Australia's ambassador to the United States, Kevin Rudd, has taken the dramatic step of engaging a prominent defamation lawyer to combat allegations suggesting he once socialised with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The Unpublished Document That Sparked Controversy
The diplomatic row emerged when Rudd's name appeared in documents released by the US House Oversight Committee from Epstein's estate last week. The reference came from a 2015 email sent by veteran US journalist Michael Wolff to Epstein, containing an unpublished draft feature intended for New York Magazine.
The controversial passage stated: 'That evening, in the Epstein dining room... there is a small cocktail party, which includes the former Prime Minister of Australian (sic), Kevin Rudd'. The document placed this alleged event on September 22, 2014, suggesting Rudd attended alongside Thorbjørn Jagland, head of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee.
Rudd's Firm Rejection and Alibi Evidence
Contacted by the Daily Mail about the cocktail party report, Rudd's spokesperson delivered a robust response, describing Wolff's unpublished account as 'utterly false'. The ambassador's office provided a detailed timeline of his movements on the evening in question, directly contradicting the alleged Epstein encounter.
Rudd attended three separate events during the afternoon and evening of September 22, 2014, according to his representatives. These included a private meeting with Lichtenstein's Foreign Minister Aurelia Frick, chairing the inaugural meeting of the International Commission on Multiculturalism's Ministerial Board, and attending the International Peace Institute's annual ministerial dinner on the Middle East.
Photographic evidence was supplied showing Rudd at both the ICM press conference and the ministerial dinner, providing visual confirmation of his whereabouts. His spokesperson emphasised they had no record of any invitation to an Epstein cocktail party and no reason to believe Rudd ever met the disgraced financier.
Legal Threats and Historical Connections
Rudd's spokesperson issued a stern warning that his lawyer, Patrick George from defamation firm Giles George, would 'take immediate action in relation to any defamatory coverage of this unsubstantiated report'. This legal escalation demonstrates the seriousness with which the ambassador treats the allegations.
When approached for comment, Michael Wolff simply noted that the draft article referencing Rudd was unpublished, stating: 'My story, you nit wit, doesn't exist. This is a draft of something that was never published, and never meant to be published.'
Further documents revealed that journalist Aaron Yablon had contacted Epstein to fact-check all claims in Wolff's story, including those about Rudd, indicating the publication process was underway before the piece was ultimately shelved.
This isn't the first time Rudd has addressed connections to Epstein. In 2020, while chairing the International Peace Institute, he acknowledged being 'blindsided' by US$650,000 in donations to the institute from Epstein between 2011 and 2019 - a period when Epstein was already a convicted paedophile who had served 13 months in jail.
Rudd has previously accepted he participated in a conference call attended by Epstein in 2014 and attended another event where Epstein was invited in 2013. However, he has consistently maintained he has 'no recollection whatsoever' of ever meeting the convicted sex offender face-to-face.
Epstein took his own life in jail in 2019 after being arrested on child sex trafficking charges, leaving numerous unanswered questions about his extensive network of influential contacts.
