Queen's University Belfast signals it is not cutting Clinton ties after distancing itself from George Mitchell over Epstein claims

A large metal bust of Mr Mitchell was removed from its place outside QUB's Whitla Hall today, and QUB has also said it will remove Mr Mitchell's name from its Institute for Global Peace, Security, and Justice.

Like Mr Mitchell, Bill Clinton has also has QUB links and past associations with Epstein – something which has been back in the news this week following the release of fresh files relating to the paedophile financier.

Unionist campaigner and ex-UUP councillor Jeff Dudgeon today accused QUB of a “rush to judgment” over the Mitchell affair, and questioned the difference in approach to the Clinton name.

‘WHY NOT CLINTON WHEN CONCERNS ARE SIMILAR?’

Mr Mitchell, now aged 92, was special US envoy to Northern Ireland from 1995 to 2001.

He was also chancellor of Queen's (a prominent but ceremonial role) from 1999 until 2009.

Jeff Dudgeon had met Mr Mitchell during the lead-up to the Good Friday Agreement, while working for UKUP MP Bob McCartney.

He wrote on Twitter there had been "a rush to judgement over Senator George Mitchell," adding: "Odd that QUB didn't cancel him the first time his name was linked to Epstein so why now?”

Mr Dudgeon further went on to tell the News Letter: "These are not new allegations [see below]. The university chose to ignore them until yesterday.

"So what's the difference?"

He wondered whether "it's not so much about the alleged misbehaviour, it's about reputational damage if you don't join the stampede", adding that the word "witchhunt springs to mind".

He also questioned how the university can maintain its Clinton links given that there are "similar concerns" about Bill Clinton's "proximity to Epstein".

QUB has a William J. Clinton Leadership Institute, plus a lecture series named after him, whilst his wife Hillary is QUB's current chancellor.

Bill Clinton had repeatedly visited with Epstein and flown on his private plane prior to Epstein being charged in 2008.

Mr Clinton has stated that, by 2005, he had "stopped contact" with Epstein.

When Mr Dudgeon's points were put to it, QUB today restated its position that "it is no longer appropriate for its institutional spaces and entities to continue to bear his [Mr Mitchell's] name".

These moves follow "the emergence of new information contained in the Epstein files released on Friday," QUB said, though it acknowledged that "no findings of wrongdoing by senator Mitchell have been made".

It added: "Queen's University is not currently considering any action against other individuals."

CLAIMS DENIED BY GEORGE MITCHELL:

In 2019, ahead of Epstein's sex trafficking trial, it emerged that one of Epstein's victims, Virginia Giuffre, had made an allegation that she was "instructed" to sleep with Mr Mitchell.

Ms Giuffre then re-stated this claim last October in her postumously-published book.

Mr Mitchell has stated that he has never met, nor spoken to, Ms Giuffre, nor did he ever have any suspicion of Epstein's crimes.

Last week the US government released a massive haul of e-mails, photographs, and documents relating to Epstein, in which the claim concerning Mr Mitchell was repeated again.

Alongside it were e-mails purporting to show that there was some kind of contact between Mr Mitchell and Epstein’s office following Epstein’s 2008 conviction for soliciting a minor for prostitution.

In response, the BBC a spokesman for Mr Mitchell as saying that the former senator had "declined or deflected the few invitations to events extended by Epstein's office in the years that followed" his prosecution.

It further quoted Mr Mitchell's spokesperson as saying that Ms Giuffre's claim "is based on a case of mistaken identity," adding: "In 2021, Ms Giuffre supplied a photograph to OK Magazine, which incorrectly captioned it as depicting Senator Mitchell standing behind Jeffrey Epstein.

"The individual in the photograph was not Senator Mitchell."