New Epstein list records drive misinformation on Clinton, Prince Andrew sex claims

A new trove of unsealed records tied to Jeffrey Epstein drove a burst of misinformation on social media Monday about debunked sex tape allegations involving former Presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, as well as Prince Andrew.

The accuser, Sarah Ransome, describes in the documents footage of a friend having intercourse with Clinton and the royal. She also says a friend confided in her about having been sexually intimate with former President Donald Trump.

Ransome has separately claimed to also possess a Trump sex tape, according to the New Yorker. However, she told that publication in 2019 that she invented the sex tape claims "to draw attention to Epstein’s behavior, and to make him believe that she had 'evidence that would come out if he harmed me.'"

Partisans lined up to tee off on the latest documents, spreading the previously debunked claims of videos to wide networks of followers. Donald Trump Jr. tweeted a headline on X, formerly Twitter, stating the documents alleged there were tapes of Clinton and Prince Andrew while adding, "This seems like a big deal and if true why has nothing been done about it?"

It's the latest in a wave of conspiracy theories fueled by the recent unsealing of the "Epstein list" documents, which are from a lawsuit brought against Epstein's convicted sex trafficking accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.

“There’s a word for it: hopium,” Mike Rothschild, an author who researches conspiracy movements, told USA TODAY. “It's this addictive hope that the next big thing is going to come and – forget about all the failures – this is going to be the thing that finally brings down your enemy, whether your enemy is liberal or conservative.”

Neither Clinton nor Trump have commented on the previous releases of Epstein documents; aides refer to statements in previous years in which both men denied knowledge of illicit activities by Epstein. Supporters of both former presidents, meanwhile, have been busy claiming there is more information about wrongdoing by both, though there is no evidence of that.

Prince Andrew also hasn't commented on the recent releases, although he has previously denied allegations of wrongdoing tied to Epstein, including Virginia Giuffre's accusation that she was trafficked to him as a minor. He settled a lawsuit from her in 2022 for an undisclosed sum.

Ransome couldn't be immediately reached for comment.

In her 2021 book, "Silenced No More," Ransome describes moving to New York in her 20s and having her dreams destroyed after meeting Jeffrey Epstein and ultimately being trafficked by him. Ransome spoke at a court hearing in 2019 a couple weeks after Epstein died in his jail cell while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide.

"Please, please finish what you have started," she urged prosecutors and law enforcement. "We all know he did not act alone."

In 2018, Epstein agreed to settle a lawsuit brought against him by Ransome for a confidential amount. Her lawyer told the Chicago Tribune the settlement was "long overdue" and would give her "economic security."

Contributing: Dan Morrison, Kevin McCoy, and John Bacon

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New Epstein records fuel debunked Clinton, Prince Andrew video claims