Former President Bill Clinton used his Democratic National Convention speech Tuesday to lecture President Trump on decorum, drawing charges of hypocrisy even before a photo of the former Democratic president with an Epstein accuser went viral.
“At a time like this, the Oval Office should be a command center,” Mr. Clinton said in his remote speech. “Instead, it is a storm center. There’s only chaos. Just one thing never changes — his determination to deny responsibility and shift the blame. The buck never stops there.”
Leading off the mockery was “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert, who alluded to Mr. Clinton’s Oval Office affair with then-White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
“All right, that’s true, that’s a good point,” Mr. Colbert replied. “But I don’t think Bill Clinton gets to lecture anyone on what should happen in the Oval Office. Those in glass houses should not be allowed near the interns.”
The same day, the [U.K.] Daily Mail ran a photo showing Mr. Clinton receiving a neck message from Chauntae Davies, then 22, who has accused the late Jeffrey Epstein of raping her. Mr. Clinton has come under fire for his friendship and travel with Epstein, a convicted sex offender.
The caption read: “Clinton, then 56, had complained of having a stiff neck after falling asleep on Epstein’s notorious private jet while on a humanitarian trip with the pedophile to Africa in September of 2002. After Maxwell’s insistence, Clinton asked the twenty-something: ’Would you mind giving it a crack?’”
Bill Clinton, AOC, and more were all fair game for Stephen Colbert’s monologue after night two of the #DemConvention https://t.co/vb2lxCUcyT
— Last Night On (@LastNightOnFS) August 19, 2020
DEVELOPING: Photo Obtained Of Epstein Victim Massaging Bill Clinton on Africa Trip https://t.co/lChu3MF2R9
— Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) August 19, 2020
Trump attorney Rudy W. Giuliani called the second night of the convention “a parade of hypocrites,” tweeting, “Bill Clinton wants to cleanse the Oval Office?”
Added Juanita Broaddrick, who accused Mr. Clinton of raping her in 1978, which he has denied: “Where is MeToo?”
Mr. Colbert also posted a photo of Mr. Clinton looking surprised, joking that he was “seen here finding out Ghislaine Maxwell was just arrested.” Ms. Maxwell, an Epstein ally, was arrested last month on charges related to sexual abuse of young women.
The conservative Media Research Center accused reporters covering the convention of avoiding Mr. Clinton’s Epstein connection. Mr. Clinton has insisted he knew nothing about Epstein’s crimes and took trips on the billionaire financier’s private plane in connection with his work for the Clinton Foundation.
“Democrats claim to embraced women speaking out against harassment in a #MeToo era,” said MRC’s Scott Whitlock. “So it’s awkward to see journalists look the other way at Bill Clinton speaking on night two of the Democratic National Convention. It’s even more awkward with newly unearthed photos of the former president getting a massage from an alleged Jeffrey Epstein victim.”
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.