Bill Clinton pressured Vanity Fair to not write about ‘good friend’ Jeffrey Epstein: court docs

Amid the latest drop of documents in the Virginia Giuffre v Ghislaine Maxwell case settled in 2017 are a series of emails sent between Giuffre and Daily Mail journalist Sharon Churcher.

These reveal that former president Bill Clinton allegedly went to the offices of Vanity Fair to tell them not to write about his "good friend" Jeffrey Epstein.

The documents reveal that Churcher had been subpoenaed by Maxwell's legal team and that Churcher has filed a "Motion to Quash the Subpoena," arguing that she was a journlist and her she was protected therefore.

Maxwell's attorneys pushed back, saying that Churcher was not acting in the capacity of a journalist in her dealings with Giuffre, but as a friend and advisor. As such, Maxwell's attorneys sought her testimony. They said that she was a "material fact witness" and that the Shield Law she was invoking did not apply.

Exhibit A of the documents reveal a series of emails between Giuffre and Churcher. These emails reveal that Giuffre was writing a book about her experiences with Jeffrey Epstein, whom she stated had abused her and subjected her to sex trafficking.

The emails from spring 2011 show that she was also working with Vanity Fair on an article. Johanna Sjoberg is also mentioned in conjunction with Prince Andrew. Churcher introduced Giuffre to a book agent, who requested a proposal. Giuffre mentioned that the book would contain "names of the rich, famous and always in trouble."

Giuffre and Churcher began speaking in May 2011 about connecting with Vanity Fair as soon as Giuffre's contract with Daily Mail was through. "I thought I should catch up with you," Churcher wrote, "because Vanity Fair are doing an Andrew piece and Brad [Edwards] says their writer, Ed Klein, wants to interview you." Churcher encouraged Giuffre to do the interview.

Giuffre agreed that it would be "a great way to gain publicity for [her] book and the case." Giuffre said she would be interested in that article so long as she could "ensure that the writer brings the story out in a classy way and does not spill the beans on the major parts of the story." She referred to Churcher in this email as her "confidante."

Giuffre was again contacted by Edwards at Vanity Fair asking for an interview and offering to pay for photos of her with Prince Andrew. It was in this exchange that Bill Clinton's name came up. Giuffre offered surprise that Vanity Fair would want to work with her after the former president went to the Vanity Fair offices and encouraged them to not write about "his good friend J.E."

In weighing the pros and cons of doing a story with Vanity Fair, Giuffre said "...it does concern me what they would want to write about me consdiering that B. Clinon walking into VF and threatened them not write sex-trafficking articles about his good friend J.E."

"Should I be asking what is this story their writing pertaining to?" Giuffre asked Churcher. "I wouldn't want ot give the public a bad image or anything like that. I don't know, it's all such a gamble."



Clinton was referenced in additional documents as well. He was identified over 50 times in the initial release of documents on Wednesday as John Doe 36. After a batch of documents were released, it was revealed that Clinton was known to prefer young girls and that he had a close relationship with Epstein. Epstein was a convicted sex offender and died in jail.

Sjoberg, another woman who testified to being a victim of Epstein, said "I knew he had dealings with Bill Clinton. I did not know they were friend until I read the Vanity Fair article about them going to Africa together."

"Did Jeffrey ever talk to you about Bill Clinton?" The attorney in the case asked Sjoberg.

"He said one time that Clinton likes them young, referring to girls," Sjoberg answered.

According to a 2019 statement from a Clinton spokesperson, "President Clinton knows nothing about the terrible crimes Jeffrey Epstein pleaded guilty to in Florida some years ago, or those with which he has been recently charged in New York. In 2002 and 2003, President Clinton took a total of four trips on Jeffrey Epstein's airplane: one to Europe, one to Asia, and two to Africa, which included stops in connection with the work of the Clinton Foundation."

"Staff, supporters of the Foundation, and his Secret Service detail traveled on every leg of every trip. He had one meeting with Epstein in his Harlem office in 2002, and around the same time made one brief visit to Epstein's New York apartment with a staff member and his security detail. He's not spoken to Epstein in well over a decade, and has never been to Little St. James Island, Epstein's ranch in New Mexico, or his residence in Florida."
 

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