According to the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum, the pictures were captured by White House photographer Ralph Alswang on Sept. 29, 1993. Epstein and Maxwell were photographed speaking with Clinton after the president made remarks at an event for donors to the White House restoration project. The Daily Beast later reported that Epstein visited the White House at least 17 times during Clinton's term in office.
A picture is frequently shared on social media that appears to show former U.S. President Bill Clinton speaking with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell at the White House. This is a real photograph.
Clinton Statement and Epstein's Death
Epstein was found dead in his jail cell on Aug. 10, 2019. His death was ruled by an autopsy to be a suicide by hanging.
Weeks earlier, a spokesperson for Bill Clinton had released a statement that said the former president "[knew] nothing about the terrible crimes" that Epstein had been accused of, and that the pair hadn't spoken to each other "in well over a decade."
Statement on Jeffrey Epstein. pic.twitter.com/98ha9YYd1l
— Angel Ureña (@angelurena) July 8, 2019
The Context of the Photos
After we contacted the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum for more information, they sent over two additional pictures, for a total of three photographs of Clinton, Epstein and Maxwell together.
(Courtesy: Ralph Alswang/White House, 1993)
A caption on RollingStone.com said the pictures showed Epstein and Maxwell receiving a "VIP tour." However, a spokesperson for the Clinton library told us that "'tour' is probably not the correct way to describe this image."
"The president made brief remarks for the White House Restoration Project event, then greeted individuals present," a spokesperson told us. The event was said to have been for donors.
All three photographs were captured by White House photographer Ralph Alswang on Sept. 29, 1993.
The spokesperson for the Clinton library also directed us to a public link that provided more information about the event. "These images were released through a Freedom of Information Act request, FOIA case # 2006-1135-F, segment 85," the spokesperson said. "The public can access the finding aid the processing archivist produced at the following link."
The link to the Clinton Digital Library, part of the National Archives website, noted that then-first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton was also in attendance. It read as follows: "President Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton host a reception for 'The Donors to the White House Restoration Project of 1993' in the Blue Room and the Green Room."
We also found, on TheWire.in, this fourth picture from the same day that showed Clinton shaking hands with Epstein as Maxwell looked on:
Courtesy: William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum
Further Reporting
In addition to these pictures of Clinton with Epstein and Maxwell, we've published other stories that showed the former president had been photographed with one or the other in different situations.
Further, according to visitor logs obtained by the Daily Mail, Clinton was visited in the White House by Epstein at least 17 times.