Maxwell Had Behind-the-Scenes Role in Clinton World

Freshly unsealed Justice Department documents reveal how deeply Ghislaine Maxwell embedded herself in Bill Clinton's post-White House world—and how that differed from Jeffrey Epstein's role. Emails in the Epstein case files show Maxwell was heavily involved in getting the first Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) conference off the ground in 2004, well before Epstein's 2006 indictment and her own sex-trafficking conviction. She joined budget talks, worked with Clinton aides and event producer Publicis, and arranged a $1 million wire transfer to pay Publicis for its work, the New York Times reports. Epstein was aware of the payment, asking Maxwell in one email why the money was needed "now and where will it be going," but the funding source remains unclear.

The records bolster Maxwell's claim in a 2023 Justice Department interview that she had a "very central" role in CGI's creation, and they depict her as a more consistent presence in the Clinton orbit than Epstein. She sent the former president novelty "devil slippers," attended Chelsea Clinton's 2010 wedding alongside Clinton Foundation donor Ted Waitt, was a guest at the Clinton Global Initiative conference in 2013, and, by her account, dined with Bill Clinton at some point between 2016 and 2018, per the New York Times and London Times. "President Clinton was my friend, not Epstein's friend," she told investigators. She also traded flirtatious emails with top Clinton aide Doug Band in the early 2000s, though Band now calls her "a monster" and says there was no physical relationship.

The files offer little new about Hillary Clinton and do not contradict Bill Clinton's statements that he cut ties with Epstein before 2006 and never visited Epstein's private island. Flight logs still show Clinton took four trips on Epstein's jet in 2002 and 2003, including a 10-day tour with Maxwell and celebrities aboard. A Clinton spokesperson previously said the former president "has nothing to hide" and supports full release of the Epstein files, while House Republicans prepare to question both Clintons under oath about their Epstein ties later this month. White House Press Secretary Karoline Levitt has highlighted a photo showing Bill Clinton in a hot tub with a person whose face is redacted. The House oversight committee has also claimed he was "pictured receiving a 'massage' from one of Mr Epstein's victims."