Real Time” host Bill Maher had an awkward exchange with CNN commentator Paul Begala on Friday night, confronting him about his former boss Bill Clinton and the former president’s ties to deceased sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein.
“Now, Bill Clinton. People are saying that there are witnesses who saw him on Jeffrey Epstein’s sex island,” Maher began. “Obviously, it’s denied.”
Begala, who served as a White House adviser during Clinton’s administration, shook his head in disapproval — but Maher doubled down.
“You shake your head like, ‘Oh that’s impossible! Bill Clinton, a horny guy, on sex island? Ridiculous!'” Maher mocked. “Look, it’s possible.”
Last week, a trove of released documents in the court case of British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell shed some light on her relationship with Epstein, a wealthy financier who was found hanging in his New York City jail cell last year and was later pronounced dead. He had been awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges.
The documents included records of a 2011 meeting between Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre and her lawyers where Giuffre talked about the powerful people in Epstein’s orbit who she said either flew on his private Boeing 727 or stayed on his private island in the Caribbean.
One of the powerful people mentioned was Clinton — who has acknowledged meeting with Epstein on several occasions but denied knowing about Epstein’s criminal record in Florida or the financier’s subsequent alleged actions involving minors.
During a panel segment of Maher’s show Friday night, the host revived his argument that the Clintons have become “huge distractions” for the Democratic Party and invoked the controversial connection between the former president and the pedophile.
“My question is, you know, [Clinton] has assets and he has … things that are not quite assets,” Maher said. “And same with Hillary. What do the Democrats — what should they do?”
While not addressing Clinton’s alleged ties to Epstein, Begala praised both his former boss and first lady, noting how he “two landslide elections” and how she won the popular vote.
“Bill Clinton has credibility on the economy, which is the one issue holding Trump up right now. It is still holding him up,” Begala told Maher. “I guess people saw him portray a CEO on a cardboard set for 14 years on NBC because they feel like he’s a businessman. … Bill Clinton can puncture that. And if it were me, that’s what I would send him out to do.”
Maher previously argued that Bill and Hillary Clinton should not appear at the Democrats’ convention this summer due to their controversial brand. However, recent reports indicate both will participate when the Democrats convene beginning Aug. 17.
