'Only met Epstein...': Hardeep Puri refutes Rahul Gandhi's charge
What's the story
Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has clarified his brief association with disgraced American financier Jeffrey Epstein. Responding to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's allegations, Puri said he met Epstein on a few occasions as part of a delegation and exchanged one email. "Our interactions had nothing to do (with the crimes Epstein is accused of)," Puri said. He also revealed that his main interaction was with LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman.
Gandhi
'He has a habit of making baseless allegations'
Puri claimed that his interaction with Epstein was restricted to 'Make in India.' "I had no interest in Epstein's activities. For them, I was not the 'right person'," he added, claiming that Epstein had called him "two-faced" and suggested Gandhi read the emails. "We have a youth leader who placed a few things before the Parliament today. He has a habit of making baseless allegations," Puri said.
Gandhi
Puri introduced Anil Ambani to Epstein: Gandhi
Speaking in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Gandhi had claimed that it was Puri who introduced Anil Ambani to Epstein. "There is a businessman Anil Ambani, I want to ask why is he not in jail? The reason is that his name is in the Epstein Files. I would also like to ask Hardeep Puri, who introduced him to Epstein. I know who introduced him, and Hardeep Puri knows who introduced him," he said.
Charges
Pressure on PM: Gandhi
He reiterated his allegations while speaking to reporters outside the Parliament. "I have said that I will authenticate the data. There are Department of Justice files on Epstein files naming Hardeep Puri and Anil Ambani. In an ongoing case against Adani, summons have been issued. The government of India has not responded for the last 18 months. There is direct pressure on the Prime Minister."
PM
'No PM would do what has happened'
Gandhi correlated the pressure with the signing of the India-US trade deal, saying no PM would do this in a normal situation. "In a normal situation, no PM would do what has happened in terms of data, farmers, energy security and defense. Someone would do this only when there is a certain grip on them," Gandhi told reporters.
Disclosure details
US government releases massive trove of Epstein files
The United States Department of Justice last month released a massive new batch of records from its Epstein Files. The release is part of an effort to make public what the government knew about Epstein's sexual abuse and his interactions with powerful people. Deputy US Attorney General Todd Blanche announced that over three million pages, 2,000 videos, and 180,000 images were included in the latest disclosure.
Legal requirement
Modi's mention in Epstein Files called 'trashy ruminations'
On January 31, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal strongly rejected references to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 2017 travel to Israel in an email reportedly included in the recently disclosed Epstein Files. "We have seen reports of an email message from the so-called Epstein files...Beyond the fact of the Prime Minister's official visit to Israel in July 2017, the rest of the allusions in the email are little more than trashy ruminations by a convicted criminal," he said.