Bill Clinton deepfake uses former president’s face, voice to reference Epstein-related crimes
Visual analysis and confirmation from the uploader all pointed to the video being AI-generated
CLAIM
A video posted on X on the day new documents were set to be released relating to deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein is purported to show former U.S. President Bill Clinton admitting to crimes.
BACKGROUND
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi released a new cache of documents related to the financier Jeffrey Epstein on Thursday, February 27.
The government documents, which news reports said mainly comprised documents that had been leaked or released in court files and have circulating online for years, included flight logs from Epstein’s private plane, a list of masseuses and an evidence list of items including nude images, massage tables and sex toys.
The documents included mentions of U.S. President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton, and Britain’s Prince Andrew, all of whom were already known to have been mentioned in court documents. Not all of those mentioned were accused of wrongdoing — for example, a mention of Trump relates to an accuser saying that they had spent time with Epstein at a Trump casino in Atlantic City, news reports said.
The Epstein case has been shrouded by countless conspiracy theories since the financier died by suicide in prison in 2019.
Many of the theories and claims relate to the numerous high-profile associates in Epstein’s orbit. One of those is Clinton, who was named in a flight log as having travelled on Epstein’s private plane.
Clinton previously acknowledged that he is a former associate of Epstein, but has denied any knowledge of his crimes.
A video posted on Thursday, February 27, appeared to show Clinton speaking. In it, he purportedly makes a statement referencing the documents that were about to be released.
“My fellow Americans. Today you may be waiting for the highly anticipated Epstein client list to be released,” he can be heard saying, before appearing to admit to crimes involving children.
The uploader captioned the video: “Bill #Clinton has released a statement after learning Pam Bondi is releasing the #Epstein Client List today.”
METHOD
Upon first glance, there are a number of clues suggesting the clip is AI-generated.
Clinton’s recognisable voice has been relatively well-imitated by the software that was used to create the audio, but the speaking style is slightly stilted, with unnatural pauses in the middle of phrases.
Clinton’s mouth, too, is unnatural in its movement as he speaks and during pauses. Sometimes it appears out of sync with the audio, making it resemble a dubbed video.
Analysing the credibility of the actual content of the video is another pillar when it comes to questioning a piece of material. Clinton has always denied any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes making a sudden, unprompted admission of guilt unlikely.
The video becomes even more unbelievable when Hillary Clinton’s voice, in the background, walks in and ‘catches’ the admission of guilt, before attacking the cameraman.
The most obvious giveaway that the clip is not genuine is the text sitting to the right of Clinton’s head, reading ‘meme/satire’. In this case, the uploader has indicated the video is not real, but that does not mean it couldn’t be cropped and reproduced without such a disclaimer, as we have seen in other cases.
The uploader further confirmed the video was AI-generated in response to commenters questioning the veracity of the clip. “Of course it is AI. It says right on the video: meme/satire,” they wrote.
Although this video was labelled as a ‘meme/satire’ by the uploader, it shows how well-produced deepfakes have the potential to be sophisticated tools for the spreading of misinformation, the publication of damaging or defamatory material, or the practice of fraudulent advertising or influence campaigns.
RATING
A visual analysis of the clip, the inclusion of a disclaimer that it was satirical, and further confirmation from the uploader all pointed to the video being AI-generated.
SOURCES
X (formerly Twitter). (2025). Available at: Bill #Clinton has released a statement after learning Pam Bondi is releasing the #Epstein Client List today. [Accessed 28 Feb. 2025].
Richer, A.D. and Sisak, M.R. (2025). No big new revelations in Jeffrey Epstein files released by Justice Department. [online] AP News. [Accessed 28 Feb. 2025].
Matza, M. (2024). Jeffrey Epstein: Prince Andrew and Bill Clinton named in court files. [online] Bbc.com. [Accessed 28 Feb. 2025].
Sullivan, K. (2019). Bill Clinton ‘knows nothing’ about Epstein’s ‘terrible crimes,’ spokesman says. [online] CNN. [Accessed 28 Feb. 2025].