Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak on Tuesday vowed to sue British tabloid The Daily Mail for defamation after it published photos of him entering Jeffrey Epstein's New York residence back in January 2016, around the same time several young women tied to the financier were seen entering the residence.
The report insinuated that Barak's visit to his then-business partner's home was not strictly business-related.
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Barak has been making substantial efforts to downplay his ties to Epstein, a US financier jailed on sex-trafficking charges.
The photos were first published by the Daily Mail in January 2016, as part of a piece titled, "The busy life of Jeffrey Epstein."
At the time, Barak, whose face was partially covered by a neck warmer, was included only as "an unidentified man" who entered the home.
On Wednesday, Barak posted a picture on Facebook with his face covered while visiting Cape Horn, in Chile, noting that "when it's cold, I tend to cover my face. Not only in New York. All over the world. Until now, I didn't think that was a news story. …"
The British tabloid noted that the women photographed entering Epstein's home did it "on the same day" as Barak and "within hours." However, the Mail did not provide a clear timeline of the photos and it was not clear whether they were taken before Barak entered, during his time there, or after he left.
Barak has repeatedly denied any knowledge of Epstien's actions and following the Mail article's publication, said he would sue the paper for defamation.
A statement by the Israel Democratic Party said Barak "rejects with contempt the sordid insinuations in the story. The reports and hints in the article are baseless. The Daily Mail has previously published several false articles such as this, about Barak and about others. Other journalists who looked into these matters found no evidence to support these lies."
Following the report, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took to social media with the demand: "Investigate Ehud Barak immediately."
