Jerusalem (CNN) Jeffrey Epstein is suddenly the biggest name in Israeli politics.

Six weeks into what has been an otherwise quiet election campaign, the Jewish-American multi-millionaire, who was charged in New York with sex trafficking of minors on Monday, is now the focus of a war of words between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and rival Ehud Barak.

Netanyahu attacked the man who once served as his Defense Minister for his connections to Epstein -- who has pleaded not guilty to the charges -- while also accusing the media of burying the story.

In a slickly produced video released on Netanyahu's Twitter account on Tuesday, a narrator says: "Meet Jeffrey Epstein. Suspected of pedophilia and a rich past in sexual offenses. Epstein was the head of the Wexner Foundation that gave Barak 2.3 million dollars for a research program that never was and never came to be. What else did the sexual offender give Ehud Barak? Is the media going to wake up?"

The Wexner Foundation, which is headquartered in Ohio, works to develop Jewish professional and volunteer leaders across North America and public leaders in Israel. CNN has contacted the Wexner Foundation for comment. A spokesperson told Forbes that Leslie Wexner, a businessman who founded Victoria's Secret among other retail brands, cut ties with Epstein more than a decade ago. According to Forbes, Epstein served as trustee of the Foundation.

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