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Jeffrey Epstein's Close Ties to Donald Trump's Former Party

Alleged sex trafficker partied with top journos, had Ted Kennedy's home number

July 22, 2019

New York magazine has published an extensive feature on accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein's elite circle of friends and associates, which at one point included both President Donald Trump, who previously identified as a Democrat, and former President Bill Clinton.

The list of names, compiled from Epstein's address book and the flight logs of his private jet, includes a number of less recognizable individuals who are nevertheless deeply connected to the Democratic Party establishment, and to the Clintons in particular.

Doug Band — Former Clinton aide who helped found the Clinton Global Initiative in 2005 before launching the corporate consulting firm Teneo, where Bill Clinton served on the advisory board. Teneo also hired former Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin while she was still working at the State Department, an arrangement that sparked a congressional investigation. Leaked emails revealed that Teneo helped Bill Clinton, also a client of the firm, secure tens of millions of dollars in speaking fees and other financial arrangements with large multinational corporations.

André Balazs — Celebrity hotel magnate, major Democratic donor, and accused groper. Bill Clinton once performed an impromptu DJ set at one of his hotels in London.

Sandy Berger — Bill Clinton's former national security adviser, whose name appears in Epstein's flight logs.

Leon Black — The billionaire co-founder of Apollo Global Management and major Democratic donor who tapped Epstein to run his family foundation in 2001. Black has been spotted with Epstein at various elite shindigs following Epstein's release from "jail" in 2009. An Apollo subsidiary paid Bill Clinton $250,000 for a speech in May 2015, a month after Hillary Clinton announced her candidacy for president.

Sultan of Brunei — Epstein met the sultan, also an alleged perv, at least once while traveling to Brunei with Bill Clinton in 2002.

Ron Burkle — Billionaire investor, major Democratic donor, alleged perv, and close personal friend of the Clintons. Burkle traveled with Bill Clinton to Africa aboard Epstein's private jet, aka "The Lolita Express." Clinton has also been a frequent guest on Burkle's privately-owned Boeing 757, allegedly referred to by Burkle's associates as "Air F*** One."

Vikram Chatwal — Wealthy son of hotel magnate Sant Chatwal, a prominent Hillary Clinton fundraiser who pleaded guilty in 2014 to witness tampering and to making illegal campaign contributions. Bill Clinton attended Vikram's wedding in 2006. In 2017, Vikram pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge after allegedly trying to set some dogs on fire.

Ghislaine Maxwell — Accused of being Epstein's primary enabler and recruiter of young girls, Maxwell was a regular in elite social circles and was reportedly "very close" to Bill and Chelsea Clinton. She attended Chelsea's wedding to failed finance bro Marc Mezvinsky in 2010, and participated in Clinton Global Initiative events as recently as 2013, years after Epstein's release from "jail."

Katie Couric, Charlie Rose, and George Stephanopoulos — This trio of high-powered journalists, which includes Bill Clinton's former communications director (Stephanopoulos), attended a dinner party at Epstein's Manhattan townhouse in 2010 following Epstein's release from "jail."

Frédéric Fekkai — Hillary Clinton's former hair stylist.

Gary Ginsberg — Former lawyer in the Clinton White House whose name appears in Epstein's black book.

Ted Kennedy — Democratic Senator, notorious perv, and early adopter of the "sweetheart deal" for alleged crimes against women. Epstein had Kennedy's home number listed in his black book.

John Kerry — Former secretary of state and recipient of thousands of dollars in political donations from Epstein, whose black book contained seven separate number for Kerry, including a direct line to his (failed) presidential campaign.

George Mitchell — Former Democratic Senator who served as majority leader during Bill Clinton's first term as president.

Ron Perelman — Billionaire investor and Democratic donor who hosted a fundraiser at his Palm Beach home for Bill Clinton's re-election campaign in 1995. Guests included Epstein, musical sensation Jimmy Buffett, and then-DNC co-chair Don Fowler.

Tom Pritzker — Billionaire hotel heir, executive chairman of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation, and prolific Democratic donor. His cousin, Penny Pritzker, served as national co-chair to Barack Obama's 2012 presidential campaign, and served as Obama's commerce secretary from 2013 to 2017. His other cousin is Illinois Democrat Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

Bill Richardson — Former energy secretary under Bill Clinton and former governor of New Mexico, where Epstein owns a massive ranch. Epstein donated $100,000 to Richardson's gubernatorial campaigns.

Chuck Schumer — Democratic Senate Minority Leader and recipient of thousands of dollars worth of political donations from Epstein.

Rodney Slater — Served as secretary of transportation in the Clinton administration.

Peter Soros — Nephew of George Soros.

Larry Summers — Served as treasury secretary under Bill Clinton and as director of the National Economic Council under Barack Obama. Summers' wife, Harvard professor Elisa New, accepted a $110,000 donation from Esptein to her PBS poetry show after Epstein's released from "jail."

Mort Zuckerman — Billionaire media magnate, prominent Democratic donor, and briefly an Epstein business partner. Zuckerman has been among the many notable guests in attendance the Clintons' elite soirees in the Hamptons.