Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has come under fire after the release of US Justice Department documents referencing his 2017 trip to Israel in an email written by the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, according to Bloomberg.

The Justice Department recently published nearly three million pages of material related to Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died in custody. Among them was a July 2017 email in which Epstein claimed Modi “took advice, and danced and sang in Israel for the benefit of the US president.” The email offered no evidence or context to support the claim.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs acknowledged Modi’s official visit to Israel in July 2017 but dismissed Epstein’s remarks. “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, which deserve to be dismissed with the utmost contempt,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.

The opposition Congress party seized on the release, calling the alleged connection “extremely shameful” and demanding clarification from the government. Party leaders questioned whether Modi had any interactions with Epstein before his visits to the US and Israel in 2017.

Pakistani politician Mushahid Hussain Syed also criticized Modi, accusing him of seeking guidance from Epstein to please then-President Donald Trump.

Meanwhile, Trump himself has previously mocked Modi during remarks at a House GOP retreat, recounting how the Indian leader sought permission to meet him. Trump also discussed India’s long-standing order for US-made Apache helicopters and noted that Modi was “not that happy” with Washington’s tariffs on Indian imports, particularly in light of New Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil.

The controversy has added a new layer of political tension, intertwining Modi’s foreign policy record with the fallout from Epstein’s legacy.