DARK SECRETS

UNRAVELLING THE POWER BEHIND EPSTEIN                                    

Sunera Bandara explores how the Epstein Files are inherently polarising their concrete geopolitical consequences and broader ramifications

The Epstein Files were the equivalent of digital uranium-235. This is because many members of the upper echelons have been accused of terrifying acts: the then Prince Andrew was arrested and investigated by the Metropolitan Police, a development more historic than Prince Harry stepping away from the monarchy to continue his marriage with Meghan Markle.

These files, comprising more than three million pages, which are available on the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) website, were so damaging to many public officials that some actively resigned in public disgrace.

The UK stands as a prominent example of this. Peter Mandelson, a member of the House of Lords, officially resigned after dispatches suggested that he had been sharing confidential government information with Epstein.

Mandelson’s connection to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has caused shockwaves through the House of Commons, as Starmer wilfully granted Mandelson a position in government despite knowing that he had leaked confidential information to Epstein.

Starmer’s party was branded by some members of the public and the opposition as the ‘party of paedophiles’ due to his inability to answer questions about his association with Mandelson.

Noam Chomsky, a well-known academic who is popular in left wing circles, was also friendly with Epstein, who sought him out to sanitise his own image as the public gradually became aware of his crimes as a paedophile sex trafficker.

Many people on the left still find it hard to believe that Chomsky was associated with Epstein and often explain it away while not extending the same charity to politicians and associates on the right.

There are two theories regarding Epstein’s potential allegiance.

One alleges that he was a classic Russian kompromat agent who leveraged influence and blackmail to sustain his luxurious lifestyle while building a network of compromised individuals. Kompromat – or blackmail – is often associated with Russian intelligence of the KGB or FSB as it is now known.

From his position as a wealth advisor to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and many links to high-level Russian government figures, Epstein was either a Russian agent or a middleman between Russia and other organisations and influential individuals.

Another theory alleges that Epstein was an Israeli spy due to his association with that nation’s former premier Ehud Barak – and he was Jewish. This is despite the fact that he’s on record saying ‘I hate Israel,’ while also providing information and intelligence to Hezbollah.

Epstein had extensive links with Russia. The trafficker had sought out Putin for years and became his unofficial wealth advisor – documents indicate large sums of money moving between the Kremlin and Epstein’s accounts, as well as emails showing his vested interest in securing Putin’s allegiance.

Jeffrey Epstein shared many similarities with his mentor Robert Maxwell, who was thought to be a triple agent of Mossad, MI6 and the KGB. It has been alleged that Maxwell was murdered by Mossad for knowing too much. The official autopsy however, provoked disagreement among the experts who reviewed it.

Conspiracy theories share a common undertone: the implication of a deep state without proper and objective scrutiny often leads the lay conspiracy theorist to adopt extreme antisemitic beliefs as a way of dealing with the ambiguities of geopolitics today. This has been confirmed in a 2025 study by King’s College London, which examined the categories into which conspiracy theorists are most likely to fall.

“What we found is that antisemitic views are more likely among conspiracy theorists, revolutionaries and people who see dictatorship as an acceptable form of government,” states social psychologist and historian Dr. Daniel Allington.

The rise in revolutionary sentiment, conspiracy thinking and ideology persists among both youth and older generations today. This does not bode well for minority groups that have had historical clashes with such ideas. In 2024, nearly 70 percent of religious based hate crimes were directed as Judaism.

Other massacre attempts from the UK to Australia have shown an increase in hatred towards Jews.

This begs the question: who are the individuals running specific accounts that attempt to pass judgement before the court’s own sentence is passed? What is their agenda? And how is it possible for content that establishes such a hateful precedent to be so readily accepted by the masses?

Perhaps it isn’t merely polarisation but the creation of a malicious narrative unfolding before our very eyes.