Here's How Bill Clinton Responded to Claims of His 'Friendship' With Jeffrey Epstein
Former President Bill Clinton continues to insist that he "knows nothing" about the "terrible crimes" committed by the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, despite the former president being referenced in recently released court documents.
Recent court document unsealings have made hundreds of pages of emails and transcripts of depositions available. These documents were related to the now-settled case of Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who claimed that Epstein had sexually abused her when she was a minor and that his girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, had helped with the abuse, per Newsweek.
The documents mention Clinton along with other well-known figures, highlighting his involvement in the controversy once more. Clinton's spokesperson, Angel Urena, said that "nothing has changed" since Clinton made a statement on Epstein in 2019. Previously too, Clinton did not raise any objections when the documents were released. Clinton has not been accused of any crimes, according to his spokeswoman Angel Ureña, who made this clear in a statement to PEOPLE even though his name was referenced in the documents.
"It's been nearly 20 years since President Clinton last had contact with Epstein," Ureña continued, sharing the 2019 statement by Clinton's office, which stated, among other things, "President Clinton knows nothing about the terrible crimes Jeffrey Epstein pleaded guilty to in Florida some years ago or those with which he has been recently charged in New York."
According to Urena, Clinton traveled on Epstein's aircraft four times in 2002 and 2003 while working with the Clinton Foundation. Urena claims that Epstein and Clinton had not spoken for more than ten years at the time of Epstein's death, which was determined to be a suicide. Giuffre placed Clinton on Epstein's private island, but she hasn't accused the former president of any misconduct.
Among the statements released was Johanna Sjoberg's deposition, in which she accused Prince Andrew of caressing her breast. The assertion has been strongly refuted by him and the palace. Sjoberg stated in court that although she was aware of Epstein's "dealings" with Clinton, she was unaware of their friendship until she came across a Vanity Fair article about their joint trip to Africa. Sjoberg added that she heard from Epstein that Clinton "likes them [girls] young."
Sjoberg went on to say that she had never seen Clinton and had never seen him in a Maxwell-flown helicopter or on the island. The allegations that Virginia Giuffre visited Epstein's island with Clinton and that she traveled there in a Maxwell-piloted helicopter were the subject of the questions. Although Giuffre refuted the charges in her deposition, they were published in a Daily Mail article by Sharon Churcher. When asked if she had ever been in a Maxwell-piloted helicopter with Clinton, Giuffre denied the claims.
Welcome to 2024, where the same people obsessively attacking Bill Clinton for flying on the Epstein plane are the ones preparing to nominate another man as their presidential candidate, who flew on the plane, partied with Epstein and called Epstein a "terrific guy" who enjoyed… pic.twitter.com/TgB7Syf9sc
— Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) January 1, 2024