By Ghislaine Maxwell, years before her conviction for sex trafficking, was recognized at the Clinton Global Initiative in September 2013, an acknowledgment that now appears startling in retrospect. CNN’s review of documents, photographs, and video reveals Maxwell receiving applause at a CGI luncheon for her work with the TerraMar Project, the ocean conservation nonprofit she founded. She stood among other “Commitment to Action” leaders, an honor described by one source familiar with CGI’s operations as “rare, prestigious, and an honor.” At the time, TerraMar had pledged to push for the inclusion of oceans in the United Nations’ global priorities.
What makes this appearance remarkable is that allegations against Maxwell had already surfaced years earlier. In 2009, Virginia Roberts Giuffre filed a civil lawsuit in Florida accusing Maxwell of recruiting her as a teenager for Jeffrey Epstein, grooming her for abuse, and facilitating encounters. The Palm Beach Post placed the lawsuit on its front page, and that September Maxwell was served a subpoena—while attending a CGI session in New York, according to the New York Post. Giuffre’s attorney, Bradley Edwards, later wrote, “To say she was upset about being publicly served at this function is an understatement.”
By 2011, British tabloids carried Giuffre’s claims that Maxwell had recruited her at 15 as Epstein’s “sex slave” and even took part in the abuse. “She told me to take off my clothes. He had sex with me,” Giuffre told the Daily Mail. Maxwell flatly denied those allegations and threatened legal action, though none materialized. That same year, Doug Band, a longtime aide to Bill Clinton, emailed colleagues to “remove Ghislaine, from all lists” related to Clinton events. Still, her presence around the Clintons persisted. She attended CGI sessions, co-hosted a 2007 fundraiser for Hillary Clinton, and appeared at Chelsea Clinton’s 2010 wedding. A draft thank-you letter intended for Bill Clinton’s signature read, “Dear Ghislaine, Thank you for hosting such a terrific event for Hillary. I had a great time at Capitale, and I appreciate everything you did to make the fundraiser such an unqualified success. It wouldn’t have been possible without your efforts. I’m grateful for your friendship.” It is unclear whether the letter was ever sent.
Despite internal attempts to distance her, Maxwell was reportedly granted a complimentary pass to the 2013 CGI conference, recommended by either Bill or Hillary Clinton, according to a list reviewed by CNN. The Clinton Foundation, in response, noted that more than 600 complimentary passes were approved that year at the staff level. A spokesperson for Bill Clinton stressed, “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.” Chelsea Clinton’s spokesperson had previously told Vanity Fair that Chelsea’s ties to Maxwell ended in 2015, when she first became aware of the allegations.
Even in confinement, Maxwell has continued to generate headlines. In interviews with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche earlier this year, she claimed responsibility for introducing Epstein to Clinton and for facilitating Clinton’s travel on Epstein’s plane—while insisting Clinton never visited Epstein’s island, noted ABC News. “They met because of me, and the plane was because of me,” she told investigators. “I saw them talk, I saw them sit down and have chats,” Maxwell said. “I didn’t see President Clinton being interested in Epstein. He was just a rich guy with the plane.”
The episode comes as Epstein’s network remains under a microscope. The House Oversight Committee has subpoenaed both Bill and Hillary Clinton to testify this fall, even as public frustration mounts over the Trump administration’s unfulfilled promise to release long-withheld Epstein files. The recognition Maxwell received in 2013, once framed as a tribute to conservation, now reads as a reminder of how close proximity to power insulated her from scrutiny—until it no longer could.
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