Hot Tub Bubba: Clinton Emerges as Main Star in Latest Trove of DOJ Epstein Files

President Clinton is featured in numerous never-before-seen images hanging out with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, including photos in which the former president is seen in a hot tub with an unidentified female.The massive collection of documents and photographs was made available on a public website Friday evening by the Department of Justice. The release was mandated by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which set December 19 as the deadline for release.Among the most striking images is a photo of a shirtless Mr. Clinton in a dimly lit hot tub, his arms folded behind his head. The face of an unidentified female is blacked out. In another, he is captured wading in a swimming pool alongside Epstein’s girlfriend and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, as well as another female whose face was redacted by authorities.While the Clinton photos were widely remarked upon, much attention shifted Saturday to what was not included in the initial release, including FBI interviews with survivors and internal Justice Department memos that might explain why Epstein was allowed to plead guilty to a relatively minor state-level prostitution charge in 2008.The Associated Press also reported at least 16 files disappeared from the public website between Friday evening and Saturday without explanation. It said the missing files included images of paintings depicting nude women and an image showing a photograph of President Trump alongside Epstein, Melania Trump and Epstein’s longtime associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.“The Justice Department did not say why the files were removed or whether their disappearance was intentional. A spokesperson for the department did not immediately respond to a request for comment,” the AP said.The White House deputy press secretary, Abigail Jackson, took to social media Friday afternoon to highlight the nature of the Clinton photos.“Here is Bill Clinton in a hot tub next to someone whose identity has been redacted. Per the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the DOJ was specifically instructed only to redact the faces of victims and/or minors,” Ms. Jackson wrote on X. “Time for the media to start asking real questions.”The cache of files places Mr. Clinton in numerous locations with Epstein, ranging from private jets to international trips. The visual evidence of Mr. Clinton’s social relationship with Epstein through the numerous photos sparked immediate political fallout.Mr. Clinton’s team responded aggressively to the release, accusing the White House of using the former president to distract from President Trump’s own potential involvement. Mr. Clinton’s deputy chief of staff, Angel Ureña, issued a statement on X accusing the current administration of political maneuvering.“The White House hasn’t been hiding these files for months only to dump them late on a Friday to protect Bill Clinton. This is about shielding themselves from what comes next, or from what they’ll try and hide forever,” Mr. Ureña wrote. “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. Even Susie Wiles said Donald Trump was wrong about Bill Clinton.”Ms. Wiles, the White House chief of staff, said in an interview with Vanity Fair published this week that there were no “damning findings” regarding Mr. Clinton in the Epstein files.Mr. Ureña’s statement continued, drawing a line between those who cut ties with Epstein and those who did not.“There are two types of people here,” he said. “The first group knew nothing and cut Epstein off before his crimes came to light. The second group continued relationships with him after. We’re in the first. No amount of stalling by people in the second group will change that. Everyone, especially MAGA, expects answers, not scapegoats.”The document dump was triggered by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed by President Trump on November 19, which required the DOJ to make the files public within 30 days. While thousands of documents were released, lawmakers have criticized the department for heavy redactions. Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat who co-authored the law, said, “The DOJ’s document dump of hundreds of thousands of pages failed to comply with the law.”While Mr. Clinton features prominently, the current release contains few references to President Trump, who socialized frequently with Epstein until cutting ties in the early 2000s. One photo shows Epstein and a woman posing with a check allegedly signed by Mr. Trump in 1997 for $22,500. Previous reports indicate the check was for a wealthy European woman unconnected to Epstein’s illicit activities.

Hot Tub Bubba: Clinton Emerges as Main Star in Latest Trove of DOJ Epstein Files

Hot Tub Bubba: Clinton Emerges as Main Star in Latest Trove of DOJ Epstein Files

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