Ghislaine Maxwell subpoenaed by Congress over Epstein ahead of Trump team meeting
'The facts and circumstances surrounding both your and Mr Epstein 's cases have received immense public interest and scrutiny,' Comer wrote in a statement. 'While the Justice Department undertakes efforts to uncover and publicly disclose additional information related to your and Mr Epstein's cases, it is imperative that Congress conduct oversight of the federal government's enforcement of sex trafficking laws generally and specifically its handling of the investigation and prosecution of you and Mr Epstein,' he added.
It came as a federal judge in Florida denied a Justice Department request to release grand jury transcripts from the investigation of Epstein. The quick denial blocked efforts by the Trump administration to blunt criticism of its handling of files related to the sex offender, who was once a friend of the president.
One of Donald Trump's top law officials is set to meet with convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell in the next several days.
Maxwell's attorney, David Oscar Markus, confirmed Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche will talk directly to the disgraced British socialite. Her lawyer, David Oscar Markus, has been requesting meetings with Trump administration officials and has argued that Maxwell did not receive a fair trial.
'I can confirm that we are in discussions with the government and that Ghislaine will always testify truthfully," Markus told the Mirror. "We are grateful to President Trump for his commitment to uncovering the truth in this case.'
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Glasgow Times
14 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Donald Trump seen golfing at start of five day visit to Scotland
The president headed to his Trump Turnberry resort – which he bought in 2014 – after arriving in the country on Friday night. A MAJOR security operation surrounded US President Donald Trump as he played golf at the start of a five day long private visit to Scotland. On Saturday morning he was seen on the golf course there, wearing a white cap and driving a golf buggy. (Image: Colin Mearns, Newsquest) Ahead of that, a large number of police and military personnel have been spotted searching the grounds at the venue in South Ayrshire. Various road closures have been put in place, with limited access for both locals and members of the media. Trump is staying at [[Turnberry]] for the start of a five-day private visit to Scotland which will see him have talks with both UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Scottish First Minister John Swinney. (Image: Colin Mearns, Newsquest) A meeting has also been scheduled for him to talk about trade with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday. With no talks apparently scheduled for Saturday, Trump – a well-known golf enthusiast – appears to be free to play the famous Turnberry course. However, protests have been planned, with opponents of Trump expected to gather in both Edinburgh and Aberdeen later on Saturday and the Stop Trump coalition planning what it has described as being a 'festival of resistance'. (Image: Colin Mearns, Newsquest) As well as visiting Trump Turnberry, he will head to Aberdeenshire later in his visit and is expected to open a second course at his golf resort in Balmedie. As he landed in Ayrshire on Friday, Trump took questions from journalists, telling Europe to 'get your act together' on immigration, which he said was 'killing' the continent. He also praised Starmer, who he described as a 'good man', but added that the Prime Minister is 'slightly more liberal than I am'. (Image: Robert Perry/ PA) Saturday will be the first real test of Police Scotland during the visit as it looks to control the demonstrations in Aberdeen and Edinburgh, as well as any which spring up near to the president's course. The force has asked for support from others around the UK to bolster officer numbers, with both organisations representing senior officers and the rank-and-file claiming there is likely to be an impact on policing across the country for the duration of the visit. Before the visit started, Swinney appealed to Scots to protest 'peacefully and within the law'.
Daily Mirror
14 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
MIKEY SMITH: 7 wild Donald Trump moments as protests rage against Scotland visit
The weather is breezy with occasional drizzle, which may dampen his hopes of a few rounds of golf - while angry protesters tell him to go home Hello from Turnberry, Scotland where Donald Trump is enjoying the first day of a nice, relaxing holiday. The weather is breezy with occasional drizzle, which may dampen his hopes of a few rounds of golf. But hey, at least he gets to spend tomorrow with EU chief Ursula Von Der Leyen and Monday with Keir Starmer. He arrived late last night on Air Force One at Prestwick Airport, before being whisked down the coat 35 miles or so to the resort in a huge motorcade, headed up by the infamous Beast limousine. He's already been spotted driving a motorcade of golf carts around the course this morning. So far the locals I've spoken to are mostly ...'meh' about Trump's arrival. A handful have said they like the guy because he presumably brings money to the area. Other long-term residents told me the course has never made much money anyway. Which was true until last year - when it went from a profit of £186,000 in 2023 to £3.8 million. Here's what's happened since Trump World arrived in Scotland that you need to know about. 1. Trump claims he was never given a briefing about his name being in the Epstein files On the tarmac at Prestwick airport last night, Trump claimed he had never been given a briefing that indicated his name was included in the Epstein files. That directly contradicts reporting from the Wall Street Journal earlier in the week, which said he'd been given such a briefing in May - and was told his name appeared multiple times. And he said himself last weekend that he'd been given a short briefing by Attorney General Pam Bondi - but indicated at the time that his name was not in there. 2. He got a few strokes in before the rain Trump was spotted on the golf course at Turnberry getting a bit of peace before it started raining. A major security operation has surrounded US President Donald Trump as starts his private visit to Scotland. The president headed to his Trump Turnberry resort - which he bought in 2014 - after arriving in the country on Friday night. On Saturday morning he was seen on the golf course there, wearing a white cap and driving a golf buggy. Ahead of that, a large number of police and military personnel have been spotted searching the grounds at the venue in South Ayrshire. Various road closures have been put in place, with limited access for both locals and members of the media. Having seen how the President is protected in the US, I'm confident saying the exclusion zone around the resort is larger and the police presence greater than anything he gets in the States. Normally around 300 secret service agents travel with the President, backed up by teams from local law enforcement and specialised teams. But the estimated number of police assigned to Turnberry this weekend is reportedly around 5,000 - which is more officers than protect the White House. 3. Protests planned, but maybe not on Trump's doorstep Co-ordinated anti-Trump protests are being held in Edinburgh and Aberdeen today to mark the US President's arrival. A rally outside the US consulate in Edinburgh kicked off at noon. In Aberdeen, the group that gathered in the city centre were seen waving banners with anti-Trump slogans - with one demonstrator even dressed as the president with a large papier mache head. Some members of the crowd also showed their support for Palestine, waving Palestine flags. 4. He really doesn't want to talk about giving Ghislaine Maxwell a pardon After he was a little vague before leaving Washington about the prospect of a pardon for convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell , who was paedophile Jeffrey Epstein's madam for many years, Trump swerved the question yet further on arrival in Scotland. He claimed he had "not really been following" his Justice Department's two-day re-interview with Maxwell in prison - which was being conducted by his former personal lawyer, now Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. "A lot of people have been asking me about pardons," he said. "Obviously, this is no time to be talking about pardons. "You're making a very big thing over something that's not a big thing." It also emerged last night that Maxwell had been given "limited immunity" in the meetings with Blanche - meaning she can't be prosecuted over anything she reveals in them, so long as she tells the truth. Her attorney David Oscar Markus - who is a friend of Mr Blanche, and appeared on his podcast last year - said Maxwell "answered those questions honestly, truthfully, to the best of her ability." He added: "She never invoked a privilege. She never refused to answer a question, so we're very proud of her." Maxwell, whom he is proud of, is serving 20 years for five counts of sex trafficking. 5. Cancel the windmills! Among other topics Trump decided to be more angry about than Jeffrey Epstein upon his arrival in Scotland was the preponderance of renewable energy sources in Europe. Trump's war on windmills started in Scotland, remember - back when he had a lengthy legal battle with the Scottish government over the windmills visible from his Aberdeenshire course. And he's basically been radicalised on the subject, and will believe any nonsense conspiracy theory about them killing whales and giving people earache or whatever. Last night he said to European leaders: "Stop the windmills. You're ruining your countries. I really mean it. It's so sad. You fly over and you see these windmills all over the place, ruining your beautiful fields and valleys and killing your birds and if they're stuck in the ocean, ruining your oceans." Because windmills are so much more ugly than, for example, large coal mines or oil fields. Get Donald Trump updates straight to your WhatsApp! As the world attempts to keep up with Trump's antics, the Mirror has launched its very own US Politics WhatsApp community where you'll get all the latest news from across the pond. We'll send you the latest breaking updates and exclusives all directly to your phone. Users must download or already have WhatsApp on their phones to join in. All you have to do to join is click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in! We may also send you stories from other titles across the Reach group. We will also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose Exit group. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. 6. The trade deal is 'done' Trump was asked at the airport what the remaining sticking points were in the trade deal with the UK. He said there aren't any, suggesting there won't be any future changes. This will be a disappointment to the government, who were still kind of hoping there'd be some wriggle room on the 10% blanket tariffs. Despite Trump's words last night, a Downing Street source said the two leaders would discuss trade as part of their meetings on Monday. Asked what they'd be discussing, if not the trade deal, Trump said: "We're going to do a little celebrating because we get along very well." 7. Eric's coming, look busy I spoke to a shopkeeper near Trump's golf course last night, who gave a fascinating insight into the President's visits to Turnberry. "You can tell Eric's coming," he said, referring to Trump's son, who is joining the President on the trip. "Because of how the staff are acting." What did he mean by that? "They know Eric's really in charge of the resort, not Donald, and he's very particular so they're all more scared of him."
The Guardian
14 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Trump tells Europe to ‘get your act together' on immigration before US-EU trade talks
Intensive negotiations are continuing on Saturday between the EU and the US before a crunch meeting in Scotland between Donald Trump and the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, to avert a costly trade war. Trump spent the night at his family-owned Turnberry golf resort on a private visit, but took time to criticise European leaders over wind turbines and immigration claiming there won't be a Europe unless they 'get their act together'. 'I say two things to Europe. Stop the windmills. You're ruining your countries. I really mean it, it's so sad. You fly over and you see these windmills all over the place, ruining your beautiful fields and valleys and killing your birds,' he said. 'On immigration, you better get your act together,' he said. 'You're not going to have Europe anymore.' On Saturday morning, he abandoned a scheduled meeting with the press, who travelled with him on Air Force One, for a round of golf at his seaside course with music blaring from the buggy he drove. Sky News, stationed next to the course, reported the songs included Billy Joel's Uptown Girl, Elaine Paige's Memory and Simon and Garfunkel's Bridge over Troubled Water. Billed as a four-day family visit to Scotland, Trump is meeting European leaders and the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, raising hopes of new and refined trade deals with the EU and the UK. On the prospects of an EU trade deal, the US president has said there were '20 sticking points'. When asked what they were, he said: 'Well, I don't want to tell you what the sticking points are.' He described von der Leyen as a 'highly respected woman' and said the meeting on Sunday with the EU chief would be 'good', rating the chances of a deal as 'a good 50-50'. It is understood von der Leyen and her aides will fly in on Saturday, with the European trade commissioner, Maroš Šefčovič, arriving on Sunday morning. It is expected the deal will centre on an outline agreement in principle over 15% tariff rates for exports including cars, but with a 50% tariff continuing on steel. There may also be a breakthrough deal on pharmaceuticals, setting a rate of 15% for exports. Although this would breach a longstanding World Trade Organization agreement that medicines are rated at a zero tariff, it would be a far cry from the 200% tariff Trump threatened to impose on pharmaceuticals earlier this month. This would have triggered a highly damaging trade war not just with Ireland, where many US multinationals are based, but Germany, Denmark, Belgium, France and Spain. Von der Leyen's spokesperson, Paula Pinho, said: 'Intensive negotiations at technical and political [level] have been ongoing between the EU and US. Leaders will now take stock and consider the scope for a balanced outcome that provides stability and predictability for businesses and consumers on both sides of the Atlantic.' It is believed the meeting will be held in Aberdeenshire and will be followed by a series of meetings with Starmer on Monday, with hopes he will widen the bare bones trade deal he struck in May. Trump's arrival in Scotland has required the biggest security operation since Elizabeth II died in 2022. More than 5,000 police and security personnel are involved in the four-day visit with no risks taken after the assassination attempt on the president a year ago. High perimeter fences have been erected around the coastal golf course with naval vessels patrolling the shore while security drones overhead and dozens of security detail staked out the resort early on Saturday. The heavy security presence may be a foretaste of events to come later in August when the US vice-president, JD Vance, and his family arrive for a holiday in the Cotswolds, reportedly in the village of Charlbury. Locals who resisted the expansion of Trump's golf course in the past asked who would be footing the bill for the security arrangements.
