Trump told reporters to ask Prince Andrew about Epstein's pedo island in 2015 video: 'It's really a cesspool'
A newly resurfaced clip shows Donald Trump telling reporters to ask Prince Andrew about late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's 'pedophile island' as early as 2015. The future president, who described the island as a "cesspool", told reporters they should simply "ask Prince Andrew, he'll tell you about it." At the time, he was linking the Epstein scandal to former President Bill Clinton. Andrew, the second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, has acknowledged that he visited the controversial Caribbean island and US authorities are pressuring him to present evidence in its investigation. However, the prince has maintained he never witnessed or suspected any of the late billionaire pedophile's crimes. Trump himself, at one point, was part of the same social circle as Epstein in the years before the hedge fund honcho was jailed for child sex crimes.
That said, the future president's remarks came at the conservative gathering CPAC in February 2015, when he was just preparing to announce his candidacy. Trump was asked during a Q&A session with Fox News host Sean Hannity about his view on Bill Clinton. "Nice guy, got a lot of problems coming up in my opinion with the famous island with Jeffrey Epstein," the real estate mogul responded at the time.
Trump was later asked to expand on his comments about Prince Andrew during an interview with Bloomberg. "That island was really a cesspool, there's no question about it. Just ask Prince Andrew, he'll tell you about it. The island was an absolute cesspool," he reiterated.
Trump, in fact, also asserted that the issue could affect Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign, saying "it could be a political problem" for the Clintons. Epstein was already a known pedophile when Trump made the remarks owing to his 2008 conviction in Florida. He was embroiled in a lawsuit with Virginia Roberts Giuffre, a victim of Epstein's, who alleged she had sex with Prince Andrew at least three times. However, the prince has denied the accusations.
Epstein had a global network of powerful friends prior to his conviction, including Andrew and the Clintons. He purchased Little St James, a spot in the US Virgin Islands, for $7.95 million in 1998. Former President Clinton is known to have flown on the pedophile's notorious "Lolita Express" airplane multiple times, and one of Epstein's alleged victims claims she saw him on the island.
Earlier this year, the Virgin Islands sued Epstein's estate claiming he had raped and trafficked dozens of women and minor girls on the private island. According to the complaint, the late sex offender's abuse spanned from 2001 to 2018 and mostly targeted young girls, some of whom appeared to be as young as 11 or 12. The lawsuit is seeking civil penalties as well as some assets from Epstein's estate, including the forfeiture of his two private islands, Little St James and Great St James.
The pedophile financier was finally arrested in 2019 on new child sex charges in New York, before he died under suspicious circumstances in prison. Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former girlfriend and confidante, was arrested in New Hampshire earlier this month on charges of procuring minor girls for him to sexually abuse. Maxwell is due to be remanded in custody until a trial next year after being denied bail by a federal judge. However, the British socialite and media heiress denies any wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, 60-year-old Prince Andrew has for months been stuck in a deadlock with US prosecutors, who claim he is not co-operating with their Epstein probe. On the other hand, the Duke's lawyers claim he has offered to assist the investigation on "at least three occasions this year" and that US officials have falsely claimed that he has "repeatedly declined" requests for an interview.