackmail and arms deals for Israeli intelligence, dating back to the 1980s, sometimes in cooperation with Ghislaine's father, Robert Maxwell, himself widely acknowledged as a Mossad asset.

Recently released documents and emails show that Epstein had ties with powerful Israeli figures, including former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, who visited Epstein's properties frequently and co-founded tech ventures with him.