Photos and e-mails recently made public by the US Department of Justice shed light on the relationship between former US President Bill Clinton and Jeffrey Epstein, the deceased financier and convicted sex offender, how his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, who is in prison for sex trafficking, cultivated the links between them from the shadows, the BBC reports.
Among the materials is a photo of Clinton swimming at night with Maxwell. Another image captures him smiling backstage at a Rolling Stones concert in Hong Kong with Epstein. A third undated photo shows the former president relaxing in a jacuzzi with a person whose face has been blurred to protect his identity.
Although Clinton's ties to Epstein have been public knowledge for years, the documents and images offer new insight into the networks and relationships that connected the former US president to Epstein in the 2000s. Clinton has repeatedly said her interactions with Epstein were related to her charity work after she left the White House.
The materials are likely to play an important role in Clinton's hearings by a Republican-led US congressional committee on Friday investigating high-ranking public figures associated with Epstein. While none of the documents implicate Clinton in wrongdoing, they provide insight into how the former US president's connections intersected with Epstein's social and financial networks.
Clinton's spokesman said the photos were old and that he cut ties with Epstein before his crimes came to light.
The new materials reveal that in the early 2000s, when Clinton was looking for donors for his charitable foundation and later a foundation dedicated to solving world problems, Epstein was a luxury financier who, along with his girlfriend Maxwell, entertained the world's richest people, from Buckingham Palace to Palm Beach.
The emails reveal Maxwell's role as an intermediary
The documents do not include direct messages between the two men, according to the BBC analysis, but correspondence between 2002 and 2004 between Ghislaine Maxwell and senior Clinton adviser Doug Band. The correspondence shows a close and sexually suggestive relationship between Maxwell and Band, who frequently referred to her as a “social suitor” and “sweetheart”, while Maxwell praised her social skills and physical qualities, filtering that she was “in love” with him and that he was an attractive man.
Band has not been charged with any crime or wrongdoing associated with Epstein.
The emails reveal the logistical coordination of Clinton's ties to Epstein, including arranging meetings for the Clinton Global Initiative and arranging flights on Epstein's private jet. Flight logs show Clinton traveled on Epstein's plane at least 24 times, often with stops related to philanthropic activities, according to the former president's spokesman.
Angel Ureña, Clinton's deputy chief of staff, told the BBC: “President Clinton knew nothing about Epstein's crimes and has nothing to hide,” pointing out that Clinton had not sent any of the emails in the Epstein files. Ureña said Clinton's trips with Epstein were in support of her philanthropic work.
International tournaments
The flight logs detail Clinton's extensive travels on Epstein's plane between February 2002 and November 2003 to Europe, Africa, Asia, Russia and US cities such as Miami and New York. A September 2002 tour of Africa with several celebrities attracted media attention. Clinton, through a spokesman, described Epstein as “a highly successful financier and committed philanthropist” and credited him with logistical help for her Foundation's projects.
Maxwell, in a 2025 deposition for the Justice Department, said he played a central role in arranging the meeting between Clinton and Epstein, including facilitating access to his private jet.
“Mr. Epstein has provided an aircraft large enough to accommodate me, my staff and my Secret Service team in support of the visit to the Foundation's philanthropic work,” the president said in a sworn statement to Congress last month obtained by the BBC.
Epstein had visited the White House in the early 1990s, along with hundreds of other guests, on which occasion Maxwell was photographed with Clinton, then president.
“Epstein had gone to the White House, but they hadn't met,” she told Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “They met because of me.”
Maxwell also stated that Clinton traveled on Epstein's plane because of her mediation.
“I was the one who asked Epstein to supply the plane,” the former associate said.
Doug Band, Clinton's former deputy chief of staff and later helped found the Clinton Global Initiative, played a key role in coordinating Clinton's charitable projects.
Flight logs and correspondence show coordinated efforts to organize meetings and philanthropic events in London, Africa, Hong Kong, Japan and other locations. Maxwell also facilitated Band's connections with global figures, including Moroccan event organizer Richard Attias, to support Clinton's international initiatives.
“He's been involved in Davos for many years, so he's probably one of, if not the only, person you can talk to,” Maxwell wrote in February 2004. “I think there's a lot of money to be made from a possible association with him. I have ideas I want to talk to you about, but only after I see him.”
Attias confirmed to the BBC that he met with Band after initially speaking to Clinton in Davos, where he proposed an opportunity to use his image to effect change on a global scale.
He said he worked with Band to make that vision a reality at Clinton's global conference.
On September 16, 2005, Clinton took the stage at the inaugural meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative in New York.
At the event, intended to be America's answer to the Davos conference and an opportunity to address “the world's most pressing challenges,” Clinton moderated a group of influential players: former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, King Abdullah II of Jordan and then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Bill Clinton's Regrets
Clinton has consistently denied any knowledge of Epstein's criminal activities. In his 2024 memoir, he wrote that he “always thought Epstein was strange” and expressed regret for traveling on Epstein's plane.
“He hurt a lot of people but I didn't know anything about it and when he was first arrested in 2005 I had already cut off contact with him.”
Band also said he advised Clinton to cut ties with Epstein after sensing something was amiss during their 2002 trip to Africa.
“Even though it allowed me to visit my foundation's projects, Epstein's plane ride was not worth the years of questions that followed,” Clinton wrote. “I wish I had never met him.”
US congressional hearings are set to examine the links revealed in the documents as investigators and lawmakers continue to track Epstein's influence over political and philanthropic figures.
