This is the ex-NBA player who appears in the video with Trump and Epstein: “I feel terrible about the victims”

When a resurfaced 1992 video showing Donald Trump and his friend, now-dead sexual offender Jeffrey Epstein at a party at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate stirred renewed controversy, one figure drew unexpected attention: Tom McMillen.

The 6′11″ former basketball star and later congressman can be seen in the footage entering the party at roughly the same time as Epstein.

McMillen had a storied career before that night: he was a standout at the Maryland Terrapins, was selected No. 9 overall in the 1974 NBA Draft, played on the 1972 U.S. Olympic basketball team, and spent over a decade in the NBA before leaving the sport to pursue public life.

After he retired from the court, he served in Congress as a Democrat from Maryland between 1987 and 1993, and later held roles such as chairing the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. And now he’s appeared alongside Epstein and Trump.

“He knew a lot of people... I don’t know what to say”

McMillen’s name appears twice in Epstein’s ‘Black Book’ of contacts, and he was seen in a video unearthed by NBC News that featured him near Epstein and future President Donald J. Trump.

When presented with the mountain of material on Pablo Torre Finds Out, McMillen, spinning on his chair as he peered into the camera, said: “I didn’t really know [Epstein]” before adding that “he collected people.”

“I’m not surprised [that his name features], you run into people like this... I didn’t have much correspondence with him, he knew a lot of people. His modus operandi was to collect people more than anything else."

“As he got wealthier, the people he hung out with were Bill Gates and those kinds of folk,” he added, further distancing himself from the sex offender’s circle of acquaintances, “I don’t know what to say, I feel terrible about the victims and I hope all this stuff comes to light and there can be resolution to it.”

“The picture of me was me coming into a party with my girlfriend, 34 years ago. I can barely remember any of this."

“Let’s move on... please let’s move on... I’m going to leave”

McMillen was then presented with an email from a redacted sender to Epstein that mentioned his name in the subject line, to which he remarked that “it’s so crazy,” adding “I have no idea where this comes from. None of it makes sense to me, it’s crazy.”

The sender, who appears to be former candidate to the US House Gwendolyn Beck wrote: “I saw Tom McMillen last night and he asked about you, said you lost touch.” It then goes on to say that McMillen “is tight” with the Obamas and “is going to be an ambassador, apparently any country he wants.”

LBC wrote that Beck “received $12,600 from convicted paedophile Epstein to fund her run for Congress in 2014.” Beck was also mentioned by Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s now-imprisoned partner, as being part of “the orgies” in further material released and was listed under “massages” in Epstein’s ‘Black Book’ of contacts. Victim Virginia Giuffre also said that Beck had been involved in an orgy on Epstein’s private island.

“I have no idea what that’s all about, I can’t even respond, I don’t know what it’s about,” McMillen said.

After that, things got awkward, as McMillen pleaded with the host to “move on” from the topic and talk about other things. He did not, and moved into the flight log. “I don’t recall” said McMillen, when asked why his name appeared on the list just two months after the party. “Please can we move on, I am going to leave, I wanted to talk about the good things, this stuff is 37-years-old. Let’s sign off."

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For The Win points out that both Trump and former NBA commissioner David Stern were both early donors to McMillen’s campaign.

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