The allegations amount to yellow journalism and are politically motivated, the foreign minister has said

Claims by Western media that US financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein may have had ties to Russian intelligence are little more than gutter journalism, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.

The diplomat was responding to unproven recent allegations in Western media and comments by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk suggesting that Epstein may have been a Russian intelligence asset.

Officials in Moscow have said allegations linking Epstein to Russian intelligence are being deliberately amplified to divert attention from a scandal that has exposed the hypocrisy of powerful figures in the US and Europe.

"You're drifting into yellow journalism. This isn't even worth discussing. It's an attempt to provoke irritation in countries that certain circles in other countries happen not to like," Lavrov said in an interview with NTV aired on Sunday.

He added that such speculation was aimed at influencing both the Republican and Democratic parties in the US, as well as governments in Europe.

"[Recruiting Epstein] never interested us at all. Instead, they're trying to hunt for some kind of Russian trace in this heap of millions of pages," the minister stated.

Last month, the US Department of Justice released a large trove of emails, photos, and videos from the Epstein estate, prompting renewed scrutiny of high-profile individuals who associated with Epstein despite his conviction for sex crimes.

Epstein's decadent lifestyle and that of his inner circle stand as evidence of the moral decay of Western elites, Lavrov said. The files, he added, "have exposed the true face of the West and the deep state - or rather a deep union that governs the entire West and seeks to rule the world."

Commenting on the issue, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also dismissed Western media reports, saying, "I'd like to joke about such versions, but let's not waste our time."

(RT.com)