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By Marni Rose McFall
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A viral AI video shows a fake former President Bill Clinton talking about the highly anticipated release of convicted sex offender Jeffery Epstein's client list.
Newsweek has reached out to a representative for Clinton via email for comment.
Why It Matters
AI videos of high profile figures are becoming commonplace. This week, an AI-generated video of President Donald Trump kissing Elon Musk's emerged. Yesterday, Trump shared an AI depiction of a rebuilt Gaza, complete with a "Trump Gaza" hotel, golden statues of the president and bearded belly dancers.
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But the Clinton AI video, branded satirical, keeps the promised release of Epstein's client list in the public eye.
What To Know
Financier Epstein, who was accused of preying on underage girls as young as 14, took his own life at the age of 66 in a jail cell at New York's Metropolitan Correctional Center in August 2019, before he could stand trial in Manhattan on sex trafficking charges. Authorities determined he hanged himself. He always denied any wrongdoing.
At the time, he was already a convicted sex offender after being found guilty by a Florida state court in 2008 of one count of soliciting prostitution and one count of soliciting prostitution from a minor.
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Estimations of the number of girls abused by Epstein vary, with accounts ranging from a few dozen to more than 100*.* However, the total number of victims may well be much higher than this.
On the campaign trail, Trump suggested he would be open to releasing the Epstein "client list." This rumored list is believed by some to implicate high-profile figures in sex crimes.
In January, 2024, dozens of Epstein's associates were named in 900 pages of court documents which were unsealed by a New York judge during a legal action by one of his alleged victims, and many of the people named were not accused of any wrongdoing.
Release of the "client list" is believed to be in the pipeline.
The latest AI video, posted on X by the account "drefanzor memes" shows an AI depiction of Clinton discussing the list. In the video the AI says, "You may be waiting for the highly anticipated Epstein Client List to be released."
The AI version of Clinton then says, "I'd like to argue that I did not have sexual relations with those children on that island." The AI continues speaking, before a voice identified as Hillary Clinton's asks, "Bill, what the hell are you doing?"
The video then goes dark, and the AI depiction of the President says: "Please don't hurt the cameraman, he had nothing to do with this."
The video is very clearly labeled satire, and has a text overlay that reads, "meme/satire." However, this has not prevented criticism. Some social media users have called it irresponsible, while others have added a community note, stating that it is a "deepfake video."
This was criticized by the video's creator, who in turn shared a community note saying: "The Original Post video is clearly labeled satire and I purposefully used the worst lipsync possible along with crappy editing to make that point."
Bill Clinton's Relationship with Jeffery Epstein
Clinton is one of multiple high-profile figures whose relationship with Epstein has been well publicized and scrutinized, since the disgraced financier's crimes became public knowledge after a woman reported to Palm Beach police that her 14-year-old daughter had been molested by Epstein in 2005.
Clinton maintains that he did not have any contact with Epstein after the disgraced financier was accused of sex crimes and never visited his now infamous private island of Little St. James in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
In a statement released in 2019, and since reiterated to Newsweek, a spokesperson for the former Democratic president said he had "not spoken to Epstein in well over a decade" and that he "knows nothing about the terrible crimes" the financier pleaded guilty to in Florida and was later charged with in New York.
Clinton took four trips on Epstein's plane in 2002 and 2003, according to a statement previously shared by a spokesperson for Clinton. The statement said that on these trips, staff and supporters of the Clinton foundation had traveled, as had the Secret Service.
The statement continued that Clinton had one meeting with Epstein in his office in Harlem in 2002, and around this time made a brief visit to Epstein's New York apartment. The statement denied that Clinton had ever visited Epstein's New Mexico ranch, or his home in Palm Beach, Florida.
What People Are Saying
Responding to the AI video, one social media user wrote: "AI … stop this. It is highly irresponsible."
Another social media user wrote: "Omg this is funny, excellent meme."
What's Next
The Trump administration is currently facing continued pressure to release the client list.
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