Jeffrey Epstein laughed off claims that he was an Israeli spy, his former attorney has said.

Alan Dershowitz, who helped secure the controversial “sweetheart deal” for Epstein, said the disgraced financier denied being a foreign agent when grilled on the subject.

Epstein has been accused in recent days of being a Mossad spy by the likes of Tucker Carlson – something that has been strongly denied by Israel.

It comes as the Epstein case has come under renewed scrutiny over the potentially damaging so-called ‘client list’ that has failed to materialise despite promises from the Trump administration.

Asked about the claims that Epstein was a spy potentially holding leverage on the rich and powerful, Mr Dershowitz told The Telegraph: “We discussed it and the answer was no. He laughed. No intelligence agency would really trust him.” 

Mr Dershowitz said he was convinced Epstein would have told him if he was a spy “to try to get him a better deal”.

“That’s not something he would keep from his lawyers. That’s something he would tell his lawyers,” he said.