I’m no expert (and I’ve never recruited for the CIA although I’ve read case studies, been trained in some of their assessment techniques) and I find the idea that he was an intelligence asset very hard to swallow.
I know there’s been a lot of ink of Robert Maxwell and his alleged ties to Mossad– explaining the connection to Ghislaine and Epstein from way back when. Again, I find this hard to believe. The Mossad agents who have been identified years after they left the service fit a few profiles- but by and large, they flew under the radar, abhorred publicity, had “plan vanilla” type jobs like worked as expeditors for import/export (which explained the travel), spoke a bunch of languages but had very pedestrian tastes and lifestyles. That was not Maxwell. And he never shut up apparently. Gregarious, garrulous- not what you want in a person paid to find and keep secrets.
And Epstein- the garish homes and ginormous parties, the “bon vivant” persona that he cultivated and loved to publicize- this is also not the CIA, Interpol profile. CIA agents who have worked undercover and then been exposed have mostly lived in anonymous subdivisions, mowed their lawns on Sunday like their neighbors, attended school plays and music recitals, and lived pretty ordinary lives. Their travels (whether to meet their handler or on assignment) were easily explained- she was an insurance adjuster going to an international conference about hurricane claims; he worked in leasing for a company that distributed oil rigs or industrial equipment and the parent office was in Zurich.
Everyone would love a better narrative than “he was a predator enabled by a lot of powerful institutions and people.” But I suspect that’s what we’re stuck with.