Newly unearthed photos, video and internal documents reviewed by CNN’s investigative KFile unit show that Ghislaine Maxwell was publicly recognised at a Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) luncheon on ocean conservation in September 2013—two years after media coverage detailed accusations that she had helped Jeffrey Epstein groom and abuse minors. Footage captures Maxwell rising to applause alongside other honourees, while a complementary-access list obtained by CNN indicates her attendance was recommended by either Bill or Hillary Clinton. At the time, Maxwell was representing the TerraMar Project, an ocean-advocacy non-profit she founded in 2012. A Clinton Foundation representative told CNN that more than 600 complimentary passes were approved for the 2013 meeting and that such decisions were made at the staff level. A spokesperson for former President Bill Clinton said the event was “nothing more” than a charitable conference and reiterated that the Clintons were unaware of Epstein’s crimes. Allegations against Maxwell had first surfaced in a 2009 Florida civil lawsuit filed by Virginia Roberts Giuffre and were widely reported by 2011, prompting a top Clinton aide to instruct colleagues to bar Maxwell from official events. Maxwell was later convicted on federal sex-trafficking charges in 2021 and is serving a 20-year sentence; she was recently transferred to a minimum-security prison camp in Bryan, Texas.