A new book about disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein provides new details into the life of the sex offender whose acquaintances included presidents and members of the royal family. "Relentless Pursuit" tells the story of Bradley Edwards, lawyer for Epstein’s alleged victims, and the 12-year-long battle against the billionaire.
"You don’t even know who all my friends are"
In one excerpt, Edwards recounts his encounter with Epstein. The financier apparently tried to threaten him, saying he had hired an MMA fighter who was waiting in the hallway. "How long is this going to go on, Brad", Epstein asked the lawyer, referring to lawsuits filed against him. "Till, it’s over, I guess", replied Edwards. Epstein then began to brag about his powerful acquaintances. "I have access to all resources in the world. You don’t even know who all of my friends are", he told Edwards.
Did Bill Clinton have information on Epstein
In an interview with the New York magazine in 2002, the former US president said via his spokesman that Jeffrey Epstein was "a highly successful financier and a committed philanthropist". Clinton reportedly travelled on Epstein’s private jet, dubbed the "Lolita Express", more than 20 times. According to Epstein’s alleged victims, this is where the disgraced financier sexually abused girls and women and where orgies took place. In January photos emerged showing Clinton with Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s ex-girlfriend, who was accused of procuring underage girls for the sex offender.
In his book, Bradley Edwards describes one of Clinton’s trips on the Lolita Express. In 2002 Clinton, Epstein and his accomplices, including his alleged sex slaves, flew to Africa for a humanitarian trip. They were also accompanied by six Secret Service agents and Hollywood actors Kevin Spacey and Chris Tucker. Edwards writes, citing Chauntae Davies, one of Epstein’s alleged victims who was on board, that Clinton and Epstein "exchanged somewhat crass jokes about women more than they discussed the solutions to major world problems".
Edwards writes that he doesn’t think that Clinton did anything wrong during his time with Epstein, but noted that the former president could have helped the investigation. "By all appearances Clinton had helpful information. I couldn’t help but wonder why he wouldn’t pick up the phone and tell us what he knew", he wrote.
Edwards also revealed how he was surprised to see Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s alleged pimp, at the wedding of Bill Clinton’s daughter Chelsea in 2010, two years after Epstein was ordered to register as a sex offender following his first criminal case. Edwards writes that back then Maxwell was given a subpoena, but she ditched the deposition, claiming that she needed to travel back to the United Kingdom because her mother was sick.
However, later Edwards found her among the photos from Chelsea Clinton’s wedding. "Holy s**t! As it turned out she didn’t leave the United States forever. For all I knew, she hadn’t left at all", Edwards wrote.
After Epstein was convicted last year, Bill Clinton’s spokesman said the president knew nothing about his terrible crimes.
Ties with CIA
Edwards revealed that Epstein sent his bodyguard, a Russian MMA fighter, to CIA headquarters in Virginia. "You don’t know who you’re dealing with. He knows everybody who’ powerful in this world", the bodyguard once warned Edwards. He also told Edwards that he had stayed at CIA headquarters for a week, where he attended meetings. "I didn’t know why I was there, but he [Epstein] told me they would take care of me." The bodyguard told Edwards that he was introduced at the meetings as "a special operative".
King of the Pop and King of Magic
Edwards writes, citing one of Epstein’s alleged victims, that Epstein knew singer Michael Jackson and the King of Pop even visited him in one of the mansions. Unlike Jackson, magician David Copperfield was a frequent guest at Epstein’s homes. The famous magician also had a private island of his own, which was located close enough to Epstein’s. Copperfield was subpoenaed by Edwards, but due to several legal and logistical roadblocks, Edwards was unable to speak to the magician.
Surrogacy proposition
One of Epstein's victims, Virginia Roberts, revealed to Edwards that the billionaire and his ex-girlfriend wanted her to carry Epstein’s baby and asked her to sign a contract stating that the child would legally belong to the banker. In return, Epstein promised to take care of Virginia Roberts, now Virginia Giuffre, "for the rest of her life". Edwards writes that this was the final straw, which made the young girl realize she needed to escape.
Harvey "The Pig" Weinstein
Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, who was recently found guilty of rape and jailed for 23 years, had a good relationship with Epstein. The movie mogul frequently visited the banker, but according to Edwards, the two fell apart after Weinstein tried to sexually assault one of Epstein’s masseuses. "As the story goes, Harvey then verbally abused her for rejecting him. Little did Harvey know, this was one of Epstein’s favorite girls at the time and Jeffrey viewed the aggressive mistreatment as disrespectful to him", writes Edwards. He added that after that incident Epstein referred to the Hollywood producer as "the pig".
Unknown heavyweight politician
In another excerpt from the book, Edwards tells the story of how he received a call from a former Harvard student who had visited Epstein’s private island in 2004 and who was frightened to share information, not about Epstein, but about some "heavyweight politician" who was close to the disgraced banker and had received erotic massages from Epstein’s underage girls. The student eventually cancelled a meeting with Edwards because she feared for her life.
"While I have some educated guesses, I still don’t know who the politician was", Edward writes.
Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his cell on 10 August. Subsequent investigations revealed that the billionaire killed himself. The circumstances surrounding his death have raised many questions, while his ties with powerful people have prompted numerous conspiracy theories. According to the most popular one, the 66-year-old was killed by his powerful friends who didn’t want to be implicated in his crimes. Other rumours suggest that Epstein escaped the prison due to his powerful connections by planting a double.