Jeffrey Epstein went to the White House 'several times' during the early days of Bill Clinton's presidency in the 90s, records show - raising questions about the former president's claims he only met the billionaire after he left office
- Bill Clinton distanced himself from Jeffrey Epstein immediately after the billionaire was arrested on sex trafficking charges earlier this month
- Former president said he had taken four flights on Epstein's private jet and visited him in his New York office and apartment on one occasion each
- Clinton said the encounters with Epstein occurred around 2002 and 2003 and that his Secret Service agents were present at the time
- A Daily Beast investigation has since uncovered that Epstein had links to the Clinton administration that date back to the early days of his presidency
- Epstein visited the White House multiple times in the early 1990s
- He also made a $10,000 donation to the White House Historical Association in 1993 and attended a donor reception hosted by the Clintons
Jeffrey Epstein reportedly went to the White House multiple times during the early days of Bill Clinton's presidency - even though the former president says he had only six encounters with the billionaire sex offender starting from 2002.
Clinton immediately distanced himself from Epstein when the New York financier was arrested on sex trafficking charges earlier this month.
The former president, who was in the White House from 1993 to 2001, said he had taken four flights on Epstein's private jet and visited him in his New York office and apartment on one occasion each.
Clinton said the encounters with Epstein occurred around 2002 and 2003 and that his Secret Service agents were present at the time.
However, a Daily Beast investigation published on Wednesday has uncovered that Epstein had links to the Clinton administration that date back to the early days of his presidency.
Scroll down for video
Jeffrey Epstein reportedly went to the White House multiple times during the early days of Bill Clinton's presidency
Epstein made a $10,000 donation to the White House Historical Association back in 1993, according to records in the Clinton Library.
He also attended a reception for donors that was hosted by Bill and Hillary Clinton in the White House residence following his donation.
Epstein was listed as a guest for the donor event with his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell - the woman who has been accused of helping the billionaire run his alleged underage sex ring.
Clinton immediately distanced himself from Epstein (above in his mugshot) when the New York financier was arrested on sex trafficking charges earlier this month
Maxwell was present at Chelsea Clinton's wedding back in 2010.
Epstein also visited the White House at least three times in the mid-90s to meet with Clinton administration aide Mark Middleton, who was a friend of Clinton's from Arkansas.
It is not clear how long they met for or what they discussed.
Middleston joined Clinton's administration in 1993 after earlier working on his campaign.
He interacted with a number of businessman, including Epstein and Donald Trump.
Middleton had his access to the executive mansion revoked because he had allegedly abused his access to the White House to impress his personal business connections.
Epstein was also mentioned in a 1995 letter sent to Clinton by businesswoman Lynn Forester de Rothschild.
'Dear Mr President: It was a pleasure to see you recently at Senator Kennedy's house. There was too much to discuss and too little time. Using my fifteen seconds of access to discuss Jeffrey Epstein and currency stabilization, I neglected to talk to you about a topic near and dear to my heart. Namely, affirmative action and the future,' she wrote.
Following the news of Epstein's arrest, Clinton insisted he had not had contact with Epstein for years and noted six occasions where he had crossed paths with him
Ghislaine Maxwell - Epstein's ex-girlfriend and the woman accused of helping the billionaire run his alleged underage sex ring - was present at Chelsea Clinton's wedding back in 2010
Both Middleton and Forester de Rothschild were not available for comment about their connections to Epstein.
Clinton's spokesperson, Angel Ureña, has repeatedly denied that the former president knew of Epstein's crimes.
'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,' she said.
'Any suggestion to the contrary, is both factually inaccurate and irresponsible.'
Following the news of Epstein's arrest, Clinton insisted he had not had contact with Epstein for years.
'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,' a statement released by his office said.
Epstein made a $10,000 donation to the White House Historical Association back in 1993 and attended a donor reception hosted by Bill and Hillary Clinton
Clinton visits his daughter, Chelsea Clinton, at Lenox Hill Hospital on Tuesday after she welcomed a baby boy
'In 2002 and 2003, President Clinton took a total of four trips on Jeffrey Epstein's airplane: one to Europe, one to Asia, and two to Africa, which included stops in connection with the work of the Clinton Foundation.
'Staff, supporters of the Foundation, and his Secret Service detail traveled on every leg of every trip.'
In a 2002 profile on Epstein by New York magazine, a spokesperson for Clinton said of him: 'Jeffrey is both a highly successful financier and a committed philanthropist with a keen sense of global markets and an in-depth knowledge of twenty-first-century science.
'I especially appreciated his insights and generosity during the recent trip to Africa to work on democratization, empowering the poor, citizen service, and combating HIV/AIDS.'
In September 2002, Clinton flew with Epstein on a week-long tour through Africa that included stops in South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Rwanda, and Mozambique.
Epstein has pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking after being accused of luring dozens of girls as young as 14 to his luxury homes in New York and Florida and paying them for sex acts.
Geen opmerkingen:
Een reactie posten