Jeffrey Epstein: Prince Andrew And Bill Clinton Named In Court Files

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Jeffrey Epstein: Prince Andrew And Bill Clinton Named In Court Files

12:02 pm
|
January 4, 2024

Bill Clinton and the UK’s Prince Andrew are among high-profile figures named in US court papers detailing connections of late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The newly-released records form part of a case against Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s girlfriend who has been jailed for helping him abuse girls.

Other names include singer Michael Jackson and magician David Copperfield, though no wrongdoing is alleged.

Prince Andrew is accused of groping a woman, which he denies.

Some of the more than 100 people on the list make allegations about other individuals, or are potential witnesses.

And legal filings highlight the well-connected social circle in the orbit of Epstein, who pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor in 2009.

However, the released documents contain no new bombshell revelation about Epstein, who died in jail awaiting trial over sex-trafficking charges.

The much-hyped trove – covering about 900 pages – was released on Wednesday, after an order by New York Judge Loretta Preska who said many of those named had already been identified by the media or in Maxwell’s criminal trial.

Judge Preska said that many others did not raise an objection to the release of the documents.

She also ordered that some names remain redacted because they would identify victims of sexual abuse. However, more documents in the case are expected to be released in the coming days.

Prince Andrew grope claim

The newly-released files include references to Johanna Sjoberg, who has claimed that Prince Andrew groped her breast while sitting on a couch inside Epstein’s Manhattan apartment in 2001.

Buckingham Palace has previously said her allegations are “categorically untrue”.

In one deposition, which has already been reported, Ms Sjoberg alleged that Prince Andrew put his hand on her breast to pose for a photo with another accuser, Virginia Giuffre, and a puppet that said “Prince Andrew” on it.

In 2022, the British royal paid millions to Ms Giuffre to settle a case she filed alleging he sexually abused her when she was 17 years old.

Prince Andrew said he had never met Ms Giuffre and denied her allegations.

Bill Clinton’s travels

Former US President Clinton is also named in the court documents, although there is no implication of any illegality. When contacted for comment, his representatives referred to a statement he issued in 2019 saying he “knows nothing” about Epstein’s crimes.

According to the records, Ms Sjoberg testified that Epstein once told her that Mr Clinton “likes them young, referring to girls”. Mr Clinton had an affair with a 22-year-old White House intern while he was US president.

The files include testimony from Maxwell confirming that Mr Clinton had travelled on board Epstein’s private jet, but she did not know how many times.

Mr Clinton travelled on Epstein’s plane on what were described as humanitarian trips to Africa in the early 2000s and at the time praised Epstein as a committed philanthropist, though said he later cut ties with him.

The former US president’s 2019 statement said he was accompanied on his trips aboard Epstein’s jet by staff and supporters from his charity, the Clinton Foundation.

“His Secret Service detail travelled on every leg of every trip,” his statement added.

Reuters An aerial view of Jeffrey Epstein’s island Little St James

BBC

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