LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer apologized Thursday to victims of Jeffrey Epstein for appointing Peter Mandelson as the U.K.'s ambassador to Washington despite his ties to the disgraced financier. The prime minister said Mandelson had “portrayed Epstein as someone he barely knew.” In a speech on Thursday, he said “I am sorry … for having believed Mandelson’s lies and appointed him.” Starmer fired Mandelson in September after emails were published showing that he maintained a friendship with Epstein following the late financier’s 2008 conviction for sex offenses involving a minor. But the prime minister now faces fresh pressure over the appointment after newly released documents revealed new details of Mandelson’s close relationship with Epstein.