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Headline Roundup January 9th, 2024

New Court Records Allege Epstein Filmed Sex Tapes of Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, and Other Prominent Figures

Summary from the AllSides News Team

A victim of Jeffrey Epstein claimed she possessed sex tapes of prominent figures like former President Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew, recently unsealed documents show.

New York Post Report: In 2016, Sarah Ransome reportedly told Maureen Callahan of The New York Post (Lean Right bias) that she possessed the tapes. She then told Callahan she “would like to retract everything” because “It’s not worth coming forward.” Consequentially, Callahan did not publish an article.

Key Quote: Ransome told Callahan that the victim in the tapes was a friend of hers, and that “After two hours of trying to convince my friend to come forward with me, I eventually managed to persuade her to send me some of the video footage. She added, “I cannot send you the footage without her consent due to massive consequences to her safety but I can confirm that I do have footage in my possession.”

New Yorker Report: In 2019, a reporter from The New Yorker (Left bias) said Ransome told her she “invented the tapes to draw attention to Epstein’s behavior,” as the reporter phrased it. Ransome claimed this was an attempt to make Epstein believe she had “evidence that would come out if he harmed me.”

How The Media Covered It: The media at large highlighted different bits of Ransome’s emails to Callahan, fueling confusion. For instance, The Messenger (Center bias) said Ransome “saw” the tapes, while The New York Post said she “had” them.

Editor's Note: A previous version suggested the newly unsealed documents, which include Ransome's correspondence with The New York Post in 2016, showed that she claimed possession of a sex tape of former President Donald Trump. Such a tape was not mentioned in the new documents but was claimed by The New Yorker in its 2019 report. This report alleges that she told the New York Post in 2016 that she did possess such a tape.

Featured Coverage of this Story

From the Right
Epstein accuser claims pedophile had sex tapes of Trump, Clinton, Prince Andrew and Richard Branson: new docs
Epstein accuser claims pedophile had sex tapes of Trump, Clinton, Prince Andrew and Richard Branson: new docs

Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

News

A Jeffrey Epstein accuser once claimed former President Donald Trump allegedly had “sexual relations” with one of her unnamed friends at the late pedophile’s New York home “on regular occasions,” according to another trove of court documents unsealed Monday.

Sarah Ransome, in a string of 2016 emails to then-New York Post columnist Maureen Callahan also claimed that she had copies of tapes Epstein had made of some of his high-profile friends — Trump, former President Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew and British business magnate Richard Branson — allegedly having sex with an unnamed woman.

“She confided...

Open on New York Post (News)
From the Center
Epstein Victim Claimed She Saw Sex Tape of Billionaire Richard Branson — Before Recanting Everything
Epstein Victim Claimed She Saw Sex Tape of Billionaire Richard Branson — Before Recanting Everything

John Lamparski/Getty Images

News

British business titan Richard Branson's name is among the rich and powerful men mentioned in newly unsealed court documents Monday by a victim of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Epstein victim Sarah Ransome told a journalist in 2016 that she saw sex tapes of billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson, former U.S. President Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew, according to copies of emails submitted as evidence in a civil lawsuit by one of Epstein's victims against Ghislaine Maxwell. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking minors at his behest.

Ransome, however, later recanted her original allegations.

"We...

Open on The Messenger
From the Left
Discredited claims about Clinton, Trump mentioned in latest batch of Epstein docs
Discredited claims about Clinton, Trump mentioned in latest batch of Epstein docs

United States District Court Southern District of New York

News

A new round of court records from a lawsuit related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were released Monday, which include photos from an accuser as well as an exhibit that mentions discredited allegations she made about Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, Prince Andrew and Richard Branson.

At least 17 documents were unsealed. More than 200 documents have been released since Wednesday.

The records are part of a defamation lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre, an alleged victim of Epstein, against his longtime companion Ghislaine Maxwell that the two settled in 2017. Epstein died by...

Open on ABC News (Online)

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