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lord mandelson Refusal to apologize to victims Jeffrey Epstein For his friendship with a convicted pedophile and financier.
former us ambassador Cabinet minister described Epstein as his “best friend” in emails he admitted were “creepy” but claimed he was on the “fringes” of the financier’s life.
In his first interview since his appointment sacked as British Ambassador Speaking on the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg programme, the Labor boss would only apologize for the “system” that had failed Epstein’s victims.
“I want to apologize to these women because the system refuses to listen to them and does not provide them with the protection they deserve,” he said.
Asked whether he would apologize for his friendship with Epstein following his conviction, Lord Mandelson said: “Had I known, if I had any complicity or guilt, of course I would have apologized… But I am not culpable, I know nothing of what he did and I regret, and will regret until the day I die, that powerless women were not given the protection they deserve.”
He described his relationship with Epstein as “a terrible mistake” that “I will regret until I die.”
He continued: “I believed his story and his attorney’s assertion that he was wrongfully convicted for his contact with these young women. Now I wish I had not believed that story.”
The Labor peer also strongly hinted that he did not agree with the sacking of the ambassador to the US as new information emerged in emails and text messages about his relationship with Epstein.
Asked whether he should be sacked, Lord Mandelson said: “I understand why I was sacked.”
He added: “The emails that were released were a huge surprise and a huge shock to me, not just to them. They no longer exist on my long-abandoned server. I can’t share emails with them that I don’t remember.”
The interview sparked outrage from the government, with Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander saying she believed Mandelson should apologize to Epstein’s victims.
She continued: “I think the breadth and nature of Peter Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein only became clear when these emails were released last September, which is why the prime minister moved quickly to remove him as ambassador to the United States.”
More on this breaking story…