Former U.S. President Bill Clinton told lawmakers that President Donald Trump told him he had "some great times" with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein before their relationship soured, according to a video released on Monday (2 March).
In a videotaped deposition to the House of Representatives Oversight Committee, the former Democratic president said under oath that Trump mentioned Epstein during a golf tournament in 2002 or 2003.
The conversation took place after Clinton left office and more than a decade before Trump was elected president.
"Somehow he knew I had flown in Jeffrey Epstein's aircraft," Clinton told the committee.
"He said, 'You know, we had some great times together over the years, but we fell out all because of a real estate deal.'"
Trump has said the relationship soured after Epstein hired young women who worked at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club.
Clinton said the exchange did not lead him to believe Trump was involved with anything improper involving Epstein.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Both have repeatedly said they did not see any evidence of sex trafficking, and neither has been accused by authorities of criminal activity related to Epstein, who entertained a long list of business and financial leaders at his lavish residences in New York, Florida and the Caribbean.
Epstein was arrested again in 2019 and died in prison while facing federal sex-trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide.
Under Trump, the Justice Department has released millions of records from its investigations into Epstein, including photos of Clinton with women whose faces have been redacted.
Clinton has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and has said he regrets his association with Epstein.
In last week's testimony, Clinton said he was introduced to Epstein by his former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, who described Epstein as a donor who was willing to fly Clinton and his staff around the globe as he set up a charitable AIDS (Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) foundation.
Clinton said he flew on Epstein's jet on trips to Asia, Africa and Europe, and once from Florida to New York, but moved on to other donors after 2003.
"I thought Mr. Epstein was an interesting man, but I didn't think he was really interested in what I was doing," Clinton said.
Clinton said he never had sexual contact with anyone introduced by the late financier or his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, but did receive a neck massage from a flight attendant later identified as an Epstein abuse survivor. Clinton said he did not know that Epstein had abused girls whom he had recruited as masseuses.
"I didn't think it was anything unusual. I can't tell you how many airplanes I've been on where rich people asked me to go and they had someone offering massage. All these boats that you go on and all that, they all do that. And usually I don't do that," he said.
Clinton said he never visited Epstein's Caribbean island and did not know that Epstein had visited the White House 17 times during his 1993-2001 presidency.
The Republican-led panel also subpoenaed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who testified last week that she did not recall ever meeting Epstein.
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Former U.S. President Bill Clinton told lawmakers that President Donald Trump told him he had "some great tim...
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton said on Friday (27 February) that he had no knowledge of the crimes committed by Jeffrey Epstein and would not have flown on the late convicted sex offender’s plane had he had any inkling of his activities.
Speaking during a closed-door deposition in New York on Thursday (February), former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she did not “recall” ever meeting the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and had “no knowledge of his crimes”.
U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) documents have revealed the late Jeffrey Epstein’s extensive connections across politics, business and academia, prompting resignations, investigations and renewed public scrutiny of his influence.
House lawmakers are set to question former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Chappaqua, New York near their main residence, on Thursday (26 February) and Friday as part of Congress’s investigation into disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Follow the latest developments and global reaction after the U.S. and Israel launched “major combat operations” in Iran, prompting retaliation from Tehran.
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The Kremlin is utilising the recent United States and Israeli military strikes on Iran to validate its ongoing war in Ukraine. Russian officials are pointing to the escalation in the Middle East as evidence that Western nations do not adhere to international rules.
The Middle East crisis intensifies after the deadly attack on the compound of the Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei on Saturday that killed him, other family members and senior figures. Iran has launched retaliatory strikes on U.S. targets in the region.
Ayatollah Alireza Arafi has moved into a pivotal constitutional role following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, becoming the clerical member of Iran’s temporary leadership council under Article 111 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The U.S.-Iran crisis has entered its third day, with further strikes reported across the Middle East and the death toll rising. Oil prices have surged to levels last seen during the Covid-19 pandemic, raising fears of economic disruption and higher prices worldwide.
The UK said it's allowing the U.S. to use its bases for defensive strikes against Iran amid escalating missile attacks, after a suspected drone strike hit a British airbase in southern Cyprus, causing limited damage.
The Kremlin is utilising the recent United States and Israeli military strikes on Iran to validate its ongoing war in Ukraine. Russian officials are pointing to the escalation in the Middle East as evidence that Western nations do not adhere to international rules.
European Union stands with its member states in the face of any threat, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in response to the drone strike that hit Britain's Royal Air Force base of Akrotiri in southern Cyprus overnight.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 27th of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
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