A spokesperson for former president Bill Clinton said late Friday that the White House was attempting to use him as a scapegoat following the congressionally ordered release of justice department files that included photographs showing Clinton alongside convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell. The images, which circulated widely after their release, also included a photograph of Clinton with Maxwell and a young woman in a swimming pool, as well as other images depicting Clinton with prominent public figures. The spokesperson argued that the timing and manner of the release were politically motivated rather than driven by transparency.
In a statement posted on X, the spokesperson rejected the idea that the release was intended to protect Clinton, stating: “The White House hasn’t been hiding these files for months only to dump them late on a Friday to protect Bill Clinton.” The statement continued by asserting that the release was meant to divert attention from other issues, adding: “This is about shielding themselves from what comes next, or from what they’ll try and hide forever. So they can release as many grainy 20-plus-year-old photos as they want, but this isn’t about Bill Clinton. Never has, never will be.” The spokesperson further cited remarks from White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, referencing an interview with Vanity Fair in which Wiles acknowledged that Clinton had not been on Epstein’s Caribbean island, despite repeated claims by Donald Trump suggesting otherwise.
Clinton has consistently maintained that he severed ties with Epstein around 2005, prior to Epstein’s guilty plea in Florida on charges related to solicitation of a minor. That position was reiterated in the statement released Friday by Clinton’s spokesperson, Angel Ureña, who said: “There are two types of people here. The first group knew nothing and cut Epstein off before his crimes came to light. The second group continued relationships with him after. We’re in the first. No amount of stalling by people in the second group will change that. Everyone, especially MAGA, expects answers, not scapegoats.” The statement emphasized that Clinton was not among those who maintained relationships with Epstein after his criminal conduct became publicly known.
