Bill Clinton and Jeffrey Epstein's Friendship Explained — Were They Close?

People are talking about Bill Clinton and Jeffrey Epstein's friendship after a new report from The Wall Street Journal revealed the late billionaire had a book assembled for his 50th birthday. The book reportedly contained messages from the accused pedophile's famous friends, and former POTUS Bill Clinton was mentioned as one of them. Epstein died in 2019, allegedly by suicide, after he was accused by multiple women of sex trafficking them while they were underage.

Epstein's old girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, allegedly lured the girls to the billionaire.

The book was given to Epstein three years before the trafficking charges were brought against him, but because it listed names such as Donald Trump, billionaire Leon Black, Clinton, and other prominent figures, folks are talking about Epstein's associates and wondering if they knew about his misdeeds with young girls. Clinton, Trump, and others were allegedly categorized as "friends" in the birthday book.

The report claims that Clinton called himself a "friend" in a note he sent for the birthday book. Clinton's office confirmed he took four trips on Epstein's plane in 2002 and 2003.

"The biggest name in Jeffrey Epstein's birthday book back in 2003 was a past president rather than a future one," reads the WSJ report. "Epstein's former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell was keen for Bill Clinton and other boldface names to submit letters for the special gift, according to people involved in putting it together."

"In the end, she was successful. The leather-bound album — assembled before Epstein was first arrested in 2006 — included a page with a single paragraph in Clinton's distinctive scrawl."

"It’s reassuring, isn’t it? To have lasted as long, across all the years of learning and knowing, adventures," Clinton allegedly wrote. "And also, to have your childlike curiosity, the drive to make a difference, and the solace of friends.”

While Clinton admitted that he was once friendly with the billionaire, a spokesperson for Clinton said in 2019 that the former president broke off his ties with Epstein 10 years before his arrest, and that he was not aware of the billionaire's crimes. According to NPR, in a civil lawsuit filed by accuser Virginia Giuffre in 2015, another witness said that Epstein told her, "Clinton likes them young." The comment reportedly took place on a vacation to Thailand with Epstein.

Another lawsuit filed in 2014 claimed that Epstein arranged for "numerous prominent American politicians, powerful business executives, foreign presidents, a well-known prime minister, and other world leaders" to have sex with young girls. Prince Andrew was named in the 2015 lawsuit, and he was accused of groping a young woman's breast, which he denied.

President Trump filed a $10 billion lawsuit after the WSJ published a note he allegedly sent Epstein, along with a picture he drew of a naked woman.

"A pal is a wonderful thing," he reportedly wrote. "Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret."