During a 2002 humanitarian trip to Africa aboard Jeffrey Epstein’s aircraft, former president Bill Clinton was photographed receiving a brief neck and shoulder massage from Chauntae Davies during a stop at an airport in Portugal. Davies, then 22, was working as a flight attendant for Epstein and later said Epstein had sexually assaulted and exploited her. According to Davies, Clinton complained that his neck had stiffened during the long journey, and Ghislaine Maxwell suggested that Davies—who had trained as a massage therapist—help him. The photographs show Clinton seated while Davies massages his shoulders, creating an especially disturbing image in hindsight because she was traveling within the orbit of the man she later accused of abusing her.

Davies has consistently said that Clinton behaved appropriately toward her, describing him as a “perfect gentleman” and characterizing the massage as an innocent, spontaneous interaction rather than sexual conduct. Clinton likewise told congressional investigators that his neck had gone into spasm and that the massage lasted only briefly; he denied knowing at the time that Davies had been victimized by Epstein and denied receiving sexual services from anyone associated with him. The episode does not establish misconduct by Clinton, but it remains symbolically significant because it captures a former president accepting personal attention from a young woman employed within Epstein’s operation while traveling alongside Epstein and Maxwell—another example of how survivors were placed in close proximity to powerful people who later claimed they knew nothing about the abuse occurring around them.


to contact me:


[email protected]

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.