Much to the surprise of no one, former President Bill Clinton is among the more than 150 names that will appear in the hundreds of previously sealed court filings related to sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein that are expected to be made public this week.
According to court records, Clinton, identified as “Doe 36,” appears more than 50 times in the redacted filings, ABC News reports. Disgraced Royal, Prince Andrew, will also be named.
Having determined that there is no legal justification for keeping the names concealed, U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska ordered the unsealing to commence after January 1.
“The documents stem from a 2015 civil lawsuit centered on allegations that Epstein’s one-time paramour, Ghislaine Maxwell, facilitated the sexual abuse of Virginia Giuffre, an alleged trafficking victim,” according to ABC News. “Giuffre also accused Epstein and Maxwell of directing her to have sex with Prince Andrew and several other prominent men. Prince Andrew denied the allegations and claimed he could not recall ever meeting Giuffre. He later settled a lawsuit she filed against him.”
While some who have been labeled as “conspiracy theorists” may feel some sort of vindication with the release of Clinton’s name, few expect to see justice served.
“$100 to your favorite charity,” wrote one user on X. “Clinton never sees the inside of a courtroom, let alone the inside of a prison cell.”
$100 to your favorite charity.
Clinton never sees the inside of a courtroom, let alone the inside of a prison cell.
— TwentyYears (@TwentyYears1975) January 1, 2024
Indeed, ABC News reports: “Giuffre made no allegations of wrongdoing by Clinton, and there is no indication the sealed records contain evidence of illegal conduct by Clinton.”
Though Clinton and his entourage appeared on one of Epstein’s pilots’ personal flight logs for trips aboard the pedophile’s jumbo jet to places like Paris, Bangkok, and Brunei in 2002 and 2003, none show the former president flying to Epstein’s private Caribbean island, Little St. James.
Giuffre claimed she met Clinton on the island, but according to Maxwell, the Democrat had never been there, and Giuffre made the encounter up.
Clinton appears as “Doe 36” in several of the sealed or redacted entries as part of a 2016 effort by Giuffre’s legal team to subpoena the Arkansas politician “for deposition testimony about his relationship with Epstein.”
Just days after Hillary Clinton received the Democratic presidential nomination, “Giuffre’s legal team initiated informal discussions with attorneys for the then-unnamed witness on June 9, 2016,” ABC News reports.
“Representatives for Giuffre did contact the former president’s attorneys in 2016 about a potential deposition, a person familiar with the situation told ABC News,” the outlet continues. “Clinton’s lawyers responded that his testimony would not be helpful to Giuffre because, the person said, the former president had never been on Epstein’s island, as she had claimed.”
Ultimately, U.S. District Judge Robert Sweet denied the request in a redacted ruling. Giuffre’s attorneys tried again in 2017, prior to the start of a trial, but the case was settled before the Clinton issue was resolved.
“More information about the debate over the issue could become public in the documents to be unsealed,” according to ABC News.
“Clinton’s name is also expected to be unsealed in filings surrounding separate efforts by Maxwell and Giuffre to compel Epstein to answer questions,” the outlet reveals. “The disgraced financier invoked his constitutional rights against self-incrimination to every inquiry during a September 2016 deposition, as he had done many times before in civil lawsuits against him.”
Those hoping for some sort of smoking gun to emerge from the released filings are likely to be disappointed.
As per Preska’s procedure, Clinton’s lawyers — along with the attorneys for each of the named “Does” — were given a preview of the files in which he appeared and the opportunity to object to their release.
“Clinton’s legal team, after reviewing the excerpts, did not lodge any objections to the publication of the documents, according to Preska’s order last month,” ABC News reports.
On X, expectations are being managed accordingly.
“Very old news,” wrote one unimpressed user.
“And nothing will happen,” stated another.
“Clinton will come up with some story about being in on a financial deal or some philanthropic mission with Epstein,” predicted a third, “and all will be swept under the rug as per usual [when] it comes to the Clintons.”
Very old news
— Jared Michael (@JMH_360) January 1, 2024
And nothing will happen ♀️
— Phaidra Medeiros (@msphaidra) January 1, 2024
And of course, as usual nothing will come of this information. Clinton will come up with some story about being in on a financial deal or some philanthropic mission with Epstein and all will be swept under the rug as per usual where it comes to the Clintons. Could it be that the…
— ADDLEPATED DSF (@DSFisAddlepated) January 1, 2024
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Melissa Fine is the former executive editor of Casino Player, Strictly Slots, and Poker
Digest magazines. She is a UCLA graduate, news junkie, and dedicated Stargate SG-
1 fan. Melissa currently lives with her dog and two cats in a tiny town in the Sierra
Nevada foothills.
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