Epstein's associates: List to include Clinton, Prince Andrew, and more
The court records set to be unsealed this week represent the eighth and likely final round of public disclosure in the documents related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, following the Miami Herald's intervention for access in 2018.
Numerous sealed court documents related to the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein are scheduled to be disclosed this week, revealing several notable figures, such as Britain's Prince Andrew and former President Bill Clinton.
Earlier this month, US District Judge Loretta Preska ruled that there was no legal basis to continue concealing the names of over 150 individuals, including former President Bill Clinton, who is mentioned in the sealed court records related to the 2015 civil lawsuit.
The lawsuit revolves around allegations that Jeffrey Epstein's associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, facilitated the sexual abuse of Virginia Giuffre, who also accused Epstein, Maxwell, and Prince Andrew of directing her to engage in sexual activities with several prominent men.
Prince Andrew has consistently denied the allegations and settled a lawsuit filed by Giuffre against him. The unsealing of the documents is set to begin after January 1.
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Giuffre did not make any accusations of misconduct against Clinton, and there is no suggestion that the sealed records include evidence of illegal behavior by Clinton. However, Giuffre's assertion that she met the former president on Jeffrey Epstein's private Caribbean island became a contentious point in the litigation that concluded in 2017.
Ghislaine Maxwell contested the claim, asserting that Clinton had never visited Little St. James, Epstein's island, and criticized Giuffre's allegation as a fabrication that undermined her credibility.
Flight logs maintained by a pilot employed by Epstein, which became known through independent legal actions against Epstein, revealed that Clinton and his group had traveled extensively on Epstein's large jet to various global destinations, including Paris, Bangkok, and Brunei, during 2002 and 2003. However, the existing records did not indicate the former president's presence on a journey to Epstein's island.
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.
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.
A long list of associates
The court records scheduled for unsealing this week mark the eighth and probably last phase of making records public in the case since the Miami Herald sought access to them in 2018.
Previously unsealed materials encompassed the transcripts of various depositions involving Maxwell and Giuffre, as well as sworn but unverified accusations asserting that Epstein and Maxwell instructed Giuffre to engage in sexual activities with several notable individuals, including the late model scout Jean Luc Brunel, former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, billionaire hedge fund manager Glenn Dubin, among others.
It is worth noting that Maxwell and all the men named by Giuffre when their names emerged denied the allegations.
The upcoming release of documents will reveal additional names connected to Epstein, including associates, alleged perpetrators, co-conspirators, victims, witnesses, and former employees. Some of the individuals mentioned as "Does" in the documents have since passed away.
Read more: Epstein blackmailed Bill Gates over affair: WSJ