Angel Ureña said ex-president, pictured in some photos released by justice department, cut ties with Epstein in 2005

A spokesperson for Bill Clinton accused the White House late on Friday of using him as a scapegoat after pictures of the former president with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, as well as with a young woman in a pool, were included as part of congressionally ordered release of government files.

“The White House hasn’t been hiding these files for months only to dump them late on a Friday to protect Bill Clinton,” the spokesperson said in a statement on X.

“This is about shielding themselves from what comes next, or from what they’ll try and hide forever. So they can release as many grainy 20-plus-year-old photos as they want, but this isn’t about Bill Clinton. Never has, never will be,” the statement added.

  • frazw@lemmy.world
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    4 hours ago

    Of course they are. They want to shine a spotlight on the most prominent Democrat in the files so that he becomes associated with the files. They either hope the association changes from trump to Clinton or that the Democrats will see one of their idols in the cross hairs and back down.

    We all know though that the Democrats stated position though is if anyone did wrong, prosecute regardless of politics.

    Trump doesn’t seem to realise his documented close association with Epstein makes his absence from the files that are released highly suspicious. If it really is innocent, then realising all of the evidence would clear Trump. Instead he is releasing non incriminating things about Clinton and redacting everyone else. I mean they really do not respect the American people at all, they think they are dumb and can be manipulated into believing whatever they want. Except it isn’t working this time…

  • quick_snail@feddit.nl
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    10 hours ago

    Can we send them both to the Hague for their war crimes? Seems like an easier conviction than maybe some connection to some guy who raped children

  • fodor@lemmy.zip
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    12 hours ago

    That may be true, but it’s also a non denial denial. Well done, we appreciate the lulz.

  • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world
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    15 hours ago

    Clinton was supposed to be the guardrails for all of this, I imagine.

    Meaning, the cons probably assumed that, like they are, the left is super-tribal and are just “team blue” when it comes to shit like this. When I doubt there are very few even moderate Democratic voters that could give a rat’s ass if Clinton gets implicated or not. If he’s in there, so fucking what? Release them all anyway.

  • ghostlychonk@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    I mean, yes, but also if Clinton was involved in the heinous shit, toss him in the cell with the rest of the scum.

    • danc4498@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      “This is about shielding themselves from what comes next, or from what they’ll try and hide forever.“

      This feels like they’re calling their shot though. Like he knows there’s nothing incriminating to come out about himself and, like the rest of us, assumes there will be something being hidden by Trump.

      • human@slrpnk.net
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        23 hours ago

        As much as he’s featured and obviously likely involved, it seems like he would absolutely know “what comes next” for [redacted], so if that’s the case:

        1. This statement gives me some hope that they are confident that something meaningful will come out.
        2. Fuck him for keeping it hidden, even if legally required to.
        • danc4498@lemmy.world
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          23 hours ago

          He may also be saying these things cause he knows Trump will never release anything implicating Clinton cause it would also implicate Trump.

  • Soulphite@reddthat.com
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    23 hours ago

    They act as if we give a flying fuck? Clinton goes to prison if he raped children, plain and simple. We don’t protect pedophiles like GOP. [REDACTED] is in those files too and we all know it! [REDACTED] needs to be mussolinified. I always picked Mario as a kid, but lately I choose Luigi.

    • fonix232@fedia.io
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      22 hours ago

      I mean, we should give a flying fuck about Trump trying to distract people.

      Sure, throw Clinton on the chopping block too, but don’t get distracted from the orange kid rapist himself. It’s more important to get the child molester who has actual power than the one who’s been retired for a decade. Obviously, get both, but the order of priority is important.

        • fonix232@fedia.io
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          10 hours ago

          From the presidency, sure, but he’s been somewhat active up until Hillary got her ass handed to her in 16.

  • TomMasz@piefed.social
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    1 day ago

    Sure, he’s an easy target, but he is in the files. Making him the focus, though, is a clear attempt at misdirection.

  • CerebralHawks@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    1 day ago

    We always knew Clinton was dirty, though. The whole Monica Lewinsky thing ~30 years ago.

    Ironic that the same party that impeached Clinton for [lying about] that defend a president from their party who did the same and worse with underage girls against their will. What Clinton did was wrong, though I care more that he took advantage of an intern, first and foremost, and second that he cheated on his wife… that he lied about it ranks far lower on my list. It’s just wild to me that people only think it’s wrong when it’s a politician they don’t like. I guess that’s the difference between the left and the right. Left politician diddles kids, we want them out. Right politician diddles kids, their followers say it’s fine because a politician on the left did it, too — but they absolutely support prosecuting the guy on the left. Not their guy, who they revere.

    • the_crotch@sh.itjust.works
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      23 hours ago

      that he lied about it ranks far lower on my list.

      He lied about it under oath. While testifying before Congress. As the defendant in a sexual harassment suit. That’s the only part that matters legally.

      • Serinus@lemmy.world
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        21 hours ago

        He didn’t, actually. The lawyers very clearly defined in that court “sexual relations” as P in V. Clinton, being a lawyer, saw the ability to drop that line, “I did not have sexual relations with that woman” as a legal win. And it was.

        The prosecution wasn’t trying to win in that court. They were trying to destroy his PR.

        • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world
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          15 hours ago

          I remember a con just about having an aneurysm over Clinton “getting away” with…a BJ. Every time it came up. Well into the 2000s.

          The cons all spent the better part of a decade trying to “get” Bill and/or Hillary on something and thought they had a slam dunk on the stain on a dress. And then the technical aspect of “lying under oath”.

          I ask these types what he really did that was truly illegal (aside from the supposed “lying under oath”) since adultery is not illegal. One of these guys explodes with: “BUT IT SHOULD BE!”

          Dude is already reddish-purple with rage, but I asked him what he thought about ol’ Newt doing the same thing: Reaction: What are you even talking about? (I calmly explain Newt was cheating on his wife while sermonizing about Clinton) Practically popping a blood vessel: SO WHAT? WHO CARES?!!! I’M TALKING ABOUT CLINTON!

      • 🍉 Albert 🍉@lemmy.world
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        22 hours ago

        meanwhile trump can’t even fart without it being a lie. violate court orders and face absolutely no consequences.

        also, Clinton was president during that lie, and according to current laws (I know laws don’t apply retroactively, but that specific law was), Clinton perjury would not be a crime, let alone an impeachable offense.

    • DagwoodIII@piefed.social
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      1 day ago

      Here’s how Epstein operated.

      Someone like Prince Andrew can’t show up at a party where there are five men and fifty underaged girls; even the biggest bootlickers would see what was going on. So, Epstein would connect with all sorts of powerful people to provide cover. Tame press notes that President X, CEO Y, Nobel Prize winner Z were at the party and ignore the underage girls.

      It’s not unlike the fancy high school party where only a select few are out in the back room doing cocaine, while the rest are under the watchful eyes of the chaperones.

    • lIlIlIlIlIlIl@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      Normal people don’t worship nor idolize these people, so it’s only weirdo people on the right asking these kinds of questions

  • Zephorah@discuss.online
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    23 hours ago

    Either way, yes, they’re using him as a distraction from Trump and other Republicans.

    Guilty is guilty though.

  • pachrist@lemmy.world
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    22 hours ago

    Maybe the problem is that young people are getting their news about the genocide in Palestine Epstien Files from TikTok?