PALM BEACH, Florida -- About a year after Jeffrey Epstein was sprung from jail after pleading guilty to soliciting an underage prostitute, the Palm Beach resident hosted a dinner party featuring a who's who of power players in the media.
Among the household names in attendance were news anchors George Stephanopoulos, Katie Couric and Charlie Rose, comedian Chelsea Handler and film director Woody Allen. It was December 2010, as they all dined at Epstein's New York City townhome, hoping for a chance to meet Prince Andrew, who was fourth in line to the British throne at the time.
Now, with the spotlight back on Epstein with a new federal case being built against him, Stephanopoulos, the former communications for ex-President Bill Clinton, is suddenly expressing regret for being present at the party.
"That dinner was the first and last time I've seen him," Stephanopoulos told the New York Times. "I should have done more due diligence. It was a mistake to go."
Clinton himself has numerous ties to Epstein, as flight logs show him flying dozens of times on Epstein's private plane, known as the "Lolita Express," from 2001 to 2003.
On July 6, 2019, Epstein was arrested in New York on federal charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking.
Two days later, Clinton released a statement saying he "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."
He added he only took four trips on Epstein's plane: "One to Europe, one to Asia, and two to Africa."
One of Epstein's alleged victims is Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who sued the financier in 2015 for allegedly forcing her to have sex with Prince Andrew.
On July 3, 2019, some of the 2,000 sealed documents from that lawsuit were released by order of the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals.
Epstein was not the only one at that dinner party facing allegations of sexual misconduct, as both Charlie Rose and Woody Allen have faced their own accusations.
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