Carlson feuds with ex-Israel PM over Epstein, challenges him to interview

Carlson, over the weekend, explicitly expressed the belief that Epstein was likely working for Israeli intelligence.

By Ben Whedon

Published: July 14, 2025 11:08am

Conservative media personality Tucker Carlson on Monday challenged former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to sit for an interview over Jeffrey Epstein and his ties to the Israeli government after the former world leader denied such allegations.

Carlson, over the weekend, explicitly expressed the belief that Epstein was likely working for Israeli intelligence, citing the testimony of former Trump Cabinet member Alex Acosta saying he was an intelligence asset and Ghislaine Maxwell's known links to the Mossad.

Bennett, in an apparent response, condemned Carlson on X, asserting that he was lying.

"As a former Israeli Prime Minister, with the Mossad having reported directly to me, I say to you with 100% certainty: The accusation that Jeffrey Epstein somehow worked for Israel or the Mossad running a blackmail ring is categorically and totally false," he said.

"Epstein’s conduct, both the criminal and the merely despicable, had nothing whatsoever to do with the Mossad or the State of Israel. Epstein never worked for the Mossad," he went on. "This accusation is a lie being peddled by prominent online personalities such as Tucker Carlson pretending they know things they don’t. They just make things up, say it with confidence and these lies stick, because it’s Israel."

"There’s a vicious wave of slander and lies against my country and my people, and we just won’t take it anymore," he concluded.

Carlson, for his part, found Bennett's denial insufficient and challenged him to speak to the matter directly.

"You 'just won’t take it anymore'? Instead of issuing threats on social media, why don’t you sit down for a rational interview on Jeffrey Epstein’s ties to the Israeli government? We’ll reach out to your office this morning," he replied.

Carlson has, in recent years, attracted scrutiny from pro-Israel advocates and neoconservatives over his willingness to interview foreign adversaries such as Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Mahmoud Pezeshkian.