Person
William J. Burns
American diplomat; Deputy Secretary of State in 2014 and Director of the CIA from 2021 to January 2025.
- head of Central Intelligence Agency (Director) 2021 – Jan 2025
American diplomat; Deputy Secretary of State in 2014 and Director of the CIA from 2021 to January 2025.
His spokespeople’s replies on his meetings with Epstein are told in Was He a Spy?.
Connections 2
head of
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Central Intelligence Agency
2021 – Jan 2025
Director
Primary record
123
The start is dated by a 2023 article. His successor, John Ratcliffe, was sworn in on 23 January 2025.
dealt with
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Jeffrey Epstein
2014
at least one meeting; the calendar lists three
Scholarship & press
345
The Wall Street Journal reported three meetings in Epstein’s private calendar and could not prove each took place. A CIA spokeswoman said in 2023 that Burns was introduced by a mutual friend, met Epstein once briefly and had no relationship with him; a spokesperson said in 2026 that he deeply regrets ever meeting Epstein. These are statements by his spokespeople. A meeting is not evidence of knowledge or wrongdoing.
Contact on the record. By itself it shows neither knowledge of a crime nor a part in one.
Timeline 2 dates
- 2014 William J. Burns dealt with Jeffrey Epstein
- 2021 – Jan 2025 William J. Burns head of Central Intelligence Agency
Proof 5 sources
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John Ratcliffe Sworn in as CIA Director, Central Intelligence Agency, 23 Jan 2025.
Primary record
Today, John Ratcliffe was sworn in as the 25th Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
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The Senate confirms John Ratcliffe to lead the CIA, giving Trump his second Cabinet member, Associated Press (News4JAX copy), 23 Jan 2025.
Scholarship & press
President Joe Biden elevated the position to Cabinet level under Ratcliffe’s predecessor, William Burns
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Epstein's private calendar reveals planned meetings with Obama admin official, CIA chief, Fox News, 30 Apr 2023.
Scholarship & press
who has taken the CIA’s helm since 2021 under the Biden administration
The Director did not know anything about him, other than he was introduced as an expert in the financial services sector and offered general advice on transition to the private sector.
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CIA Director, Noam Chomsky Named in Epstein's Calendar: Report, Rolling Stone, 30 Apr 2023.
Scholarship & press
Burns had three meetings scheduled with Epstein, first meeting in Washington and then at Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse.
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Epstein Files: Attorneys demand CIA, NSA disclosure on intelligence ties, Anadolu Agency, 9 Feb 2026.
Scholarship & press
A spokesperson for Burns said he “deeply regrets ever meeting” Epstein and stated that all contact was cut off after Burns learned of Epstein’s 2008 criminal conviction in Florida.
Page history 2 changes
- Apply the final reader's report to the four Epstein stories.7acd804e
- Tell the Epstein record in four storiesde7c5f7a
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