Keep Factually independent
Whether you agree or disagree with our analysis, these conversations matter for democracy. We don't take money from political groups - even a $5 donation helps us keep it that way.
How many passengers and flight logs link Bill Clinton to Epstein-associated flights?
Executive summary
Flight logs made public in lawsuits and government releases show Bill Clinton was recorded on Jeffrey Epstein’s planes multiple times — commonly reported as 26 individual flights tied to six trips between Feb. 9, 2002 and Nov. 4, 2003, and also described in contemporary reporting as “up to 26 times” [1] [2]. Clinton’s spokespeople have acknowledged four trips with staff on Epstein’s plane in 2002–2003 and say he met Epstein in New York in 2002; available sources do not mention Clinton visiting Epstein’s private island [2] [1].
1. Flight-log totals: what the documents — and reporters — actually counted
The most widely cited figure is 26 flights recorded in unsealed flight logs covering 2002–2003. FactCheck.org and other outlets say those 26 flights represent six distinct trips (some with multiple legs) between Feb. 9, 2002 and Nov. 4, 2003 [1] [3]. Earlier coverage and archival reporting reach the same count: analyses of logs and court-released documents in prior years likewise concluded Clinton was on Epstein’s plane around 26 times in that window [4] [1].
2. Official acknowledgement and the Clinton office’s framing
Clinton’s office has acknowledged a smaller, more specific set of travel: a spokesperson confirmed Bill Clinton took four trips with staff on Epstein’s private plane in 2002 and 2003 and that he met Epstein in New York in 2002 [2]. Statements from Clinton’s team emphasize those trips were tied to foundation work or paid speaking tours and assert Clinton “knows nothing” about Epstein’s crimes; they also deny visits to Epstein’s island [5] [2].
3. How counts can vary: trips vs. flight legs, logs vs. manifests
Discrepancies arise because some reporters count individual flight legs (fuel stops and multiple segments) while others count discrete trips or single itineraries. FactCheck.org explains the 26 number is the total of flight legs across six trips; Roll Call and other outlets reached a similar total by tallying logged flights rather than round trips [1] [4]. Some modern releases describe “up to 26 times,” reflecting the same math [2].
4. What the logs do—and do not—prove about wrongdoing
The flight logs only list names and itineraries; they do not by themselves show criminal activity or the purpose of each trip. News outlets and the House Oversight Committee releases stress that inclusion on a manifest is not an allegation of wrongdoing [6]. FactCheck.org and other fact-checkers note flight listings are evidence of travel but do not prove presence on specific destinations such as Epstein’s private island, and the logs do not show Clinton on Virgin Islands–bound flights [1] [3].
5. Conflicting claims and political uses of the numbers
Political actors have amplified varying figures and interpretations for partisan purposes. For example, rivals and commentators have cited inflated or unclear totals to suggest deeper impropriety; fact-checkers have pushed back on claims that Clinton visited Epstein’s island or that the logs prove criminal conduct [1] [3]. Meanwhile, the Clinton camp highlights the context that many flights were tied to foundation work and that Secret Service accompanied some trips [5] [7].
6. Broader document releases and continuing inquiries
Multiple document dumps — DOJ releases, court unsealing from lawsuits, and House committee disclosures — have made flight logs and contact lists public, prompting renewed counts and fresh reporting [8] [9] [6]. Congressional subpoenas and investigative letters in 2025 cite flight-log evidence among other contacts as subjects of oversight [2]. Available sources do not detail every manifest entry; they summarize counts and specific notable entries rather than reproducing each raw line in this set of reporting [8] [9].
7. What remains unsettled and what reporting does not say
Reporting consistently states Clinton was logged on Epstein’s planes in the early 2000s and gives the commonly cited figure of 26 flights, yet sources do not establish conspiratorial claims about island visits or criminal conduct by Clinton based solely on the manifests [1] [3]. Available sources do not mention a complete, independently verified public ledger proving every alleged trip beyond the summaries and redacted logs released so far [8] [9].
Bottom line: contemporary reporting and multiple document releases converge on the takeaway that Bill Clinton was recorded on Epstein aircraft roughly 26 times (counting flight legs) during 2002–2003, that his office acknowledges several trips and meetings in that period, and that the logs themselves do not demonstrate criminal conduct or trips to Epstein’s private island as documented in these sources [1] [2] [3].