WASHINGTON (Dispatches) -- An investigative report by Drop Site news outlet has revealed that U.S. financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was involved in coordinated smear campaigns in 2006 targeting two prominent political scientists who criticized Israeli influence on American foreign policy.
The report said the campaigns followed the March 2006 release of a working paper by Harvard Kennedy School scholars John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt, titled “The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy.” 
The paper, later published as a book, examined how pro-Israel advocacy groups, including the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), shaped U.S. foreign policy, drawing the country into Middle Eastern conflicts against American interests.
“Mearsheimer and Walt described a loose coalition of philanthropists, think tanks, advocacy groups, and Christian Zionist organizations that routinely pulled U.S. policy toward the Middle East away from America’s national interest,” Drop Site wrote. 
The paper argued that no other lobby had so systematically aligned U.S. policy with a foreign country while persuading Americans that U.S. and Israeli interests were identical.
According to Drop Site, Epstein played a behind-the-scenes role by offering feedback on talking points aimed at discrediting Mearsheimer and Walt and circulating allegations of anti-Semitism. 
In early April 2006, Epstein received drafts of a critical article by Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz titled “Debunking the Newest – and Oldest – Jewish Conspiracy.” Epstein reportedly assisted in distributing the article through his extensive network.
The coordinated campaign drew widespread media attention and public criticism, with Mearsheimer and Walt labeled as anti-Semites by several outlets. 
The Kennedy School removed its logo from the paper and added a disclaimer distancing itself from the authors’ arguments. Drop Site reported that the backlash hindered their academic and media presence, leading to canceled speaking engagements and increased scrutiny at think tanks.
Epstein’s influence at Harvard was reinforced by his financial contributions, including over $9 million in donations and a $6.5 million gift to establish the Program for Evolutionary Dynamics in 2003. He maintained access to university offices and facilities, making over 40 visits after his 2008 sex offense conviction. Harvard later faced criticism for insufficient oversight of his involvement.
Epstein was arrested in July 2019 on federal charges of sex trafficking minors and reportedly died in custody the following month. His high-profile associations and involvement in academic and media circles continue to fuel speculation about his role in shaping public narratives and protecting elite networks.