A longtime aide to Bill Clinton walked back a previous claim that the former president visited Jeffrey Epstein’s island, in line with two sources conversant in closed-door testimony on Capitol Hill.
Doug Band, the former Clinton aide, is the seventeenth particular person to testify behind closed doorways as a part of the House Oversight Committee’s sprawling probe into Epstein’s orbit and the way earlier investigations have been dealt with. The panel sought Band’s testimony after Clinton testified earlier than the committee in February. The former president informed lawmakers on the time that Band labored for him for years and that the aide knew each Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, the late intercourse offender’s confederate.
In 2020, Band informed Vanity Fair that Clinton visited Epstein’s non-public island in 2003. In February, nonetheless, Clinton testified that he was by no means on Epstein’s island — and on Tuesday, Band amended his earlier assertion throughout his personal interview with the panel, the sources stated.
Band said he had no proof that Clinton went to Epstein’s island, and he doesn’t keep in mind why he informed Vanity Fair that he did, one of many sources informed NCS.
NCS has reached out to a lawyer for Band for remark. NCS has additionally reached out to a Clinton spokesperson.
Ahead of the interview, House Oversight Chair James Comer informed reporters that Band’s feedback to Vanity Fair would “obviously be a question.”
“We know that Mr. Band set up several meetings between Clinton and Epstein. We know Mr. Band accompanied Mr. Clinton on several flights on Epstein’s jet,” Comer stated. “We know that Mr. Band had a lot of communication with Ms. Maxwell. So that’ll be a topic of several questions.”
The Justice Department’s launch earlier this yr of Epstein case recordsdata provided recent perception into how Band, a prime aide to the former president, communicated with Maxwell.
In one e-mail launched as a part of the recordsdata, Band seems to inform Maxwell that he shared an e-mail account with Clinton.
But in Clinton’s deposition with the panel, the former president might recall solely ever sending two emails in his life and added that he didn’t ship emails on the account talked about by Band. Clinton stated he thought Band “thought it would increase his cache if he had an email with WJC on it,” referring to his initials.
In some messages launched as a part of the Epstein recordsdata, the initials “WJC” are proven within the recipient or sender line whereas the complete e-mail tackle is commonly redacted.
In one other exchange, Maxwell seems to ship a message to a redacted e-mail tackle, which has the initials WJC related to it, and says, partially, “I could not help myself – there was one juicy little tit bit I did let out – the one about what a supper stud you are and how I have a crush on you and how you are hung like a horse.”
Clinton informed lawmakers that he believed that message was despatched to Band and added that he solely discovered about it whereas getting ready for his testimony.
“I did not know nor did I need to know that they had a personal relationship for a while,” Clinton stated of Band and Maxwell.
Much of the communications between Maxwell and the WJC e-mail tackle reviewed by NCS pertain to journey and eating logistics, and typically last-minute invitations to the former president himself. It’s unclear whether or not the communications have been associated to the enterprise of the inspiration or private dealings of Clinton or his employees.
Clinton has denied having any data of Epstein’s crimes throughout what he stated was the pair’s “brief acquaintance.”