Documents related to Jeffrey Epstein mention both Clinton and Trump, with no allegations of wrongdoing against either individual.
Guilt by association with Jeffrey Epstein?
The unsealed documents additionally name notable figures who have refuted accusations, including Prince Andrew of Great Britain and prominent litigator Alan Dershowitz.
Dershowitz addressed the matter on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), stating, "The Epstein list and guilt by association." In an appearance on Fox News, he asserted, "The woman who accused me has now stated categorically that she may have misidentified me continuously with someone else … I never met her, never heard of her, never spoke to her."
Furthermore, the woman who accused Prince Andrew has retracted her "mistaken" allegations against Alan Dershowitz.
Other individuals named in the unsealed documents include billionaire hedge fund founder Glenn Dubin, high-powered fashion CEO Les Wexner, and the late modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel. All individuals mentioned have consistently denied any wrongdoing in connection with Jeffrey Epstein. The majority of the documents unsealed on Wednesday were part of a lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein's victims. Additional documents and names are anticipated to be released on Thursday.
According to legal experts, disclosure plays a crucial role in supporting survivors of abuse.
Sigrid McCawley, one of Giuffre's attorneys, emphasized the need for greater understanding of "who enabled and facilitated" Epstein's trafficking network. McCawley expressed the belief that survivors of Epstein's abuse deserve more justice and stated, "The public interest must still be served in learning more about the scale and scope of Epstein's racket to further the important goal of shutting down sex trafficking wherever it exists and holding more to account." According to McCawley, the unsealing of these documents is a step toward achieving that goal.
In addition to the prominent figures, names disclosed on Wednesday include sex abuse victims, litigation witnesses, and associates and employees of Jeffrey Epstein. Many of these individuals had only a peripheral connection to the financier, who was accused of operating an international sex trafficking ring targeting underage girls. Some of them are now deceased.
David Ring, a trial lawyer based in California who has represented numerous sexual abuse victims, highlighted that the public release of information can assist victims in gaining closure. He pointed out that victims are often constrained by civil settlements from discussing the abuse they endured. Ring stated, "Anytime that there's a spotlight that's shown on the perpetrator and his circle of friends and what went on there, I think that's a good thing. It gives the victims a lot of closure, frankly, instead of just secrecy where they're not even allowed to talk about it."
Supporters of both Trump and Clinton are exchanging accusations.
Previous releases have identified both Clinton and Trump as passengers on Epstein's private plane, but neither has faced accusations of wrongdoing. Over the years, supporters of Trump and Clinton have traded accusations of deeper involvement with Epstein, but the new documents do not provide evidence to support these claims.
There is a well-known photograph from 2000 at Mar-a-Lago, Trump's private Palm Beach club, where Trump is pictured with Epstein and Maxwell. In a 2002 interview with New York Magazine, Trump referred to Epstein as a "terrific guy" and mentioned that they had a shared appreciation for beautiful women, some of whom were on the younger side.
However, Trump later asserted that he had severed ties with Epstein. In 2019, he stated, "I had a falling out with him a long time ago, I don't think I've spoken to him for 15 years. I wasn't a fan."
Spokespersons for Clinton have acknowledged his trips to Europe, Asia, and Africa on Epstein's plane, as well as a meeting with the financier in his Manhattan office in 2002. In 2019, a Clinton spokesman stated, "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."
Among the documents released on Wednesday is the transcript of a 2016 deposition where a second Epstein victim testified that Epstein had mentioned once that "Clinton likes them young, referring to girls." However, she did not provide further details.
The same victim testified that after landing in Atlantic City, N.J., Epstein said, "Great, we'll call up Trump and we'll go to" − without recalling the name of the casino − "we'll go to the casino." Additionally, she claimed that Prince Andrew had inappropriately touched her at Epstein's mansion in New York.
The victim's lawsuit became the catalyst for years of litigation.
In mid-December, U.S. District Judge Loretta A. Preska issued an order for the unsealing of additional documents. She noted that the majority of the information was already public, and those named in the documents had not raised objections to their release.
On the day of the release, Judge Preska mentioned that two individuals identified as "Doe 107" and "Doe 110" had requested that their names be kept under seal, pending further court action.
These documents are related to a now-settled 2015 lawsuit initiated by Virginia Giuffre. In the lawsuit, Giuffre accused Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell of orchestrating her involvement with prominent men.
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