Puri’s Flawed Claims on Epstein Files

Indian Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri decided to clear the air about his name appearing in the Epstein Files by holding press conferences and conducting interviews with pro-government Indian media but failed in his approach. The Indian Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi had questioned Puri’s and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s involvement with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in a stormy Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament) session. The opposition demanded that Puri resign. Responding to the accusations Puri said that he met Epstein on a few occasions, ‘three or maximum four’ as a part of the delegation of the International Peace Institute in 2008. At that time, Epstein was already convicted of sex offences relating to minors and had pleaded guilty to charges of ‘soliciting prostitution from a minor under a controversial plea agreement’. Puri tried to whitewash it by saying that Epstein had ‘pleaded guilty of a charge of soliciting favors from an underage woman’, which is an oxymoron because an underage woman is a child. The fresh tranche of documents released by the US Department of Justice (DoJ) on 30 Jan show Puri’s exchange of emails with Epstein began in June 2014, with the sex offender writing to Puri about arranging a visit by co-founder of LinkedIn Reid Hoffman to India. Puri wrote a detailed pitch for investment opportunities in India to Epstein and Hoffman. Documents also show Puri met Epstein at his Manhattan townhouse on at least three occasions: 4 Feb 2015, 6 Jan 2016, and 19 May 2017. In a stark contrast to what Puri claimed, on the official website of the DoJ ‘Hardeep’ 430 appears, ‘Hardeep Puri’ 46 times, and ‘Hardeep Singh Puri’ 163 times. The email exchanges also show Puri mentions Epstein’s ‘exotic island’ where he is asking Epstein to ‘have fun’. However, Puri dismissed this as an expression that ‘should not be read meaning into’. Globally the fallout of the revelations of the Epstein Files has seen high profile resignations, including criminal charges against Norway’s former Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland. The Epstein Files reveal a sordid and corrupt power nexus between powerful male figures across the world where complacency and knowledge of sexual abuse is ignored to carry on the powerplay (earlier coverage).