Please note!

This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.

Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

FACT BRIEF

Is there any evidence that Jeffrey Epstein co-founded the Clinton Foundation?

Monday, July 20, 2020

By Ercole Durini di Monza

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The Clinton Foundation was founded by President Bill Clinton in October 1997 to help build his presidential library. Clinton also wanted the foundation to leverage private and public partnerships to tackle global problems such as AIDS, climate change and childhood obesity. There is no evidence that Jeffrey Epstein co-founded it; his name does not appear on documents provided to the IRS about the foundation's incorporation.

There is evidence of Epstein later supporting the organization, with a $25,000 donation in 2006 through one of his own charities, the C.O.U.Q. Foundation. A Clinton spokesperson last year said the two men met in 2002, and that Clinton also traveled on Epstein's private jet during 2002 and 2003 while on Clinton Foundation business.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Clinton Foundation: History

Clinton Foundation: Application for tax exemption, Dec. 23, 1997

Clinton Foundation: List of donors ($10,001 - $25,000)

Gawker: Epstein flight manifests (see pp. 4, 5, 8, 10, 12, 13, 22)

Angel Ureña: 2019 statement by Clinton spokesperson regarding Jeffrey Epstein

FactCheck.org: The Epstein connections fueling conspiracy theories

ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR

Gigafact

Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

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About fact briefs published on Gigafact

Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.