Former British ambassador to US Peter Mandelson issues apology over friendship with Jeffrey Epstein

Peter MandelsonFormer British ambassador to the US apologizes for maintaining friendship with sex offender jeffrey epstein following the conviction of the latter.

Mandelson, who was fired from his ambassador post in September over his ties to the disgraced financier, had come under criticism for offering a limited apology on Sunday for system failures that disappointed Epstein’s victims.

But he issued a more comprehensive apology in a statement sent to the BBC’s “Newsnight” program on Monday.

“Yesterday, I did not want to be held responsible for his (Epstein’s) crimes, of which I was neither ignorant nor indifferent, for the lies he told me and many others,” said Mandelson, who is currently on leave from his job as a member of parliament in the British House of Lords.

“I made a mistake in believing him after his conviction and continuing my relationship with him afterwards. I publicly apologize for doing so to the women and girls who suffered.”

In September, US lawmakers issued a “birthday bookIn this article, compiled for Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003, the veteran Labor politician penned a handwritten note describing Epstein as “my best mate”.

The scandal snowballed after Bloomberg published a series of emails between Mandelson and Epstein, in which Mandelson expressed support for his friend and offered to discuss the infamous 2008 Florida case with his political connections.

In an interview with the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday, Mandelson refused to apologize for maintaining their friendship after Epstein pleaded guilty to two state prostitution charges and spent 13 months in prison following a controversial plea deal.

“I want to apologize to these women for the system that refuses to hear their voices and does not provide them with the protection they deserve,” she said.

“This system gave them protection, it gave him protection. If I had known, if I had been complicit or guilty in any way, of course I would have apologized. But I was not guilty, I had no knowledge of what he was doing,” he said.

Mandelson also claimed that he was “segregated” from Epstein’s sexual activities because he was gay.

But her statement on Monday showed greater sensitivity towards Epstein’s victims.

“I was never guilty or complicit in his crimes. Like everyone else, I learned the real truth about him after his death,” Mandelson said.

“But his victims knew what he was doing, their voices were not being heard, and I regret that I was among those who believed him and not them,” she added.

CNN’s Christian Edwards contributed to this report.

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