Mandelson Apologizes to Epstein Victims but Defends His Own Conduct

By Blessing Nweke

Britain’s former ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson, has apologized to the victims of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, while stopping short of expressing regret for his own relationship with the disgraced financier.

In an interview broadcast on Sunday, Mandelson said he was sorry that a system failed to protect vulnerable women and dismissed their accounts for years, but insisted he bore no personal responsibility for Epstein’s crimes. Mandelson was dismissed from his post in September after emails emerged revealing a closer relationship with Epstein than had previously been disclosed, including messages in which Mandelson described Epstein as his “best pal” and offered advice about seeking early release from jail.

“I want to apologize to those women for a system that refused to hear their voices and did not give them the protection they were entitled to expect,” Mandelson said. However, he added that he would only apologize for his own ties to Epstein if he had known about the abuse or been complicit in it.

“I was not culpable, I was not knowledgeable of what he was doing,” Mandelson said, adding that he had believed Epstein’s claims of innocence and the assurances of his lawyer at the time. “Now I wish I had not believed that story.”

The British government said when Mandelson was fired that the depth of his ties to Epstein appeared “materially different” from what had been understood when he was appointed ambassador, prompting concerns about judgment and transparency in a sensitive diplomatic role.

Mandelson described Epstein as an “evil monster” and rejected suggestions that he knowingly ignored warning signs. He also said he believed that, as a gay man within Epstein’s social circle, he was kept apart from the sexual abuse Epstein carried out against young women.

Britain has since named Christian Turner as its next ambassador to Washington, as London seeks to steady transatlantic relations following the controversy surrounding Mandelson’s dismissal.