A witness in a lawsuit linked to allegations of sex trafficking by Jeffrey Epstein asserted in court documents that the financier had mentioned that former US President Bill Clinton had a preference for "young girls".

“Did Jeffrey [Epstein] ever talk to you about Bill Clinton?” the witness was asked during testimony, transcribed in a filing released on Wednesday. “He said one time that Clinton likes them young, referring to girls,” the witness replied.

On Wednesday, a US federal court revealed multiple names associated with the Epstein case.

Bill Clinton: 'Doe 36'

Former US President Clinton, identified as "Doe 36," appears in more than fifty redacted filings, as per court records. Numerous sealed or redacted entries pertain to a mid-2016 effort by Giuffre's attorneys, previously reported by ABC News, to subpoena the two-term Democratic president for deposition testimony regarding his association with Epstein.

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Unsealed portions of the court record reveal that Giuffre's legal team initiated informal discussions with attorneys for the then-unnamed witness on June 9, 2016, a few days after Hillary Clinton secured the Democratic nomination for president.

Representatives for Giuffre did engage with the former president's attorneys in 2016 regarding a possible deposition, according to a source familiar with the matter. However, Clinton's legal team responded that his testimony wouldn't be beneficial to Giuffre because, as claimed, the former president had never visited Epstein's island.

US judge begins to unseal Epstein contacts

A New York judge initiated the process of unsealing the identities of individuals connected in court documents to Jeffrey Epstein on Wednesday. Epstein, the US financier, died in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex crimes.

The first batch comprises 40 previously undisclosed documents, encompassing nearly 1,000 pages of depositions and statements. The final collection of documents is anticipated to reveal the names of notable individuals.

The individuals to be named will include numerous associates of Epstein who were previously identified as John or Jane Does in a lawsuit filed against Epstein's former mistress, Ghislaine Maxwell. It's important to note that the disclosure carries no allegation of complicity in Epstein's crimes.

The disclosure is anticipated to include well-known figures, as well as individuals who have previously spoken about their connections with Epstein in media interviews, which were referenced in the order mandating the release of their names.

The release of information is a component of a defamation case involving Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former mistress, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022, and Virginia Giuffre, a plaintiff against both Maxwell and Epstein.

Last month, a judge outlined approximately 180 cases, identified under pseudonyms in a 50-page document, and mandated that their identities be disclosed within 14 days of the order, specifically in the initial days of January.