There's nothing we enjoy more than a good conspiracy theory, and while you might struggle to see how some of the more outlandish ones gain traction (the British Royal Family being underground lizards), there are staunch supporters for even the wildest.
While we're not sure many agree with the idea that aliens built the Great Pyramid of Giza, you only have to look at the number of supporters for the flat Earth theory to see how easily they take off. The buzz around President Donald Trump promising to release files on the JFK, RFK, and Martin Luther King assassinations proves there's still a lot of interest in conspiracy theories.
One of the biggest conspiracy theories in recent memory involves the death of Jeffrey Epstein, with the shamed financier being found dead in his cell while awaiting trial for sex trafficking.
There have been plenty of questions and swirling conspiracy theories about what happened to Epstein back in 2019, but now, one CIA whistleblower has thrown another one onto the pile.
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Known as the only CIA officer to be convicted for exposing the agency's enhanced interrogation program, John Kiriakou is already known for lifting the lid on some of the country's biggest secrets.
Speaking to Steven Bartlett's Diary of a CEO podcast, Kiriakou opened up on whether he thinks Epstein was a 'spy'.
In November 2025, Drop Site News claimed that Epstein was a spy working for Israel, with the idea that he was more of a 'fixer' for Mossad rather than a formal agent.
This was perpetuated by unsealed documents revealing that a senior Israeli intelligence officer, called Yoni Koren, lived in Epstein's Manhattan apartment for several stretches between 2013 and 2016.
Other potential connections included Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell being the daughter of Robert Maxwell, who was famously linked to Mossad.
Finally, Alex Acosta, the US Attorney who handled Epstein’s 2008 plea deal, was apparently told to "leave it alone" because Epstein "belonged to intelligence."
When Bartlett grilled Kiriakou on whether he thinks Epstein was a spy, the CIA whistleblower said: "I believe very strongly he was a spy...I'm confident it was the Israelis."
Referring to Epstein as the stereotypical example of an 'access agent', Kiriakou explained: "If you're a foreign intelligence service and you want information like close-in information from a former president, from the CEO of the biggest company in the world, from a member of the British royal family, you're not going to recruit these guys."
Name-dropping Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, and Prince Andrew (all who've been connected to Epstein in some way) by saying you wouldn't recruit them, he added: "You do the next best thing. You recruit somebody who has regular access to them."
These access agents are said to make the primary target feel "comfortable and appreciated," as Kiriakou returned to the idea of Epstein: "You give him plenty of money. So he has this house on an island, or he has the whole island. And maybe you bring in young girls, you get them in compromising positions just in case you need to use what's called compromat [compromising pictures]."
Noting that Epstein Island was filled with surveillance equipment, Kiriakou added that the Israelis and Russians are known for using extortion.
Suggesting that Epstein might've been made rich through money laundering fine art, real estate, or race horses, Kiriakou is adamant that Israel was funding him.
He even thinks Epstein’s potential ties to Israeli intelligence might've helped him secure his 2008 'sweetheart deal'.
The CIA whistleblower even says it could be possible that Epstein could've been a double agent for the USA against Israel, but either way, he makes it clear he thinks he was more than just a financier.
Kiriakou said he'd bet everything he has on Epstein being a spy, concluding: "I feel very confident in that assessment."