Latest / The Vault: The Epstein Files / Doug Band And His Epstein Related Congressional Transcript (Part 1) (7/21/26)

Transcript

Doug Band And His Epstein Related Congressional Transcript (Part 1) (7/21/26) · The Vault: The Epstein Files

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: What's up, everyone, and welcome to another episode of the
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Epstein Chronicles. In this episode, we're going to start taking
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: a look at Doug Band's testimony that he gave to
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: Congress in regards to his relationship or what he knows
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: about Jeffrey Epstein. And instead of starting with them swearing
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: him in and everybody announcing themselves, we're just going to
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  Speaker 1: jump right down to him giving his opening statement. Mister Band, Yes,
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  Speaker 1: thank you, good morning, Chairman, Comer Committee staff. My name
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: is Doug Band, and I worked for President Clinton for
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  Speaker 1: the entire first half of my adult life, first as
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  Speaker 1: his aide and traveling assistant during his presidency, helping him
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: stay on schedule and manage daily administrative tasks, and then
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  Speaker 1: continuing in that role as he transitioned to post presidential life.
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: During his post presidency period, I supported the President across
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  Speaker 1: various endeavors, and I was responsible for the conception of
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: what became the Clinton Global Initiative, an effort to bring
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: people together from around the world to make concrete commitments
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  Speaker 1: to action on important global issues. Since its founding in
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: two thousand and five, the Clinton Global Initiative has launched
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: more than forty three hundred projects and has reached over
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  Speaker 1: five hundred people worldwide. It was in the course of
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  Speaker 1: my work for President Clinton that I came into limited
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  Speaker 1: contact with Jeffrey Epstein. My interaction with Epstein's were infrequent
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  Speaker 1: and incidental to my duties. I did not know them
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  Speaker 1: well at all, and I rarely interacted with them. I
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  Speaker 1: also met Glaine Maxwell in the course of my duties
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  Speaker 1: with President Clinton, and over time we developed a friendship. However,
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  Speaker 1: that friendship and died well over a decade ago. As
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: I sit here today, I recall that in roughly twenty eleven,
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: I started hearing rumors and reading reports about our potential
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: involvement in troubling activities. Given these concerns, I took the
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  Speaker 1: step to insulate the President from further interactions and issued
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  Speaker 1: an instruction to remover from all contact lists, which was
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: an attempt to severer tize with President Clinton's world. I
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  Speaker 1: want to state clearly and unequivocally I had no knowledge
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  Speaker 1: at the time of any criminal or improper conduct by
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  Speaker 1: Jeffrey Epstein or Glenn Maxwell. Today we all have a
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: much fuller picture of the evil activities that they were
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  Speaker 1: involved in, But back then I did not I never
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  Speaker 1: visited Epstein's Island as pom Beach home or his ranch.
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  Speaker 1: I also want to be clear that I do not
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  Speaker 1: have any information that President Clinton ever went to Epstein's Island.
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  Speaker 1: I'm here today voluntarily to provide this committee with my
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  Speaker 1: best and most accurate recollection of events of over two
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  Speaker 1: decades ago. I have great respect for this nation, for
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  Speaker 1: our incredibly loyal public servants, for this committee, and for
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  Speaker 1: the seriousness of the issues you're investigating. Thank you, and
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  Speaker 1: I look forward to assisting the Committee in its important work.
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  Speaker 1: Mister Emmer, we've had more members of Congress join. Can
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  Speaker 1: they please identify themselves for the record? Nancy May, South Carolina,
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: Mister Submaranium, Virginia. We've also had additional staff members join.
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  Speaker 1: Can they please identify themselves? Ashley Vineyard, Deputy Staff Director,
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  Speaker 1: Chairman Comer, mister Emmer, Thank you, mister Harness. The time
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  Speaker 1: reads cannot wait, and the Majority will begin now. Question
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  Speaker 1: mister band, I want to thank you for your years
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  Speaker 1: of public service and for coming here voluntarily to answer
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  Speaker 1: our questions today. Let's start by briefly running through your background.
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  Speaker 1: Where did you attend undergraduate school? Answer the University of Florida.
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  Speaker 1: Question and when did you graduate? Answer nineteen ninety five?
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  Speaker 1: Question and with what degree? Answer? I had a major
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  Speaker 1: in English and a minor in ethics. Question Have you
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  Speaker 1: received any other graduate degrees since then? Answer? I have.
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  Speaker 1: I went to graduate school at Georgetown University at night
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  Speaker 1: for a master's in Liberal Studies, and then I went
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: to law school at Georgetown, also at night, receiving a
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  Speaker 1: law degree. Question and can you briefly walk us through
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: your background? I know that you started as an intern
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  Speaker 1: for the White House, but can you briefly walk us
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  Speaker 1: through your career? Answer? Of course, upon leaving college, my
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: first internship was actually for a Republican Congressman, Dan Miller
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  Speaker 1: from Sarasota, which is my hometown where I was born
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  Speaker 1: and raised in Florida. After that, I was going to
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: night school at Georgetown for again two years in a
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  Speaker 1: master's program, and then four years in law school, so
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: six years of part time school. I interned at the
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  Speaker 1: White House in the White House Council's Office and later
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  Speaker 1: was hired as a staff assistant in the White House
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  Speaker 1: Council's Office and sometime in ninety six, where I worked
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  Speaker 1: until the end of Clinton's presidency. I had various jobs
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  Speaker 1: within the White House in the White House Advance Office,
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  Speaker 1: and then went into the President's office as a President's aid.
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  Speaker 1: I then was leaving the White House to go take
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  Speaker 1: a job on Wall Street. President Clinton asked me to
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  Speaker 1: stay and work for him, which I happily did, and
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  Speaker 1: I stayed with him for his post presidents. Question and
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  Speaker 1: what did you do in this post presidency? What did
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  Speaker 1: he ask you? What was your role in two thousand
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  Speaker 1: and one? Answer? My role immediately after two thousand and
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  Speaker 1: one was effectively a continuation of what I was doing
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  Speaker 1: for him when he was president, which I described in
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  Speaker 1: my statement as I was his assistant. I traveled with him,
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  Speaker 1: I kept him on time, I provided his briefing papers.
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  Speaker 1: I just served as his managing or managing his schedule,
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  Speaker 1: you know those sorts of things. Mister Emmer, we've had
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: another member of Congress join. Can he please announce himself
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  Speaker 1: for the record, Clay Higgins, Louisiana. Mister Emmer, thank you.
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  Speaker 1: Question and just finally, what's your current job, if any? Answer?
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  Speaker 1: In my current job is father of four children. I
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: have spent part time at a venture firm as well
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  Speaker 1: and managed our own family office. Question, thank you, mister band.
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  Speaker 1: When did you first meet Jeffrey Epstein? Answer? I have
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  Speaker 1: a vague recollection of first meeting him when I was
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  Speaker 1: staffing the president who was having a meal with him.
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  Speaker 1: Question and one, When was this? Answer? I don't know specifically.
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  Speaker 1: I don't recall specifically when that was. It was a
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  Speaker 1: long time ago. Question Was it while President Clinton was
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  Speaker 1: still in office or was it after? Answer? No, it
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  Speaker 1: was after he left office? Question and could you approximate
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  Speaker 1: what year this was? Early two thousands? Answer? Oh, yeah, no,
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  Speaker 1: I think it was. I think it was two thousand
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  Speaker 1: and one, two thousand and two, to the best of
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: my recollection. But again, it was twenty five years ago.
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  Speaker 1: Question you just said it was dinner. Can you describe
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: the circumstances under which you met him at this dinner? Answer? Again,
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  Speaker 1: I have a vague recollection of him having dinner with
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  Speaker 1: mister Epstein at the Carnegie Deli, and I was staffing
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: President Clinton and attended sat at the table with him. Again,
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: I don't remember much about it. Question do you remember
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  Speaker 1: who else was there? Answer? I vaguely remember that Gleainne
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  Speaker 1: Maxwell attended with him, But again, it was a long
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  Speaker 1: time ago. And I don't have a great recollection of it.
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  Speaker 1: Question was this in New York? Answer? It was, to
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  Speaker 1: the best of my recollection. Question and you don't remember
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  Speaker 1: anybody else besides miss Maxwell being present? Answer again, I
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: have a vague recollection of it happening at all, and
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  Speaker 1: I don't remember exactly who was there. Question do you
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  Speaker 1: remember the nature of your conversations at the time? Answer
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  Speaker 1: I don't recall any conversation my recollection as President Clinton
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  Speaker 1: was having conversations with mister Epstein, but I don't remember
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  Speaker 1: the conversation. Question And was this the first time that
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: you met Miss Maxwell? Answer? I believe so, if she
• 7:31
  Speaker 1: was there. Again, I don't recall specifically. Question but you
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: did say that you remember her being there, You just
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  Speaker 1: don't know if this was the first time that you
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: had met her. Answer I think she was there. I
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  Speaker 1: believe that was the first time that I met her.
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  Speaker 1: But again, I don't recall. I don't know. Question did
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  Speaker 1: anyone introduce you to mister Epstein while at this dinner?
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  Speaker 1: Answer I don't recall. Question did you know anything about
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  Speaker 1: mister Epstein prior to meeting him? Answer? I don't recall
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  Speaker 1: knowing anything about him. Prior to meeting them? No question.
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  Speaker 1: So when you said that you'd be a body man
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  Speaker 1: of sorts of President Clinton, did you know who would
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  Speaker 1: be in these meetings prior to staffing President Clinton. Answer?
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  Speaker 1: You know, that's a good question. Sometimes I did, sure,
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  Speaker 1: and sometimes I didn't. Question just on your day to
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  Speaker 1: day role in the post presidency with President Clinton, what
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  Speaker 1: was your day to day? Were you with them every day? Answer?
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  Speaker 1: Not every day, but a majority of the time. Question
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  Speaker 1: did you know mister Epstein when you were working at
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  Speaker 1: the White House? Answer no question. So you have no
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  Speaker 1: recollection of mister Epstein or miss Maxwell ever attending a
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  Speaker 1: White House event of any kind? Answer no, I do not.
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  Speaker 1: Question after this initial meeting with mister Epstein and you
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  Speaker 1: recall miss Maxwell, did you raise any concerns for you
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  Speaker 1: about mister Epstein or Glene Maxwell? Answer not that I recall.
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  Speaker 1: Question after the meeting, what were your first impressions of
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  Speaker 1: mister Epstein? Answer I don't recall having any impressions. I
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  Speaker 1: barely remember even going. I mean President Clinton went the
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  Speaker 1: multiple dinners a night for the seventeen years that I
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  Speaker 1: work for him, So hundreds and thousands of dinners over
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  Speaker 1: that period. Of time. Question, but you don't remember mister
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  Speaker 1: Epstein personally at all? Did he see him outgoing? Did
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  Speaker 1: he seem well connected? Answer? I don't recall anything about
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  Speaker 1: his personality. Question. Can you just briefly characterize the nature
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  Speaker 1: of your relationship with mister Epstein? Answer? Sure, I really
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: barely knew him. I spent very little time with him,
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  Speaker 1: and my contact with him was with President Clinton as
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  Speaker 1: a staff member to President Clinton. Question, so after that
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  Speaker 1: initial meeting in early two thousands, how many times did
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  Speaker 1: you interact with mister Epstein. Answer? I don't really recall
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  Speaker 1: interacting with them much at all. I don't recall any
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  Speaker 1: interactions with them really. Question socializing with mister Epstein. Do
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  Speaker 1: you recall any events that you were at with mister Epstein?
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  Speaker 1: President Answer, I do not recall socializing with mister Epstein.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, I just don't. I don't remember any events
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  Speaker 1: with him. I remember vaguely there was a dinner at
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  Speaker 1: his home that President Clinton was going to attend, and
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  Speaker 1: I was staffing President Clinton at the dinner, and at
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  Speaker 1: the last minute I remember President Clinton not going, and
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  Speaker 1: I ended up attending the dinner with dozens and dozens
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  Speaker 1: of people. But I don't have any recollection of who
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  Speaker 1: was there. Question when was that dinner? Answer? I have
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  Speaker 1: no idea. It was a long time ago. Question We'll
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  Speaker 1: come back to that, but I just want to know
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  Speaker 1: or work through your relationship with mister Epstein. Answer sure.
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: Question when did you first meet Gallaine Maxwell? Answer? I
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: don't recall specifically. I think potentially it could have been
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  Speaker 1: the same night that President Clinton was having dinner with
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  Speaker 1: Jeffrey Epstein. Question you said, this was a private dinner
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  Speaker 1: between you, President Clinton, mister Epstein, and miss Maxwell. Do
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  Speaker 1: you know who organized the dinner? Answer? I don't recall.
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: It was a private dinner between President Clinton and Jeffrey Epstein.
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  Speaker 1: I was staffing him that night. Mister Emmer, you said
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  Speaker 1: you're not sure whether you met miss Maxwell at this dinner.
• 10:59
  Speaker 1: What's your her first memory of interacting with Miss Maxwell? Answer?
• 11:05
  Speaker 1: You know, unfortunately, it was a long time ago, so
• 11:07
  Speaker 1: I'm doing my best to recall the memories. I don't
• 11:10
  Speaker 1: remember what the first instance of meeting her was. I
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: believe that it was at a dinner, but I'm not
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: entirely sure. Question by mister Harness. After that dinner, did
• 11:19
  Speaker 1: you communicate frequently with Miss Maxwell Answer, I don't recall
• 11:23
  Speaker 1: communicating with her frequently. Obviously, in retrospect, i've seen email
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: traffic between us. Sure. Question, so could you approximate how
• 11:32
  Speaker 1: much you did communicate with Miss Maxwell during the years
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  Speaker 1: that you knew her? Answer? I don't remember how much
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: I communicated with her? Question how many instances have you
• 11:42
  Speaker 1: spent time in person with Miss Maxwell? Answer? I don't remember.
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: Question could you approximate? Answer? I have no idea. We
• 11:49
  Speaker 1: were friends socially, I don't know. Question did you attend
• 11:52
  Speaker 1: parties together with Miss Maxwell? Answer? I don't recall specifically
• 11:57
  Speaker 1: attending parties with her. Question did you ever have outside
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: the initial dinner? Did you ever have dinners with Miss Maxwell? Answer?
• 12:05
  Speaker 1: I mean I don't recall having any. I don't recall
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: having anything specific, But again, in retrospect, seeing the emails
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: and things, you know, obviously it seems like I did,
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: but I just don't remember them. Sorry. Question did you
• 12:17
  Speaker 1: ever have a lone time with Miss Maxwell where it
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: was only the two of you? Answer? I don't recall
• 12:22
  Speaker 1: having alone time with her. Question So you said that
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: you were friends with Miss Maxwell? Is that correct? Answer? Yes?
• 12:29
  Speaker 1: Question so what was your understanding of what miss Maxwell
• 12:32
  Speaker 1: did for a living Answer, you know, I don't know
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: that I ever. I don't recall ever discussing with her.
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: I don't ever recall knowing specifically what she did. She
• 12:41
  Speaker 1: was from obviously a prominent family, and she knew a
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: lot of very important people. But I don't know what
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: she did or who paid her or anything like that. Question.
• 12:51
  Speaker 1: So you said she knew a lot of very important people.
• 12:53
  Speaker 1: What do you mean by that answer? She just seemed
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: to know a lot of prominent people. I don't mean
• 12:58
  Speaker 1: anything specific about it. Her world was trafficking and you know,
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: spend time with people that were important. Question. So, during
• 13:07
  Speaker 1: the years of knowing her, how would you characterize your
• 13:09
  Speaker 1: relationship outside of friends? So you said that you had
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: no private dinners whatsoever with Miss Maxwell. Answer I said,
• 13:16
  Speaker 1: I don't recall having private dinners with her. We were friends,
• 13:19
  Speaker 1: socially friends. Question. Did you ever have a romantic relationship
• 13:24
  Speaker 1: with Miss Maxwell? Answer no, absolutely not never. Question did
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: you ever have sexual relationship with Miss Maxwell? Answer no,
• 13:31
  Speaker 1: absolutely not never. Question So you never had sexual contact
• 13:35
  Speaker 1: of any kind with Miss Maxwell? Answer absolutely not. No.
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: All right, folks, we're going to wrap up the first
• 13:43
  Speaker 1: episode here and in the next episode dealing with the topic,
• 13:45
  Speaker 1: we're going to pick up where we left off. All
• 13:48
  Speaker 1: the information that goes with this episode can be found
• 13:51
  Speaker 1: in the description box.