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.
What do flight logs, visitor records, and phone records show about Clinton's associations with Epstein?
Executive summary
Flight logs and other released Epstein materials show former President Bill Clinton traveled on Jeffrey Epstein’s planes multiple times in 2002–2003, with reporting citing at least 17–26 flights and travel tied to Clinton Foundation trips [1] [2] [3]. Available court records, emails, and congressional releases also show Clinton’s name in litigation documents and Epstein’s contact lists, while several sources report Epstein himself and Maxwell denied Clinton visited Epstein’s private island [4] [5] [6].
1. What the flight logs say — frequent passenger on Epstein aircraft
Unsealed flight manifests and reporting compiled from those logs record dozens of entries listing “Bill Clinton” as a passenger on Epstein planes for trips mainly in 2002–2003; outlets report figures ranging from at least 17 flights to as many as 26 flights across six multi-stop trips, to destinations including Siberia, Morocco, China and Armenia [1] [2] [7] [3]. Journalists and litigation exhibits note Clinton often traveled with staff (Doug Bands) and Clinton Foundation associates, and many manifest lines include Secret Service notation, although a few entries do not [7] [1].
2. What travel records do not show — no logged island trips
Multiple news organizations and the flight logs themselves show no record of Clinton flying on Epstein’s planes to the U.S. Virgin Islands or to Epstein’s Little St. James private island; Epstein’s own messages later asserted Clinton “never” visited the island, and fact-checkers have concluded flight manifests offer no evidence Clinton went there [3] [5] [6].
3. Court files and litigation mentions — name appears, but not an implication of guilt
Court records unsealed in the Maxwell and related civil cases reference Clinton repeatedly — both as a name in exhibits and in witness testimony — but the documents do not charge him with wrongdoing; reporting stresses that being named in the court files is not the same as being accused or convicted [4] [8] [9]. Some filings show accusers or witnesses made claims about encounters or referenced Clinton; other filings and Maxwell’s defense sought to rebut certain media reports about island visits [4] [9].
4. Emails and the “black book” — contact listings and estate material
Epstein’s contact book and later batches of estate emails include Clinton’s name and entries attributed to or about him; a tranche released in 2025 included messages where Epstein denied Clinton had been to the island and other estate emails show communications involving Clinton’s allies [10] [5] [11]. Reporting and officials caution that a contact listing or casual correspondence does not prove criminal conduct — the “black book” includes a wide range of associates from staff to high-profile figures [12].
5. Competing narratives and political context
Republican investigators and figures have used the flight logs and newly released files to press for inquiries into Clinton’s ties to Epstein, while Clinton’s team and some media outlets emphasize his statements that travel was Foundation-related and that he had no knowledge of Epstein’s crimes; Justice Department and FBI memos released earlier found no evidence of an Epstein “client list” or predicate to open investigations of uncharged third parties [13] [10] [14]. Observers across the spectrum have accused political actors of weaponizing the files for electoral or partisan advantage [15] [16].
6. Limits of the records — what the sources do not prove
Available reporting and the released materials document travel, names in contact lists, and mentions in lawsuits, but they do not — in the sources provided — establish that Clinton committed or was charged with any Epstein-related crimes; several outlets explicitly note no survivor or associate has accused Clinton of wrongdoing in the materials cited [17] [8] [3]. If a claim — for example, that Clinton was on Epstein’s island multiple times — is not corroborated by flight logs or Epstein’s own denials in the released emails, the current record does not support that assertion [3] [5].
7. What to watch next — oversight, DOJ releases, and depositions
Congressional subpoenas and the 2025 law compelling DOJ disclosure mean larger swaths of internal investigative material and estate records are being released; committees have subpoenaed Clinton and others for testimony, and the Justice Department has been asked to re-examine ties — developments that could add details or clarify contexts already in the public files [13] [18] [16].
Conclusion — the documentation shows repeated travel ties between Clinton and Epstein’s aircraft and Clinton’s appearance in contact lists and court materials, but the sources provided do not show Clinton visited Epstein’s island or was accused or charged with crimes in connection to Epstein; political actors interpret the same records differently and further releases and testimony may change the picture [1] [3] [4] [17].