Ghislaine Maxwell celebrated at Clinton's event: Honoured despite Epstein abuse allegations - reports

Ghislaine Maxwell , long accused of aiding Jeffrey Epstein in grooming and abusing minors, was an honoured guest at the prestigious Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) conference in 2013 - two years after Clinton staff had reportedly barred her from official events.

Newly surfaced footage and documents reviewed by news portal CNN show Maxwell being recognised during a luncheon on ocean conservation at the CGI event, receiving applause alongside other “Commitment to Action” partners. She was present in her capacity as founder of the now-defunct ocean advocacy group, the TerraMar Project.

Internal records, according to the portal, show Maxwell was granted complimentary access to the event, with a source suggesting that her entry may have been personally recommended by either Bill or Hillary Clinton. This, despite public allegations against her already appearing in major media as early as 2009, when Virginia Giuffre accused Maxwell of recruiting her as a minor for Epstein’s abuse.

At the time of the 2013 conference, Maxwell had already been served with a subpoena related to the civil case - an incident that reportedly occurred during the CGI event itself and was noted in media reports.

A representative of the Clinton Foundation said more than 600 complimentary entries were approved for CGI in 2013, with decisions made at the staff level.

“The TerraMar Project, along with a dozen more organisations, made Commitments to Action to protect the oceans announced in 2013 at a CGI meeting,” the foundation noted.

A spokesperson for Bill Clinton added, “This is about someone working on ocean conservation attending a charitable conference 12 years ago, along with thousands of other people, and nothing more. As we have consistently said, the Clintons know nothing about Jeffrey Epstein’s terrible crimes.”

Maxwell denied all allegations against her at the time and threatened legal action against publications, although no such action was taken. She was later convicted in 2021 of sex trafficking and other charges linked to Epstein’s abuse network.

The archived footage and documents show her formal recognition at the CGI event - reigniting questions about how closely Maxwell remained tied to elite philanthropic circles even after the abuse claims had surfaced publicly.