Bill Clinton

William Jefferson Clinton served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Clinton's connection to Jeffrey Epstein became documented in the archive through a single email thread where Epstein distributed one of his characteristic stream-of-consciousness intellectual musings to a mass recipient list that included Clinton's name, though this appears to have been sent to Epstein's own address rather than Clinton directly. The relationship between Clinton and Epstein, however, is extensively documented in court records, flight logs, and media accounts captured in the archive. Flight manifests from Epstein's private jets show Clinton traveled with Epstein on multiple trips in 2002 and 2003, including a highly publicized humanitarian mission to Africa in September 2002. Clinton's adviser Doug Band appears in numerous emails coordinating with Ghislaine Maxwell regarding Clinton's travel and social engagements. The archive contains no evidence of Clinton visiting Epstein's private island, and depositions indicate Epstein himself denied Clinton ever visited Little St. James.

Background#

William Jefferson Clinton was born August 19, 1946, in Hope, Arkansas, and became the first U.S. president born after World War II. He attended Georgetown University, Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, and Yale Law School, where he met Hillary Rodham. Clinton served as Arkansas attorney general (1977-1979) and governor (1979-1981, 1983-1992) before being elected president. His administration oversaw the second longest peacetime economic expansion in American history, though his second term was consumed by the Monica Lewinsky scandal and his subsequent impeachment in 1998, followed by Senate acquittal in 1999.

Clinton's connection to Epstein began in the 1990s. According to a 2002 New York Magazine profile found in the archive, Epstein "flew Bill Clinton, Kevin Spacey, and Chris Tucker to Africa on his private Boeing 727" in September 2002 for humanitarian work. The article quoted Clinton's spokesman: "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." The same article noted that Maxwell "was recently seen dining with Clinton at Nello's on Madison Avenue," documenting an independent social connection between Clinton and Maxwell beyond organized events.

A March 2003 Vanity Fair profile of Epstein detailed the Africa trip's passenger list: "President Clinton, actors Chris Tucker and Kevin Spacey, supermarket magnate Ron Burkle, Lew Wasserman's grandson, Casey Wasserman, and a few others." The article described Epstein as someone who "flies celebrities including Bill Clinton and Kevin Spacey on his Boeing 727" and noted that Epstein's behavior toward journalists was intimidating: "One reporter, in fact, received three threats from Epstein while preparing a piece. They were delivered in a jocular tone, but the message was clear: There will be trouble for your family if I don't like the article." The article included a photo captioned "Epstein with President Clinton in Brunei, 2002," documenting an additional international trip not otherwise detailed in flight logs.

A January 2015 Gawker investigation provided the most comprehensive accounting of Clinton's air travel with Epstein: "In 2002, as New York has reported, Clinton recruited Epstein to make his plane available for a week-long anti-poverty and anti-AIDS tour of Africa with Kevin Spacey, Chris Tucker, billionaire creep Ron Burkle, Clinton confidant Gayle Smith (who now serves on Barack Obama's National Security Council), and others. The logs from that trip show that Maxwell, Kellen, and a woman named Chauntae Davis joined the entourage for five days." Critically, the article identified Chauntae Davies as "one of 27 women listed in the book under an entry for 'Massage-California,' one of six lists of massage girls Epstein kept in various locales."

The Gawker investigation documented that "Clinton shared Epstein's plane with Kellen and Maxwell on at least 11 flights in 2002 and 2003." Sarah Kellen was later identified by prosecutors as a "potential co-conspirator" in Epstein's sex trafficking operation and was described by Palm Beach police as deeply involved in recruiting. The article specified that "In January 2002, Clinton, his aide Doug Band, and Clinton's Secret Service detail are listed on a flight from Japan to Hong Kong with Epstein, Maxwell, Kellen, and two women described only as 'Janice' and 'Jessica.'" The following month, "Clinton hopped a ride from Miami to Westchester on a flight that also included Epstein, Maxwell, Kellen, and a woman described only as 'one female.'" A February 2002 flight log excerpt showed "BILL CLINTON" and "4 SECRET SERVICE" on a flight from JFK.

Public reporting indicates Clinton took at least 17 flights on Epstein's aircraft in 2002 and 2003, though the precise count varies depending on whether individual flight legs or complete trips are counted. Pilot Larry Visoski's deposition revealed that initial document production covered flight logs from "2002 through 2005," with additional records from "1998 through 2002" being produced later, indicating that earlier flight records may exist that were not part of the initial disclosure. Clinton's representatives have consistently stated he had no knowledge of Epstein's crimes and never visited Epstein's private island.

Correspondence with Epstein#

Clinton appears in only a single email thread in the archive: a January 2018 mass distribution where Epstein forwarded one of his characteristic intellectual brainstorming lists to dozens of recipients including "kashoggi," "bunker hunt," "george mitchell," "wayne owens," "prince andrew," "bill richardson," "bill clinton," "hamad bun jasem," "donalad trup," "woody allen," and numerous others. The email contained stream-of-consciousness notes about "membrane computing," "FFT," "harmony," "knots," "matrix algebra," and "face/image recognition". This appears to be Epstein's standard practice of broadcasting intellectual musings to a wide network rather than direct correspondence with Clinton.

No emails from or directly to Clinton appear in the archive. Clinton did not have a documented email address associated with Epstein's communications.

However, Clinton's presence in Epstein's orbit is extensively documented through his aide Doug Band, who maintained an active email relationship with Ghislaine Maxwell throughout the early 2000s. In September 2002, an email regarding an updated plane manifest for Clinton's Africa trip was sent to Maxwell from David Slade, copying Doug Band, indicating coordination of Clinton's travel on Epstein's aircraft.

Connections#

Clinton's primary connection to Epstein in the archive runs through Doug Band, who served as Clinton's counselor and advisor. Band exchanged numerous emails with Ghislaine Maxwell coordinating Clinton-related matters. In an April 2004 email, Band wrote to Maxwell: "It would be good to keep chelsea out of the article should that be possible", suggesting active management of Clinton-Epstein media coverage. In October 2004, Maxwell emailed Band asking if he had "slept with a best selling author - Clinton not withstanding", indicating a familiar social relationship.

Ghislaine Maxwell served as the primary social connector between Epstein and Clinton. A Daily Mail article captured in court exhibits described Maxwell as "a useful conduit to some of the most powerful people in the world, from President Clinton to Prince Andrew." The Vanity Fair profile noted that Maxwell "seems to organize much of his life" for Epstein, describing her as simply his "best friend." Maxwell was present on multiple flights with Clinton and maintained an independent social relationship with him, including the dinner at Nello's on Madison Avenue documented in the New York Magazine article. The archive also documents that Maxwell was "pictured with Jeffrey Epstein's social fixer at Chelsea's wedding," demonstrating the depth of the Maxwell-Clinton family connection.

Alan Dershowitz testified in his January 2016 deposition that he "had dinner at the home of Caroline Kennedy and Ed Schlossberg with President Clinton, and he basically asked me how Jeffrey was doing, and led me to believe that he had some relationship with Jeffrey." Dershowitz stated this dinner occurred possibly before 2005, and testified that he had "nonprivileged information" that Clinton and Epstein "socialized together" and that Epstein told him prior to 2005 that he and Clinton "knew each other and that they were doing some charitable work together." Dershowitz further testified that Epstein was "socializing with" Clinton "during the whole period of time up through 2005."

Other figures in Epstein's network referenced Clinton. In October 2009, publicist Peggy Siegal emailed Epstein: "Just left Ghislaine's townhouse...after party for film. Bill Clinton and Jeff Bezos were there...Jean Pigoni, director Mira Nair....etc.", documenting Clinton's continued social connection to Maxwell after Epstein's 2008 conviction.

In April 2010, an associate forwarded Epstein a Palm Beach Daily News article headlined "Bill Clinton, Naomi Campbell, others flew on Jeffrey Epstein's private jet, lawsuit reveals", as Epstein's legal troubles began attracting media attention. The article reported that "Clinton flew with Epstein from Nov. 4-9, 2003, to destinations that included Oslo, Norway; Russia, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing."

Physicist Lawrence Krauss jokingly proposed to Epstein in April 2018: "Let's do a men of the world conference. Kevin spacey Bill Clinton =1 franken Woody Allen", grouping Clinton with men facing #MeToo allegations.

In February 2018, Epstein asked attorney Kathryn Ruemmler: "do you think Bill Clinton would like to join you me ehud and steve.? could be very funny, all off the record", suggesting an off-the-record meeting with Clinton, Ehud Barak, and Steve Bannon. Ruemmler replied: "While he might like to, his lawyer would advise him against it. :-)" This exchange occurred a decade after Epstein's first conviction and suggests that Epstein still considered Clinton a potential social contact, while Ruemmler's joke implies that Clinton himself might still have been willing but for legal counsel's advice.

Document References#

Clinton appears extensively in court filings from the Giuffre v. Maxwell litigation. Flight logs produced in discovery document Clinton's travel on Epstein's Boeing 727 in November 2003, showing flights from Paris (LFPB) to Brussels (EBBR) to Oslo (ENGM) with passengers listed as "JE, AM, CM, SK, DOL BAND, 4 PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON", then continuing to Helsinki (EFHK), Hong Kong (VHHH), Shanghai (ZUUU), and Beijing (ZBAA) with "PRETER JE,AM, GM, N'S SK, CLENTS/ DB, SSC TO JUSTEN" before returning via Anchorage to JFK. The notation "SSC" likely refers to Secret Service personnel accompanying Clinton, while the presence of "4 PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON" on the earlier leg and "4 SECRET SERVICE" documented in Gawker's reporting confirms Secret Service protection on at least some flights.

In Alan Dershowitz's January 2016 deposition, he testified that Clinton and Epstein "went to Africa together on a mission of goodwill" and "maybe went to Asia together as well," based on newspaper accounts. When asked whether Virginia Roberts was lying when she said "Jeffrey Epstein socialized with Bill Clinton during the relevant time period," Dershowitz stated: "My information is that Virginia Roberts was lying when she said that she saw Bill Clinton on Jeffrey Epstein's island. That's all I can comment about with that. And she's lying about that. And she's lying about how Bill Clinton got to the island." This testimony confirms that Virginia Roberts Giuffre made specific claims about Clinton being on Epstein's island, though Dershowitz disputed these claims based on his information.

An American Liberty Report article captured in the archive stated that Virginia Roberts "described in great detail a dinner with Clinton and two underage Russian girls who had been offered to the former president for sex." This secondary source article describes allegations Giuffre made, though Giuffre's actual sworn testimony making these specific claims was not found as a separate document in the archive.

A Daily Mail article exhibit in the Giuffre v. Maxwell case documented that Ghislaine Maxwell was "pictured with Jeffrey Epstein's social fixer at Chelsea's wedding," noting that "Epstein kept 21 numbers for President Clinton in his contacts book, under the name of his adviser Doug Band." The twenty-one phone numbers demonstrate the extensive contact infrastructure maintained between Epstein's operation and Clinton's office. The same article noted that "The younger Maxwell (until at least 2010 a friend of the Clintons as well, who attended Chelsea Clinton's wedding)" and described Maxwell as "a useful conduit to some of the most powerful people in the world, from President Clinton to Prince Andrew."

An FBI memo summarizing the Epstein investigation noted internal DOJ emails from March 2020 referencing "the Africa trip with Epstein and President Clinton," with prosecutors distinguishing Clinton's travel from other witness accounts. This documents that DOJ prosecutors were actively examining Clinton's travel with Epstein in the context of victim investigations as recently as 2020.

Visits to Epstein Properties#

The archive documents no visits by Clinton to Epstein's Little St. James island or other private residences.

Manhattan townhouse: Media accounts captured in the archive reference Clinton socializing at Maxwell's Manhattan townhouse. In October 2009, Peggy Siegal reported attending an after-party at "Ghislaine's townhouse" where "Bill Clinton and Jeff Bezos were there". This event occurred more than a year after Epstein's June 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor, documenting Clinton's continued presence in Maxwell's social orbit during this period.

Private aircraft: Flight logs show documented travel:

1. January 2002 - Japan to Hong Kong flight: "Clinton, his aide Doug Band, and Clinton's Secret Service detail are listed on a flight from Japan to Hong Kong with Epstein, Maxwell, Kellen, and two women described only as 'Janice' and 'Jessica'"

2. February 2002 - Miami to Westchester: "Clinton hopped a ride from Miami to Westchester on a flight that also included Epstein, Maxwell, Kellen, and a woman described only as 'one female'", with flight log showing "BILL CLINTON" and "4 SECRET SERVICE"

3. September 2002 - Africa humanitarian trip: "Clinton recruited Epstein to make his plane available for a week-long anti-poverty and anti-AIDS tour of Africa with Kevin Spacey, Chris Tucker, billionaire creep Ron Burkle, Clinton confidant Gayle Smith (who now serves on Barack Obama's National Security Council), and others. The logs from that trip show that Maxwell, Kellen, and a woman named Chauntae Davis joined the entourage for five days". The passenger list included President Clinton, actors Chris Tucker and Kevin Spacey, Ron Burkle, Casey Wasserman, Gayle Smith, Ghislaine Maxwell, Sarah Kellen, and Chauntae Davies—who was notably identified as "one of 27 women listed in the book under an entry for 'Massage-California,' one of six lists of massage girls Epstein kept in various locales". The presence of Kellen (later identified as a "potential co-conspirator" in Epstein's trafficking operation) and Davies (listed in Epstein's massage contact book) alongside the former president is documented in Gawker's investigation and the New York Magazine article.

4. November 4-11, 2003 - European and Asian tour: Paris-Brussels-Oslo-Stockholm-Helsinki-Hong Kong-Shanghai-Beijing-Anchorage-New York (flight logs), with "Clinton flew with Epstein from Nov. 4-9, 2003, to destinations that included Oslo, Norway; Russia, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing"

5. 2002 - Brunei: A photo in the Vanity Fair profile was captioned "Epstein with President Clinton in Brunei, 2002", documenting an additional international trip

Little St. James island: No visits documented. Dershowitz testified that his information indicated Virginia Roberts was "lying when she said that she saw Bill Clinton on Jeffrey Epstein's island". Clinton's representatives have consistently denied he ever visited the island.

Palm Beach residence: No visits documented in the archive.

New Mexico ranch: No visits documented in the archive.

Paris apartment: Clinton flew through Paris in November 2003 according to flight logs, though no visits to Epstein's Paris residence are documented.