WASHINGTON, July 5 -- Audio recordings captured in Jeffrey Epstein's Manhattan properties and now released as part of the 2026 Department of Justice document disclosure include a conversation in which Ehud Barak describes Benjamin Netanyahu to Epstein as "a criminal." The characterization, attributed to Barak in the recorded exchange, appears in a filing that documents Epstein's practice of recording or transcribing conversations with prominent visitors to his properties.

Netanyahu himself is not present in the recording and is not alleged to have had any contact with Epstein. His appearance in the DOJ release is as the subject of Barak's commentary, not as a participant in any of Epstein's activities. CNN's coverage of the release has n...