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Kevin Rudd, the former prime minister and current US Ambassador, has refuted claims of visiting Jeffrey Epstein’s New York residence, following the emergence of new documents from the US Justice Department.
Rudd issued a comprehensive statement, firmly denying any communication or visits to properties associated with Epstein, the notorious convicted US sex offender.
Recently unsealed documents from the Justice Department, comprising millions of pages, provide deeper insights into Epstein’s extensive network, which spanned the realms of business, politics, and media.
These records reveal Epstein’s strategic use of his connections to engage with influential figures, often leveraging intermediaries to arrange meetings with prominent individuals.
Over the years, Epstein cultivated relationships with former presidents and top officials, and was allegedly involved in various intelligence and influence operations.
Epstein was jailed for soliciting sex with minors and committed suicide in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on more serious charges of sex trafficking of minors.
More than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images were also released in Friday’s dump.
The files, posted to the department’s website, include some of the several million pages of records that officials said were withheld from an initial release of documents in December.
Emails in the files release showed Epstein had scheduled to meet Rudd on Sunday, 8 June 2014 at 4.30pm, but Rudd strongly denied ever meeting Epstein and said there was no evidence that the former prime minister had accepted any invitation made to him.
“Our office has no records of this meeting, and the published documents gave no indication about who was involved in organising it. In any case, they were unsuccessful in arranging the introduction,” a statement from Rudd’s office said.
Dr Rudd is one of thousands mentioned in the Epstein files, and SBS News is not suggesting there was any form of personal relationship between Epstein and Mr Rudd.
“We cannot rule out the possibility that they might have attended the same event at some stage, since Dr Rudd has attended literally thousands of functions in New York over the years,” the statement said.
“Most references to Dr Rudd in these latest documents mention him in passing. Others indicate there were attempts by mutual acquaintances of Jeffrey Epstein to introduce him to Dr Rudd. No introduction ever took place, and there is no evidence of any direct contact between Jeffrey Epstein and either Dr Rudd or his office.”
The release comes after months of accusations between the government and Congress regarding the slow pace and opacity of the documents, which have been withheld due to years of records and legal documentation related to the Epstein case.
In the statement Rudd’s office said: “Even if these various records were somehow to be accepted at face value, none of them allege that Dr Rudd engaged in any wrongful activity or had any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes.
“Dr Rudd’s legal team is prepared to launch legal action against any defamatory statements asserting any kind of personal relationship between Dr Rudd and Epstein.”
— With additional reporting by the Associated Press
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