Wearing dark blue jail scrubs in a Manhattan court,Epstein entered a not guilty plea to one count of sex trafficking and one count of sex trafficking conspiracy. He faces up to 45 years in prison if convicted.
The charges are also putting new scrutiny on Trump's labour secretary,Alexander Acosta,who,as US attorney for the Southern District of Florida,was involved in a 2008 secret plea deal that allowed Epstein to avoid federal charges and a possible life sentence for the case involving at least 40 teenage girls. Instead,Epstein pleaded guilty to state charges and served 13 months in jail,during which he was allowed to leave the facility and work from his office six days a week.
That deal has been examined in a series of reports inThe Miami Herald and is being challenged in court. A federal judge ruled earlier this year that Epstein's accusers should have been consulted about the deal before it was signed.
The White House has not responded to repeated questions about when Trump was last in contact with Epstein or if he had witnessed Epstein engage in illegal activity with underage girls.
It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do,and many of them are on the younger side.
Donald Trump in 2002
In his most extensive known public comments about Epstein,Trump toldNew York magazine in 2002 that he'd known the financier for 15 years and praised him as a"terrific guy".
"He's a lot of fun to be with,"Trump was quoted as saying."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."
Trump Organisation lawyer Alan Garten has since distanced Trump from Epstein,tellingPolitico in 2017 that Trump"had no relationship with Epstein and had no knowledge whatsoever of his conduct".
Asked about the charges on the weekend,Trump said,"I don't know about it."
Epstein was also an associate of Clinton's,repeatedly lending the former president his jet to travel overseas. Flight logs obtained byFox News showed the former president took at least 26 trips aboard Epstein's Boeing 727,nicknamed the"Lolita Express",from 2001 to 2003. That"included extended junkets around the world with Epstein and fellow passengers identified on manifests by their initials or first names,including'Tatiana",the outlet found.
"Jeffrey is both a highly successful financier and a committed philanthropist with a keen sense of global markets and an in-depth knowledge of 21st-century science,"Clinton toldNew York magazine through a spokesman for that same 2002 story."I especially appreciated his insights and generosity during the recent trip to Africa to work on democratisation,empowering the poor,citizen service,and combatting HIV/AIDS."
Representatives for Clinton did not respond on Monday to questions about Epstein and the former president's relationship with him.
"I want real justice for these underage survivors - and Acosta to finally answer for his weak plea agreement,"tweeted Debbie Wasserman Schultz,who was among a number of congressional Democrats who had asked the Justice Department to reopen the case.
The White House did not respond to questions on Monday about Acosta's future. The Department of Labour referred questions to the Department of Justice,which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Then-White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters in February that the White House was looking into Acosta's handling of the case,but she never offered further details. Trump said in February that he didn't know much about the case but volunteered that Acosta had done"a great job"as secretary. As for the Epstein case,Trump added,"That seems like a long time ago."
Acosta has previously called the deal appropriate.
Epstein is accused of paying underage girls hundreds of dollars in cash for massages and then molesting them at his homes in Florida and New York. He"intentionally sought out minors and knew that many of his victims were in fact under the age of 18,"according to prosecutors,who said he also paid some of his victims to"recruit additional girls to be similarly abused".
AP,The New York Times