One of the most underdiscussed aspects of the sordid case of Jeffrey Epstein has been the convicted sex offender’s potential relationship with Russian intelligence.
In 2014, Epstein befriended Sergei Belyakov, then a deputy minister of economic development who is believed to be tied to Russia’s Federal Security Service. Epstein also met regularly with Vitaly Churkin, Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations from 2006 until his death in 2017.
Through Norwegian, Israeli, and Slovak intermediaries, Epstein sought meetings with Putin and Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov. After the 2016 US election, Epstein reportedly offered his services to help Russia understand the new American president.
And a released FBI report that cites a confidential source claiming that Epstein helped manage Putin’s wealth.
So what was the nature of Epstein’s relationship with the Russians? Was he an agent? An asset? A useful idiot? And what does this all tell us about how the Russian intelligence and security services operate in the West?
On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore breaks it all down with John Sipher, a 28-year veteran of the Central Intelligence Agency’s National Clandestine Service. John also served as a member of the CIA’s Senior Intelligence Service and is the recipient of the Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal. These days, John is a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at The Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, a Senior Fellow at the Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence and Policy at George Mason University, and the founder of Spycraft Entertainment.
Enjoy…
Please follow Brian Whitmore and The Power Vertical on Bluesky @powervertical.bsky.social
SHOW NOTES
John Sipher’s article, “Birds of a Feather: Epstein, Trump, and Russian Intelligence,” which was discussed on the podcast, can be accessed here. His 2019 article, “Is Trump a Russian Agent?: Explaining Terms of Art and Examining the Facts,” can be accessed here. John Sipher’s other recently published works can be accessed here, here, and here.
Françoise Thom’s article, “The Cesspool and Chaos: the Russian Connection in the Epstein Affair,” which was discussed on the podcast, can be accessed here.
Brian Whitmore’s essay, “Russia the Harbinger: Gangsterism, Global Putinism, and the Crisis of the West,” which was recently published as a chapter in the edited volume Perpetual Conflict: Russia and the Struggle for European Security can be accessed here.
Brian Whitmore’s 2016 article, “The Great Manipulator,” which was referenced on the podcast, can be accessed here.
The Power Vertical Newsletter on Substack can be accessed here. Other recently published work by Brian Whitmore can be accessed here, here, here, and here. Please follow Brian Whitmore and The Power Vertical on Bluesky@powervertical.bsky.social
