Former President Bill Clinton’s insistence that he “knows nothing” of the alleged crimes of Jeffrey Epstein is a lie, contends an investigative journalist who first broke the Epstein story a decade ago.
Conchita Sarnoff, the executive director of Alliance to Rescue Victims of Trafficking and the author of “Trafficking,” told Fox News on Monday night that pilot logs show Clinton traveled 27 times on Epstein’s private jet — not four as the former president stated — and on nearly every trip there were underage girls.
She was reacting to Clinton’s statement, issued through a spokesman Monday, regarding the unsealing of Epstein’s indictment for allegedly sexually molesting “dozens” of girls as young as 14.
Clinton stated he “knows nothing” about the “terrible crimes” and took only four trips on Epstein’s plane in 2002 and 2003. He declared his Secret Service detail traveled with him at all times and he met only briefly with Epstein.
However, in an interview Monday night with Shannon Bream on “Fox News @ Night,” Sarnoff claimed Clinton was a guest on Epstein’s planes many more times over a longer period, FoxNews.com reported.
“I know from the pilot logs — and these are pilot logs that you know were written by different pilots and at different times — that Clinton went, he was a guest of Epstein’s 27 times,” she said.
Sarnoff added that on many of those trips, Clinton “had his Secret Service with him and many times he did not.”
“Almost every time that Clinton’s name is on the pilot logs there are underage girls, there are initials, and there are names of many many girls on that private plane,” she said.
Fox News reported in 2016 that Epstein allegedly offered sex to underage girls aboard the jet, dubbed by tabloids the “Lolita Express.” An air hostess testified the plane had a bed where passengers had group sex.
In 2008, Epstein was prosecuted for soliciting sex with underage girls. But in a plea deal, he served only a 13-month sentence in a county jail in which he was allowed to go to his office during the day to work.
Sarnoff said she believes Clinton “is not telling the truth” about his ties to Epstein.
She also pointed out that Gerald Lefcourt, one of Epstein’s attorneys, wrote a letter stating Epstein was one of the original funders of the Clinton Global Initiative.
Epstein gave Clinton $4 million, according to a source, she said.
Clinton, Sarnoff said, has rejected her requests for interviews about the matter.
No cooperation from Clinton Library
WND reported Monday the Clinton Library refused to respond to a request from a television news network for information regarding Clinton’s relationship with Epstein.
In addition, the Washington watchdog Judicial Watch asked the Department of Homeland Security in 2015 for records of Clinton’s Secret Service expenses while he traveled with Epstein on the hedge fund manager’s private jet. But the department never handed over the records, reported OAN, the One America News network.
On Monday, the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York unsealed an indictment accusing Epstein of paying underage girls hundreds of dollars in cash for massages and then molesting them at his homes in Florida and New York from 2002 through 2005.
Epstein “intentionally sought out minors and knew that many of his victims were in fact under the age of 18,” prosecutors said.
They also allege he paid some of his victims to recruit additional girls, creating “a vast network of underage victims for him to sexually exploit in locations including New York and Palm Beach.”
Trump’s labor secretary oversaw 2008 plea deal
The once-secret 2008 plea deal was overseen by Alexander Acosta, the U.S. attorney in Miami at the time and now Trump’s labor secretary. Epstein faced a potential federal indictment for sexually abusing dozens of girls between 1999 and 2007. He also was accused of directing others to abuse girls and paying employees to bring victims to him.
In the deal, he pleaded guilty to a lesser Florida state felony prostitution charge of soliciting and procuring a person under 18 for prostitution, avoiding a possible life sentence.
Acosta has defended the agreement, but the White House said in February it was reviewing his handling of the case.
In April, House Democrats confronted Acosta about his role in the case during a routine budget hearing.
The labor secretary said human trafficking was “an inÂcredÂibly important issue” and his office did the best it could to ensure Epstein was punished.
“I understand the frustration,” Acosta said. “It’s important to understand that he was going to get off with no jail time or restitution. It was the work of our office that resulted in him going to jail.”
Prominent friends
Along with Clinton, Epstein’s prominent friends have included President Trump and Britain’s Prince Andrew.
Trump’s praise of Epstein in an interview with New York magazine in 2002 has drawn attention since the hedge-fund billionaire’s arrest Saturday.
“I’ve known Jeff for fifteen years. Terrific guy,” Trump said. “He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it – Jeffrey enjoys his social life.”
Epstein was a member of Trump’s South Florida club, Mar-a- Lago. But a court filing says the club dumped Epstein after he approached an underage girl there.
Meanwhile, Christine Pelosi, the daughter of the House speaker, said some favorite figures likely will be implicated in the Epstein case.
“This Epstein case is horrific and the young women deserve justice. It is quite likely that some of our faves are implicated but we must follow the facts and let the chips fall where they may – whether on Republicans or Democrats,” she wrote via Twitter.