Miroslav Lajčák, Slovakia's national security adviser to Prime Minister Robert Fico, resigned after newly released Jeffrey Epstein documents showed email exchanges referencing young women. Lajčák condemned Epstein's crimes, denied any criminal or unethical behaviour, and called the messages informal and without substance. He said he stepped down to prevent political damage to the prime minister; Fico accepted and praised his diplomatic experience. The U.S. Justice Department published millions of Epstein-related files, including a text from October 2018 when Lajčák was foreign minister.
Slovakia Adviser Quits After Epstein Files — Denies Misconduct, Says He Resigned To Shield PM
Jeffrey Epstein and Miroslav Lajcak, a Slovak politician and diplomat and former President of the United Nations General Assembly, pose in this undated handout image from the estate of late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, released by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee in Washington, D.C., U.S., on December 18, 2025. House Oversight Committee Democrats/Handout via REUTERS
PRAGUE, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Miroslav Lajčák (often spelled Lajcak), national security adviser to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, has resigned after newly released documents tied to Jeffrey Epstein showed email exchanges between the two that referenced young women.
Lajčák issued a statement condemning Epstein's crimes and rejecting any criminal or unethical conduct on his part. He described the messages as informal and "light‑hearted" and said they lacked substantive content. Nevertheless, he offered his resignation to prevent the episode from being used to politically damage the prime minister.
"Not because of having done anything criminal or unethical in my actions, but I don't want him (Fico) to bear the political costs for something that's unrelated to his decisions," Lajčák said.
In a video message posted on Facebook on Saturday, Prime Minister Robert Fico said he had accepted Lajčák's resignation and praised him as an invaluable source of diplomatic and foreign‑policy experience.
Context
The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday published millions of documents and files related to Jeffrey Epstein. Among the materials was a text exchange dated October 2018, from the period when Lajčák was serving as Slovakia's foreign minister.
The resignation appears aimed at limiting political fallout for Fico rather than acknowledging any legal or ethical breach by Lajčák. Both domestic and international observers are likely to watch for any further disclosures from the Justice Department's release.
(Reporting by Michael Kahn; Editing by Alexander Smith)
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