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Which witnesses have claimed to see Bill Clinton on Jeffrey Epstein's Little Saint James island and when?
Executive summary
Multiple people have said they saw or were told Bill Clinton was at Jeffrey Epstein’s Little Saint James island, while Clinton and his office have repeatedly denied ever visiting the island (see Virginia Giuffre’s claims and Clinton’s denials) [1] [2]. Other witnesses’ allegations or later retractions (for example Sarah Ransome) appear in court documents and reporting, and some former island staffers have also claimed to have seen Clinton — but those accounts are disputed and unproven in available reporting [3] [4] [5].
1. What specific witnesses have claimed to see Clinton on Little Saint James
Virginia Giuffre (formerly Virginia Roberts) alleged in litigation and depositions that she met Bill Clinton on Epstein’s private island and that he attended dinners there on at least two occasions; her statements were unsealed as part of court documents [1] [5]. A former Little St. James worker, Steve Scully, told a Netflix documentary he saw Clinton sitting with Epstein on the island’s villa porch [4]. Sarah Ransome is reported to have made explosive allegations in written material — later the defence used and her claims were described as retracted or unreliable in court filings — including allegations about sex tapes and high‑profile figures, which sparked reporting about Clinton among others [3].
2. Timing offered by those witnesses
Giuffre’s account describes meetings she said occurred in the early 2000s (her deposition and related filings reference gatherings around 2001 and other years), and those particular claims were part of documents unsealed in 2024 [5] [1]. Scully’s statement appeared in coverage of a 2020 Netflix series (the interview and series surfaced in 2020 reporting) and he described witnessing Clinton during his time on the island while employed there [4]. Reporting on Ransome’s written allegations and related emails emerged in the January 2024 tranche of documents that media outlets reviewed [3].
3. How those claims have been treated and contested in the record
Reporting and court filings show disagreement about accuracy. Ghislaine Maxwell’s lawyers sought to rebut media reports that Clinton was on Little St. James and a Maxwell filing stated Clinton “did not, in fact travel to, nor was he present on, Little St James Island between January 1, 2001 and January 1, 2003” [2]. Maxwell’s legal team and other defence filings challenged witness credibility in related litigation; at least one witness (Sarah Ransome) had allegations described as later retracted or unreliable by defence counsel and press accounts [3] [5].
4. Clinton’s public response and official statements
Clinton’s office has consistently acknowledged he flew on Epstein’s plane for several Clinton Foundation and “humanitarian” trips in the early 2000s but has denied he ever went to Little St. James, saying he “has never been to Little St. James Island” and that he knew nothing of Epstein’s crimes [2] [6]. In his memoir and statements he reiterated he never visited Epstein’s island and wished he had never met Epstein [7] [8].
5. What the available documents do — and do not — prove
Court filings and unsealed depositions show people naming Clinton or describing encounters, but naming in filings is not the same as independent proof of presence on the island. Multiple media reports and legal filings record allegations, counterclaims, and denials; they do not establish a definitive, court‑adjudicated timeline of Clinton’s physical presence on Little St. James [5] [2]. Flight logs and other documentary searches are discussed in post‑2024 reporting, but available sources here note flight‑log travel on Epstein’s jet for Clinton’s trips to Africa and elsewhere without showing confirmed island visits [2] [9].
6. Competing viewpoints and credibility questions
Victims’ advocates and plaintiffs’ attorneys argue that witness testimony and released documents place many high‑profile names in Epstein’s orbit and on or near his properties [5]. Defence teams and Clinton’s representatives counter with categorical denials and, in Maxwell’s filings, efforts to discredit specific witness statements as fabricated or unreliable [2] [3]. Journalistic coverage highlights both the allegations and the pushback, and notes some witnesses’ statements were later labelled unreliable or retracted in court papers [3].
7. Bottom line for readers seeking a clear answer
Available, cited reporting shows named witnesses (notably Virginia Giuffre and at least one former staffer) have said they saw or met Clinton on Little Saint James and that those claims surfaced in depositions and media reporting; Clinton and his representatives deny any island visits [1] [4] [2]. Neither the unsealed documents cited here nor subsequent reportage constitutes an undisputed, court‑proven timeline that definitively proves Clinton’s physical presence on Little Saint James; the record contains allegations, denials, contested credibility claims, and ongoing public debate [5] [2].
Limitations: this summary relies only on the provided sources and does not include documents or reporting outside that set; where the sources do not adjudicate claims, I state that the available reporting does not.