Slovakia: National Security Advisor Resigns After Epstein Messages Revealed

Miroslav Lajčák, Slovakia’s National Security Advisor, has resigned following revelations that he exchanged messages with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Prime Minister Robert Fico accepted the resignation after newly released U.S. Department of Justice documents—published Friday, January 30, 2026—showed communications between Epstein and Lajčák. The documents, part of over three million pages from Epstein’s case files, also reference figures including Steve Bannon, Elon Musk, and world leaders. According to Politico, Epstein joked with Lajčák about women in the messages, which also touched on Lajčák’s meetings with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Initially denying any wrongdoing and describing the exchanges as informal, Lajčák stepped down to shield Fico from political fallout, stating: ‘Not because I did anything illegal or unethical, but to avoid politically burdening someone for something unrelated to their decisions.’ Fico praised Lajčák as a ‘great diplomat’ and lamented the loss of ‘an incredible source of experience in diplomacy and foreign policy.’ Lajčák previously served as Slovakia’s Foreign Minister across multiple governments between 2009 and 2020. Fico criticized media coverage of the story as ‘hypocritical’ and ‘excessive.’