Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton’s contacts with Jeffrey Epstein are among the most extensively documented of any public figure’s. The flight logs are detailed. Photographs exist. The public statements have been carefully lawyered. And the central question — what, if anything, Clinton knew about Epstein’s crimes — has not been resolved by any public evidence.

Key facts: Clinton’s name appears on Epstein’s flight logs as a passenger on 26 flight legs across six trips between February 2002 and November 2003, according to a count by FactCheck.org. Clinton, through a spokesperson, described these as “four trips” — a characterization that maps onto the major international journeys, while FactCheck counted six trips when shorter and connecting flights are tallied separately. No flight logs place Clinton on flights to Epstein’s island (Little St. James), and Clinton has denied ever visiting it. No accuser has alleged criminal misconduct by Clinton.

What distinguishes the Clinton-Epstein connection from many others in the case is the volume of documented contact: 26 flight legs on Epstein’s aircraft, travel alongside Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s repeated visits to the Clinton White House in the 1990s, and a Foundation donation. This is a documented, multi-year association — but documented association is not, by itself, evidence of wrongdoing.

How They Connected (1990s–early 2000s)

The exact origin of the Clinton-Epstein relationship is not definitively established in any single primary source. Reporting indicates Epstein was within Clinton’s orbit by the early 1990s — White House visitor logs record Epstein visiting during Clinton’s first term — and that the relationship deepened around the 2002 Africa trip.

Ghislaine Maxwell has been widely identified as a social connector between Epstein and Democratic and New York society circles. Clinton aide Doug Band has also been identified in reporting as a connector: according to the 2002 New York Magazine profile, Band pitched the idea that Clinton use Epstein’s plane for the Africa trip, and Band traveled on that trip.

The 2002 New York Magazine profile of Epstein by Landon Thomas Jr. placed Epstein within Clinton’s social and philanthropic orbit and described the relationship in the context of Epstein’s growing public profile.

Epstein at the White House

White House visitor logs show that Jeffrey Epstein visited the Clinton White House at least 17 times between February 1993 and January 1995, on 14 separate days, according to logs reviewed by ABC News and reported by the Daily Beast and others. Epstein’s first recorded visit came in February 1993, just after Clinton’s inauguration, and his last in January 1995. Several visits were to meet Clinton aide Mark Middleton.

These visits occurred years before the conduct for which Epstein was later prosecuted, and the logs do not, by themselves, indicate the purpose or substance of any meeting with Clinton. Clinton White House visitor records are available through the National Archives.

The Flight Logs: How Many Times Did Clinton Fly on Epstein’s Plane?

This is the most extensively documented aspect of the relationship. Flight logs for Epstein’s Boeing 727 — sometimes referred to in media coverage as the “Lolita Express” — were maintained by Epstein’s pilots and entered into evidence in litigation related to the case.

Clinton’s name appears as a passenger on 26 flight legs. FactCheck.org, counting the logs, found these legs comprised six trips between February 9, 2002 and November 4, 2003. A single round trip with stops generates multiple log entries, which is why the number of legs greatly exceeds the number of trips.

Number of Trips vs. Number of Flight Legs

Clinton, through a spokesperson, said in 2019 that he took “a total of four trips” on Epstein’s plane — describing them as one to Europe, one to Asia, and two to Africa. FactCheck.org, applying its own counting method to the logs, identified six trips comprising 26 flight legs over the same 2002–2003 period; the difference is largely a matter of how connecting and short legs are grouped into “trips.” Either way, the documentary record shows substantially more flight legs than four.

The destinations documented in the logs include locations in Africa (the September 2002 trip), Europe, and Asia, as well as U.S. cities. Clinton’s last recorded flight on Epstein’s plane was in November 2003.

Did Clinton Fly to Epstein’s Island?

No flight logs show Clinton as a passenger on flights to Little St. James Island — Epstein’s private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands. FactCheck.org found that none of the flight logs list Clinton as a passenger on a Virgin Islands-bound plane. This question is addressed in more detail below.

The Africa Trip (September 2002)

The single most documented trip is a multi-country journey through Africa on Epstein’s Boeing 727 from approximately September 21 to October 2, 2002. According to FactCheck.org, it accounted for 11 of the 26 flight legs. The stated purpose involved Clinton Foundation work on HIV/AIDS prevention, democratization, and economic development.

Documented passengers on the Africa trip included:

• Bill Clinton
• Jeffrey Epstein
• Ghislaine Maxwell
• Doug Band (Clinton aide)
• Kevin Spacey
• Chris Tucker
• Members of Clinton’s Secret Service detail
• Additional staff and associates

Countries visited reportedly included Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, Mozambique, and South Africa.

A photograph from this period — published by the Daily Mail in August 2020 — shows Clinton receiving a neck/shoulder massage from Chauntae Davies, who has said she was a victim of Epstein. The photo was taken during a refueling stop. Davies, who confirmed the photograph, told the Daily Mail that Clinton “was a perfect gentleman during the trip and I saw absolutely no foul play involving him,” and described the massage as a brief, casual moment prompted by Maxwell.

Did Clinton Visit Epstein’s Island?

Whether Clinton visited Epstein’s private island is one of the most persistent questions in the case. The available evidence is one-sided in the documentary record but contested in some accounts:

Documentary record: Flight logs — the primary documentary record — do not show Clinton as a passenger on flights to Little St. James. Clinton’s representatives have specifically and repeatedly denied he ever visited the island.

Disputed claims: Steve Scully, a former IT contractor who maintained equipment on Epstein’s island, said in the Netflix documentary Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich (released May 2020) that he saw Clinton on the island. Scully did not allege any wrongdoing by Clinton. A Clinton spokesperson called the claim “a lie the first time it was told.” The claim has not been corroborated by flight logs or other documentary evidence.

Virginia Giuffre’s accounts on this point were not consistent. In a 2011 interview she suggested Clinton had been on the island, but she later testified that aspects of that account were based on what Maxwell had told her rather than her own observation, and she did not accuse Clinton of any wrongdoing.

Based on available documentary evidence, the claim that Clinton visited Little St. James rests on uncorroborated accounts. The flight logs — the most comprehensive record available — do not support it, and Clinton denies it.

Clinton Foundation Donation

The Clinton Foundation has acknowledged receiving one donation of $25,000 from an Epstein-related foundation in 2006, according to ABC News. (Separately, ABC News reported Epstein gave $1,000 to Clinton’s 1992 campaign and $20,000 to a Democratic fundraising committee in 1999, and the Daily Beast reported a $10,000 donation to the White House Historical Association in 1993.)

Epstein’s lawyer has claimed Epstein helped devise the Clinton Global Initiative, but the extent of any such involvement is not well documented and is disputed.

Photographs with Maxwell

Photographs exist of Clinton with Ghislaine Maxwell at social and fundraising events, and a 1993 White House reception photo shows Epstein and Maxwell with Clinton. No photographs of Clinton on Little St. James Island have surfaced publicly. Many of the widely circulated photographs show Clinton with Maxwell rather than with Epstein directly.

Clinton’s 2019 Statement

After Epstein’s arrest on July 6, 2019, Clinton issued a statement through spokesperson Angel Ureña. It said:

“President Clinton 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’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.”

The statement said that in 2002 and 2003 Clinton “took a total of four trips on Jeffrey Epstein’s airplane: one to Europe, one to Asia, and two to Africa, which included stops in connection with the work of the Clinton Foundation.” It added that Clinton “had one meeting with Epstein in his Harlem office in 2002, and around the same time made one brief visit to Epstein’s New York apartment with a staff member and his security detail.”

As noted above, FactCheck.org’s count of the flight logs identified six trips comprising 26 flight legs over this period, more than the “four trips” the statement described; the gap is largely a matter of how legs are grouped into trips.

The Secret Service Question

Clinton had Secret Service protection as a former president. Secret Service agents are listed as passengers on several legs of the flights on Epstein’s plane — a February 9, 2002 manifest, for example, lists Clinton with four Secret Service agents alongside Epstein and Maxwell.

Some flight legs do not list Secret Service personnel. Possible explanations include agents traveling on separate aircraft, inconsistent logging practices, or passengers recorded under initials. The Secret Service has not publicly detailed the arrangements for Clinton’s travel on Epstein’s aircraft, and the question remains unresolved.

Contact After Epstein’s 2008 Conviction

Clinton’s 2019 statement and his representatives place his Epstein contacts in 2002–2003, before Epstein’s legal troubles. No flight logs document Clinton on Epstein’s plane after November 2003, and no publicly available evidence opened for this profile places Clinton on Epstein’s aircraft after the 2008 plea deal. Clinton’s office has stated he had not spoken to Epstein in well over a decade and cut contact years before Epstein’s crimes came to light.

January 2024 Unsealed Documents

In January 2024, court documents from the Giuffre v. Maxwell defamation case — naming roughly 150 Epstein associates — were unsealed following an order by federal judge Loretta Preska. Clinton’s name appeared in several contexts, including deposition testimony from Johanna Sjoberg, who said Epstein once told her “Clinton likes them young,” apparently referring to girls. Sjoberg testified that she did not meet Clinton.

ABC News characterized the references to Clinton in this batch as “discredited” allegations and reported that the documents contained no new allegation of criminal or sexual misconduct by Clinton. As ABC News put it, “Neither Clinton, nor Trump, nor Branson was accused by Giuffre, or anyone else besides Ransome, of any wrongdoing in the course of Giuffre’s defamation lawsuit against Maxwell.”

Virginia Giuffre’s Statements About Clinton

Giuffre’s statements about Clinton are notably more restrained than her allegations against other individuals. She did not accuse Clinton of sexual misconduct or any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.

This is an important distinction. Giuffre named several powerful men in connection with Epstein’s operation — including Prince Andrew and Alan Dershowitz, both of whom denied her allegations. Clinton was not among the men she accused.

Other Witnesses Mentioning Clinton

Beyond Giuffre, Clinton has been mentioned by:

• Johanna Sjoberg, who relayed Epstein’s “Clinton likes them young” remark but said she did not meet Clinton and made no allegation of misconduct against him.
• Epstein’s household staff, including house manager Juan Alessi, who mentioned Clinton as a connection but did not allege witnessing misconduct.
• Epstein’s pilots Larry Visoski and David Rodgers, who maintained the flight logs that record Clinton as a passenger.

No publicly available sworn testimony accuses Clinton of sexual misconduct in connection with Epstein.

What Is and Is Not Established

Clinton has never been charged with any crime related to Epstein. No accuser has alleged sexual misconduct by Clinton in sworn testimony, and Virginia Giuffre — the most prominent Epstein accuser — did not accuse him of any wrongdoing.

What is established is that Clinton had multi-year documented contact with Epstein before Epstein’s 2008 conviction; that he traveled on Epstein’s plane (26 flight legs across six trips in 2002–2003); that Epstein visited the Clinton White House in the 1990s; and that he associated with Ghislaine Maxwell, later convicted of recruiting and grooming underage victims. Being recorded on flight logs or in visitor records is not evidence of wrongdoing, and Clinton has said he knew nothing of Epstein’s crimes.

The federal investigative files that might provide further clarity on the broader case have been released only in part and with redactions. The Epstein Transparency Act may eventually provide a fuller picture. Until then, the documented record establishes association, not criminal conduct.

Documents

Primary-source records that name or reference Bill Clinton. Inclusion in these documents is not, by itself, evidence of wrongdoing; no accuser has alleged misconduct by Clinton, and he has said he knew nothing of Epstein’s crimes.

• Giuffre v. Maxwell — unsealed court records (Jan. 2024) — Clinton is referenced in multiple documents unsealed in this civil case (U.S. District Court, S.D.N.Y., No. 1:15-cv-07433). Johanna Sjoberg’s deposition relays Epstein’s remark that “Clinton likes them young, referring to girls,” while noting she did not meet Clinton; Ghislaine Maxwell’s deposition characterized Giuffre’s 2011 comments about Clinton as among the “obvious lies”; and Clinton is listed as a potential witness in the plaintiff’s Rule 26 disclosures. No filing accuses Clinton of any wrongdoing.
• Epstein flight logs — Pilot manifests for Epstein’s aircraft, released by the DOJ in February 2025, record Clinton as a passenger. FactCheck.org’s count of the logs found his name on 26 flight legs across six trips in 2002–2003; the logs do not place him on any flight to Epstein’s island.