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Relationship of Bill Clinton and Jeffrey Epstein
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Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States, developed a social and professional relationship with financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that began in the early 1990s and continued into the early 2000s. During Clinton’s presidency, Epstein made multiple visits to the White House and maintained ties with Clinton’s associates; after Clinton left office, he traveled on Epstein’s private jet on several occasions for charitable trips.[1] Epstein’s interactions with Clinton can be traced to the early 1990s, and concluded in 2003.
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Since Epstein's 2019 arrest for sex trafficking of minors and his death in prison shortly thereafter, their former relationship has come under further scrutiny.[2] Clinton has denied any knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activities and distanced himself from the disgraced financier in the years before Epstein’s 2019 arrest and death.[1] In 2025, Ghislaine Maxwell claimed Clinton was a friend of hers, not Epstein's, and denied that Clinton was involved in any of Epstein's crimes.
Virginia Giuffre never accused Clinton of sexual misconduct or abuse. While her legal team sought his testimony during her lawsuit against Maxwell, describing him as a "key person" in understanding Maxwell's and Epstein's activities, there was no implication of illegal activity on his part. However, the Epstein-related court files that were unsealed in 2024 included several references to Clinton.
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History
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Since 1994, Bill Clinton has been publicly accused of sexual misconduct, including rape, harassment, and sexual assault. Additionally, some commentators have characterized Clinton's sexual relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky as predatory or non-consensual, despite the fact that Lewinsky called the relationship consensual at the time. These allegations have been revisited and lent more credence in 2018, in light of the #MeToo movement, with many commentators and Democratic leaders now saying Clinton should have been compelled to resign after the Lewinsky scandal.[3][4][5]
Jeffrey Epstein cultivated an elite social circle[6] and procured many women and children whom he and his associates sexually abused.[7] In addition to his own sexual abuse of the victims, Epstein directed other persons to abuse the girls sexually. Epstein used paid employees to find and bring minor girls to him. Epstein worked in concert with others to obtain minors not only for his own sexual gratification, but also for the sexual gratification of others. His close associate Ghislaine Maxwell was later implicated as procuring or recruiting underage girls in addition to being, for an extended period, Epstein's chief girlfriend.
1990s: White House contacts and early ties
Epstein’s interactions with Clinton can be traced to the early 1990s. After donating $1,000 to Bill Clinton’s presidential election campaign in 1991, Epstein donated $10,000 to the White House Historical Association in 1993 and, accompanied by Maxwell, attended a donors’ reception hosted by President Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton.[1] Around the same period, visitor logs indicate Epstein paid several visits to the White House to meet with Mark Middleton, a Clinton aide and assistant to the White House chief of staff, in 1993–1995. Middleton, a friend of Clinton’s from Arkansas, was later identified as having facilitated Epstein’s White House access in at least three instances.[8]
While Clinton was president, Epstein visited the White House at least 17 times between 1993 and 1995.[9] By 1995, Epstein was circulating in Clinton’s social orbit: that year, he and Maxwell attended a small fundraising dinner at the Palm Beach home of billionaire Ron Perelman, which Clinton also attended.[8]
In April 1995, businesswoman Lynn Forester (later Lynn Forester de Rothschild), a Clinton supporter, wrote a personal letter to the President mentioning that she had used her “fifteen seconds of access” to discuss “Jeffrey Epstein and currency stabilization” with him, suggesting Clinton was acquainted with Epstein’s financial acumen. Clinton’s later schedules and archives confirm that Epstein and Maxwell were received as part of at least one White House donor event in 1993, though the exact nature of their conversations with Clinton remains unclear.[8]
2001–2003: Post-presidency relationship and flights
Clinton left office in January 2001 and soon embarked on humanitarian and philanthropic initiatives via the Clinton Foundation. During this post-presidential period, his association with Epstein continued in the context of charity travel and social meetings. Epstein was an active supporter of the Clinton Foundation, even lending his Boeing 727 private jet for Clinton’s international trips.[10]
In 2002 and 2003, Clinton took multiple flights on Epstein’s plane, commonly known by the nickname “Lolita Express”, as part of foundation-related tours to promote global health and economic development. Flight log records later indicated Clinton’s name on at least 17 legs of Epstein’s flights in that timeframe.[1] On one high-profile trip in 2002, Clinton flew aboard Epstein’s jet to Africa along with actors Kevin Spacey and Chris Tucker to visit HIV/AIDS project sites.[11] Clinton’s spokesman would later state that these comprised four distinct trips on Epstein’s aircraft – one to Europe, one to Asia, and two to Africa – and that Clinton was accompanied by staff, foundation supporters, and Secret Service agents on all legs of those journeys.[1]
Around the same time period, Clinton also visited Epstein’s New York apartment and office in 2002, each time with his aide and security detail present.[1] Clinton and Epstein appeared to be on friendly terms; a photo from 2002 shows them together during a stop in Brunei, and in an interview that year Clinton praised Epstein as a “highly successful financier” and “a committed philanthropist”.[8] Epstein's New York residence, according to one visitor, contained a signed photograph of Clinton.[12] Epstein possessed an oil painting of Clinton in a blue dress and heels.[13] According to one of his lawyers, Epstein was “part of the original group” that conceived the Clinton Global Initiative, a flagship program of Clinton’s philanthropic work.[14] This relationship extended to Maxwell as well – she and Epstein were invited guests at events early in the Clinton Foundation era, and Maxwell was noted as the likely social “glue” connecting Epstein to Clinton’s world.[8] However, in 2003, Clinton would skip a dinner party which Epstein invited him to.[15]
After 2003: Diminished contact and Virginia Giuffre lawsuit
Clinton’s direct contact with Epstein appears to have tapered off by the mid-2000s. Epstein was arrested and convicted in Florida in 2008 on charges of procuring a minor for prostitution. There is no public evidence that Clinton and Epstein interacted after about 2005–2006; in 2019 Clinton’s office stated he had “not spoken to Epstein in well over a decade”.[10]
However, Epstein’s close associate Ghislaine Maxwell continued to socialize within Clinton’s family circle for some years. Maxwell notably attended Chelsea Clinton’s wedding in 2010, traveled on a private yacht with Chelsea in 2009, and even participated in Clinton Global Initiative conferences as late as 2013. A Clinton spokesperson later said that Chelsea and Maxwell were not close friends despite Maxwell’s appearances at these events. In 2015, Chelsea became aware of the “horrific” allegations against Maxwell and hoped that Epstein's victims would find justice.[14]
In late 2014 and 2015, Epstein’s name resurfaced in headlines due to a civil lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre (née Roberts), one of Epstein’s underage victims, who alleged she had been trafficked to prominent men. Giuffre claimed in an interview that she saw Bill Clinton on Epstein’s private Caribbean island (Little St. James) shortly after Clinton’s presidency, and that Clinton dined with Epstein there, although she never accused Clinton of any sexual wrongdoing. Giuffre later backtracked part of her story, admitting she had not literally witnessed Clinton arrive by helicopter as she initially recounted. Maxwell, in a deposition, vehemently denied Giuffre’s account, calling it “an obvious lie”.[16] In a 2020 interview former Clinton advisor Doug Band said that Clinton had visited Epstein's island, Little Saint James, in January 2003.[17]
A Freedom of Information Act request to the U.S. Secret Service found no evidence that Clinton ever visited Epstein’s island during or after his presidency.[10] Giuffre’s attorneys nonetheless argued that Clinton was a “key” witness due to his “close personal relationship” with Epstein and Maxwell, and in 2016 they formally requested to depose Clinton in the Giuffre v. Maxwell case.[16] This request was denied by a federal judge, and Clinton was never deposed. Notably, unsealed court documents from Giuffre’s lawsuit (made public in 2024) did list Bill Clinton as an associate of Epstein alongside many other famous figures.[1]
Renewed scrutiny after 2019
On July 6, 2019, Epstein was arrested on federal charges of sex trafficking minors, prompting intense media focus on all his past connections. Clinton’s office released a public statement soon after, detailing the extent of Clinton’s interactions with Epstein in an effort to dispel rumors. The statement confirmed the 2002–03 plane trips (four trips totalling a number of flights, as previously described) and acknowledged a meeting in Epstein’s New York apartment in 2002, but asserted that Clinton “knows nothing about the terrible crimes” Epstein committed and had never visited Epstein’s island, New Mexico ranch, or Palm Beach residence. It also stated that Clinton had not spoken to Epstein since approximately 2002–2003.[18][1]
In late 2019, a federal appeals court unsealed thousands of pages of documents from prior Epstein lawsuits, including private flight logs. These logs corroborated that Epstein’s pilots recorded Clinton as a passenger on numerous flights between 2001 and 2003, often related to Clinton Foundation work or paid speaking tours.[18]
In the years following Epstein’s 2019 death, scrutiny of Clinton’s ties has continued, including in official inquiries. In 2023–2024, Republicans in Congress signaled interest in investigating Epstein’s connections to U.S. officials. Finally, in 2025, the House Oversight Committee (led by Rep. James Comer) issued subpoenas for testimony from Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton regarding Epstein. Comer’s letter alleged that the Clinton family “had a close relationship” with Epstein and Maxwell, highlighting Clinton’s admitted plane trips on Epstein’s jet and claiming that Clinton was photographed receiving a massage from one of Epstein’s victims during one trip[19][1] (the victim herself stated that the impromptu massage was innocent and that Clinton was a “perfect gentleman” during the trip[20]). As of mid-2025, Bill Clinton is scheduled to appear before the committee in October.[1]
According to a Wall Street Journal report published in July 2025, Clinton contributed a handwritten note to a birthday greeting album that Maxwell compiled for Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003. The message, written in what the WSJ described as Clinton's “distinctive scrawl,” reads: “It’s reassuring isn’t it, to have lasted as long, across all the years of learning and knowing, adventures and [illegible word], and also to have your childlike curiosity, the drive to make a difference and the solace of friends.”[21][22]
In August 2025, however, Maxwell stated to the U.S. Department of Justice that Epstein was only connected to Clinton through her, denied a friendship between them and stated that Clinton had never been to Epstein's private island.[23][24] Maxwell said that she was "sure" that Bill Clinton "absolutely never went" to Epstein's island, given that "I don't believe he had an independent friendship, if you will, with Epstein.”[25][26]
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Political fallout and conspiracy theories
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Perspective
Clinton’s relationship with Epstein has been the subject of extensive commentary, political controversy, and conspiracy theories, particularly after Epstein’s crimes came to light. Political opponents of the Clintons have frequently highlighted the association. During Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, for example, Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus in 2015 pointed to Bill Clinton’s interactions with Epstein “multiple times, on private jets, on weekends, on trips to places where it’s been reported not very good things happen”. He argued that the Clintons owed the public a full explanation of their dealings.[10]
In 2019, President Donald Trump fueled speculation about Clinton’s ties to Epstein. Following Epstein’s apparent suicide in jail, Trump retweeted a conspiracy theory suggesting the Clintons were behind Epstein’s death and told reporters it was a “respected” pundit’s opinion. Trump went further to accuse Clinton of lying about his trips on Epstein’s plane, claiming flight records showed Clinton had been onboard “27 or 28 times” when Clinton said it was only four—“Why did he say four times?” Trump remarked, insinuating that Clinton was concealing the true extent of the friendship (In fact, the number “27” appears to count individual flight segments, while Clinton’s statement counted four extended trips comprising those segments). Clinton’s spokesman Angel Ureña responded by calling Trump’s insinuations “ridiculous” and noted that even in those unsealed files there was no allegation of wrongdoing by Clinton.[18]
The mystery surrounding Epstein’s death and the broader “Epstein scandal” in 2019 also gave rise to a surge of conspiracy theories on social media, many of which implicated the Clintons without evidence. The phrase “Clinton Body Count” – a long-running conspiracy trope alleging the Clintons orchestrate the deaths of their enemies – trended anew with insinuations that Bill or Hillary Clinton had Epstein killed. Hours after Epstein's death, Trump retweeted claims that Epstein's death was related to Clinton, including the hashtag #ClintonBodyCount.[27][28] After Epstein accomplice Jean-Luc Brunel died by suicide in a French prison before going on trial, on February 19, 2022. Senator Ted Cruz attempted to link Brunel's death to the Clintons by asking "Anyone know where Hillary was this weekend?".[29] On May 7, 2022, Mark Middleton (who linked Epstein to Clinton) was found dead at the Heifer Ranch in Perryville, Arkansas, approximately 30 miles from his home, with a shotgun found near his dead body. His death was ruled a suicide. His family was harassed by conspiracy theorists after his death.[30]
Epstein’s former employee Johanna Sjoberg testified that Epstein had once quipped “Clinton likes them young” in reference to girls. Another allegation surfaced in a 2011 email from Virginia Giuffre (made public years later), in which Giuffre told a journalist that “B. Clinton” had personally intervened to pressure Vanity Fair magazine not to publish an exposé about Epstein’s sex trafficking, calling Epstein “his good friend".[31]
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See also
References
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