This investigation peels back the curtain on a shadow network where convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein acted not as a fringe figure, but as a central architect of high-stakes diplomacy. Ryan Grim and Jeremy Scahill reveal how a single text message from an Indian billionaire to Epstein—"Leadership wld like ur help for me to meet jared and bannon asap"—unlocked a chain of events that realigned the strategic axis of India, Israel, and the United States. For busy readers tracking the mechanics of global power, this is essential: it exposes how Track II diplomacy often operates through illicit intermediaries, bypassing official state channels to secure defense deals and political alignment.
The Intermediary's Leverage
The core of the argument rests on the sheer volume of direct communication between Epstein and Anil Ambani, a tycoon deeply embedded in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) establishment. Grim and Scahill present a startling timeline from March 2017, where Ambani explicitly requests Epstein's assistance to arrange meetings with senior figures in the White House before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit. "Leadership would like your help for me to meet jared and bannon asap," Ambani texts, followed by a request for assistance regarding the Prime Minister's upcoming meeting with the President. The authors use this exchange to demonstrate that the administration's inner circle was accessible not just through formal State Department channels, but through a convicted criminal acting as a gatekeeper.
This framing is effective because it shifts the focus from the personal scandals of the individuals involved to the structural vulnerability of diplomatic access. The authors note that Epstein, despite his status as a registered sex offender, was viewed as a trusted conduit. "Fun," Epstein replied to Ambani's request, a casual tone that belies the gravity of the diplomatic maneuvering. The coverage suggests that the executive branch's reliance on informal networks created a backdoor where business interests and statecraft blurred dangerously.
Critics might argue that the text messages only prove a desire for access, not that the administration actually granted it based on Epstein's influence. However, the subsequent alignment of policy and the specific introductions made suggest otherwise. The authors point out that Epstein successfully pivoted Ambani toward Tom Barrack, a close ally of the President, when the requested meetings with Jared Kushner and Steve Bannon proved difficult to secure. "Steve and jared are meeting 15 people a day," Epstein explained, advising Ambani to meet Barrack instead. This pivot highlights the chaotic, personalized nature of the early administration's foreign policy approach, where personal relationships often superseded institutional protocol.
The Indian Prime Minister took advice and danced and sang in Israel for the benefit of the US president. IT WORKED.
The Triangular Axis
The narrative then expands to show how these private connections fueled a public geopolitical shift. Grim and Scahill detail how Epstein monitored and celebrated the historic 2017 visit by Modi to Israel, the first by a sitting Indian Prime Minister. This visit marked a decisive break from decades of Indian foreign policy that had kept relations with Israel discreet to maintain ties with Arab states. Epstein's reaction was one of triumph: "The Indian Prime minisiter modi took advice. and danced and sang in israel for the benefit of the US president... IT WORKED. !"
The authors argue that Epstein's role was not merely observational but catalytic. He had previously connected Ambani with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, facilitating a joint venture in defense technology valued at $10 billion. This connection between private business deals and state-level strategy is the piece's most disturbing revelation. The coverage illustrates how the "India-Israel-U.S. strategic axis" was accelerated not just by diplomats, but by a network of billionaires and intermediaries who saw profit in the convergence of these powers.
The reporting also touches on the broader context of Track II diplomacy, where non-state actors facilitate dialogue that official channels cannot. However, the authors make a crucial distinction: this was not standard back-channeling; it was a commercialized version of diplomacy where a convicted felon held the keys to the kingdom. The evidence suggests that the administration's "America First" approach, often framed as a return to traditional sovereignty, was in practice being advanced through a web of informal, unregulated, and often unethical relationships.
Silicon Valley and the BJP
The investigation digs deeper into the timeline, revealing that Epstein's involvement with the Modi government began as early as 2014, shortly after the BJP came to power. Grim and Scahill uncover a previously unreported gathering at Epstein's New York residence involving Ehud Barak, Larry Summers, and Hardeep Singh Puri, a senior BJP leader. The authors show how Epstein acted as a matchmaker between Silicon Valley and the Indian government, specifically targeting LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman.
"You, my friend, make things happen," Puri wrote to Epstein, seeking advice on pitching India's "Digital India" initiative to Hoffman. Epstein responded with strategic guidance, offering to organize trips and make introductions. This section of the coverage is vital because it connects the dots between the rise of the BJP, the expansion of the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy, and the personal networks of the global elite. It suggests that the ideological alignment between the U.S. and India was being cultivated in private rooms long before it became official policy.
The authors note that this relationship continued even after Epstein's 2007 conviction, with Puri writing to Epstein in 2014 to "excite an interest in India." The persistence of these ties, despite Epstein's public notoriety, underscores the insulation of this elite network from public accountability. "Please let me know when you are back from your exotic island," Puri wrote, a chillingly casual request from a senior government official to a sex offender.
The Official Denial
When the Department of Justice released these documents, the Indian government's response was swift and dismissive. A statement from India's foreign affairs ministry characterized the emails as "trashy ruminations by a convicted criminal, which deserve to be dismissed with the utmost contempt." Grim and Scahill, however, point out the glaring omission in this response: the government did not address the fact that individuals in Modi's orbit had been engaging with Epstein as a trusted intermediary on a wide range of diplomatic and economic issues.
The authors argue that this dismissal is a strategic deflection. By labeling the emails as the ramblings of a criminal, the government attempts to sever the link between the official state visits and the private dealings that facilitated them. Yet, the documents show a consistent pattern of engagement. In 2019, following Modi's landslide election victory, Epstein immediately reached out to Steve Bannon, claiming "Modi sending someone to see me," and later confirming that "modi on board" for a meeting with Bannon. The authors write, "his guy said that no one in wash speaks to him however his main enemy is CHINA! and their proxy in the region pakistan. they will host the g20 in 22. totally buys into your vision."
This section of the coverage is particularly strong because it highlights the continuity of these relationships across different administrations and political cycles. The focus on the "China problem" as a unifying theme for Modi, the administration, and Epstein's network reveals a shared strategic imperative that transcends the personal flaws of the intermediaries. The authors suggest that the real story here is not the scandal of Epstein's presence, but the normalization of his role in high-level statecraft.
Bottom Line
Ryan Grim and Jeremy Scahill have delivered a damning indictment of how modern diplomacy can be hijacked by private interests and illicit intermediaries. The strongest part of their argument is the undeniable evidence that a convicted sex offender was treated as a legitimate broker for the highest levels of the Indian and U.S. governments. The biggest vulnerability in the official narrative is the refusal to acknowledge that these backroom deals were not anomalies, but the mechanism by which major geopolitical shifts were engineered. Readers should watch for how future administrations handle the legacy of these informal networks, as the lines between statecraft and private dealmaking continue to blur.
The Indian government dismissed the emails as trashy ruminations, but the documents reveal a systematic reliance on a convicted criminal to unlock the doors of power.