Slovakia PM adviser quits after Epstein messages surface in newly released US files

Slovakia’s national security adviser has resigned after newly released US documents revealed exchanges between him and the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, prompting political fallout in Bratislava, Azernews reports.

Prime Minister Robert Fico confirmed on Saturday that he had accepted the resignation of Miroslav Laj?ák, praising him in a video message as “an incredible source of experience in diplomacy and foreign policy.” The move followed the US Department of Justice’s release of roughly three million Epstein-related files, which have reignited scrutiny of the disgraced financier’s ties to global elites.

While the documents do not allege criminal wrongdoing by those named, including Laj?ák, they include text and email exchanges that have raised questions about judgment and associations. In one October 2018 text exchange—when Laj?ák was serving as Slovakia’s foreign minister, he and Epstein discussed women alongside a forthcoming meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, using bantering language. In another exchange from November 2017, Laj?ák asked Epstein to help a female film producer secure an Oscar shortlist spot.

Additional messages show Epstein joking with Laj?ák about an Apple Watch following the diplomat’s meeting with Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an in November 2018—an exchange Laj?ák later downplayed.

According to Slovak media, Laj?ák initially denied discussing women with Epstein but later said he chose to step down to avoid politically damaging Prime Minister Fico. Fico, for his part, described the backlash as “an attack against me,” accusing critics of hypocrisy.

Laj?ák has served in four Slovak governments, three led by Fico, and held senior international roles, most recently as the EU’s special representative for the Western Balkans.

The DOJ release has also surfaced new material involving other high-profile figures connected to Epstein, who died in custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. The files have renewed public and political pressure across several countries as authorities and institutions assess the implications of the disclosures.