Child sex accused and his powerful friends
Jeffrey Epstein has hobnobbed with some of the world’s most powerful people during his jet-setting life. Future President Donald Trump called him a ‘‘terrific guy.’’ Former President Bill Clinton praised his intellect and philanthropic efforts and was a frequent flyer aboard his private jet.
The arrest of the billionaire financier on child sex trafficking charges is raising questions about how much his high-powered associates knew about the hedge fund manager’s interactions with underage girls, and whether they turned a blind eye to potentially illegal conduct.
It’s also putting new scrutiny on Labour Secretary Alexander Acosta, who, as US attorney for the Southern District of Florida, was involved in a 2008 secret plea deal that allowed Epstein to avoid federal charges after admitting and being jailed for a lesser state prostitution charge.
The White House did not respond to repeated questions yesterday about when Trump was last in contact with Epstein or if he had witnessed Epstein engage in illegal activity with underage girls.
In his most extensive known public comments about Epstein, Trump told New York magazine in 2002 that he’d known the financier for 15 years and praised him as a ‘‘terrific guy.’’
‘‘He’s a lot of fun to be with,’’ Trump was quoted as saying. ‘‘It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it – Jeffrey enjoys his social life.’’
Trump Organisation attorney Alan Garten has since distanced Trump from Epstein, telling Politico in 2017 that Trump ‘‘had no relationship with Mr Epstein and had no knowledge whatsoever of his conduct.’’
Asked about the charges on Sunday, Trump said, ‘‘I don’t know about it.’’
Epstein was also an associate of Clinton’s, repeatedly lending the former president his jet to travel overseas. Flight logs obtained by Fox News showed the former president took at least 26 trips aboard Epstein’s Boeing 727, nicknamed the ‘‘Lolita Express,’’ from 2001 to 2003. That ‘‘included extended junkets around the world with Epstein and fellow passengers identified on manifests by their initials or first names, including ‘Tatiana,’’’ the outlet found.
‘‘Jeffrey is both a highly successful financier and a committed philanthropist with a keen sense of global markets and an in-depth knowledge of twentyfirst-century science,’’ Clinton told New York magazine though a spokesman for that same 2002 story. ‘‘I especially appreciated his insights and generosity during the recent trip to Africa to work on democratisation, empowering the poor, citizen service, and combating HIV/AIDS.’’
Clinton spokesman Angel Urena said the former president ‘‘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.’’
He said that, in 2002 and 2003, Clinton took four trips on Epstein’s plane with multiple stops and that staff and his Secret Service detail travelled on every leg.
‘‘He’s not spoken to Epstein in well over a decade, and has never been to Little St James Island, Epstein’s ranch in New Mexico, or his residence in Florida,’’ Urena added.