The internet is ablaze over the release of new court filings related to the late Jeffrey Epstein, a former financier and convicted sex trafficker.
For weeks people had been speculating on a supposed list of co-conspirators and clients that would directly link some of the rich and powerful with Epstein. Such a list still hasn’t manifested, but a New York federal judge did order some new, previously unseen court documents to be unveiled on Wednesday.
The documents are part of a lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre, a victim of Epstein, against Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. This suit was filed back in 2015 and has already been settled.
One name that cropped up over 50 times in these documents was former President Bill Clinton. Clinton supposedly had a somewhat close friendship with Epstein and Maxwell. Documents show discussion on whether or not it was worth deposing Clinton for this reason.
A testimony from one of the outspoken victims, Johanna Sjoberg, revealed that Epstein once remarked to her that “Clinton likes them young.” Sjoberg took this to mean a reference to the younger women or girls that Epstein would surround himself with, but there is no confirmation on the meaning behind this phrase.
It should also be noted that Clinton has not been accused of any wrongdoing in this case.
Another former president appeared in the trove. Donald Trump is also not implicated in any wrongdoing from these documents and was mentioned only a few times, often in passing.
For instance, one testimony revealed that Epstein spent some time at a Trump casino in Atlantic City, but there was no indication that private meetings occurred between Trump and Epstein.
Another big name mentioned was Prince Andrew, who had previously been removed of the moniker “His Royal Highness” due to his known relationship with Epstein. New testimonies in this trove add to already existing sexual abuse accusations against the Duke of York. He continues to deny any wrongdoing.
Other names mentioned, but not implicated in any illegal activity, include late pop icon Michael Jackson and magician David Copperfield.
In addition to these documents, Epstein’s brother, Mark Epstein, made a rather bold claim that Jeffrey could have derailed the 2016 election with information on both candidates at the time. Mark told the New York Post on Wednesday the following:
Here’s a direct quote: ‘If I said what I know about both candidates, they’d have to cancel the election.’ That’s what Jeffrey told me in 2016.
Again, Trump has not been implicated in any wrongdoing and has denied knowing of the sex trafficking business perpetrated by Epstein. Hillary Clinton’s relationship to Epstein would have been primarily through Bill, but again, neither Clinton has been implicated in any criminal or illicit activity linked to Epstein.
Another set of names will be made public by Jan. 22.