Giuffre family demands answers after Trump says Epstein ‘stole' Virginia from Mar-a-Lago
Speaking aboard Air Force One, the president told reporters that Epstein 'stole' Ms Giuffre from the Mar-a-Lago spa when she was just 16.
'Everyone knows the people who were taken,' Mr Trump said.
'People were taken out of the spa hired by him… And then not too long after that, he did it again. And I said, 'Out of here.''
But the family of Ms Giuffre, who lived in WA before she tragically took her own life, has issued a furious response.
'It was shocking to hear President Trump invoke our sister and say that he was aware that Virginia had been 'stolen' from Mar-a-Lago,' the family said in a statement.
'It makes us ask if he was aware of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's criminal actions, especially given his statement two years later that his good friend Jeffrey 'likes women on the younger side... no doubt about it.''
The comments have sparked renewed scrutiny of Mr Trump's long-denied ties to Epstein and his inner circle, including whether his administration sought to downplay any connection.
Mr Trump has previously claimed he 'never had the privilege of going to (Epstein's) island' and insisted Democrats planted his name in case files. But Florida's former attorney general Pam Bondi reportedly told Mr Trump that his name appears 'multiple times' in Epstein-linked documents.
Ms Giuffre, who died at the age of 41 in April, was one of the most vocal survivors to speak out about Epstein and Ms Maxwell's trafficking operation. She maintained she was recruited into the ring while working as a locker room attendant at Mar-a-Lago in 2000.
Mr Trump officially severed ties with Epstein in 2004. Over the years, he's attributed the falling-out to everything from Epstein being 'a creep' to a dispute over a Palm Beach property. His latest remarks, however, raise new questions about what he knew and when.
The Ms Giuffre family also lashed out at Congress over ongoing moves to allow Ms Maxwell to testify about Epstein's network, calling her 'a monster who deserves to rot in prison for the rest of her life.'
'If our sister could speak today, she would be most angered by the fact that the government is listening to a known perjurer,' their statement continued.
'A woman who repeatedly lied under oath and will continue to do so as long as it benefits her position.'
Ms Maxwell, currently serving a 20-year sentence, met with Justice Department officials last week. She is scheduled to testify before Congress on August 11, though a request for immunity has already been denied.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
SBS Australia
37 minutes ago
- SBS Australia
NASA is reportedly planning to build a nuclear reactor on the moon
A new NASA directive — first reported by Politico and seen by Agence France-Presse — calls for the appointment of a nuclear power czar to select two commercial proposals within six months, framing the push as crucial to outpacing a joint Chinese-Russian effort. Signed by acting NASA chief Sean Duffy, who is also US transportation secretary, the 31 July memo is the latest sign of the agency's shift towards prioritising human space exploration over scientific research under President Donald Trump's second term. "Since March 2024, China and Russia have announced on at least three occasions a joint effort to place a reactor on the Moon by the mid-2030s," it says. "The first country to do so could potentially declare a keep-out zone which would significantly inhibit the United States from establishing a planned Artemis presence if not there first." The idea of using nuclear energy off-planet is not new. Since 2000, NASA has invested $308 million towards developing small, lightweight fission power systems, though none have progressed towards flight readiness, according to the directive. The most recent effort came in 2023 with the completion of three $7.7 million industry study contracts that focused on generating 40 kilowatts of power, enough to continuously run 30 households for ten years. Unlike solar power, fission systems can operate around the clock — invaluable during the weeks-long lunar nights or Martian dust storms. Advances in technology have made such systems increasingly compact and lightweight. NASA formally committed to using nuclear power on Mars in December 2024 — the first of seven key decisions necessary for human exploration of the Red Planet. Based on feedback by industry, surface power needs should be at least 100 kilowatts to support "long-term human operations including in-situ resource utilisation," meaning things like life support, communications, and mining equipment to collect surface ice. It assumes the use of a "heavy class lander" that carries up to 15 metric tons of mass, and targets a "readiness to launch by the first quarter of FY30," meaning late 2029. NASA's Artemis program to return to the Moon and establish a lasting presence near the south pole has faced repeated delays. The timeline for Artemis 3, the first planned crewed landing, has slipped to 2027, a date few see as realistic given the planned lander, SpaceX's Starship, is far from ready. China meanwhile is targeting 2030 for its first crewed mission and has proven more adept at meeting its deadlines in recent years.
AU Financial Review
an hour ago
- AU Financial Review
US House panel subpoenas Bill, Hillary Clinton in Epstein probe
Washington | US politicians have subpoenaed former president Bill Clinton and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton for testimony on Jeffrey Epstein in a major escalation of the controversy surrounding the investigation into the notorious sex offender. The Clintons were among multiple former Democratic and Republican government officials — as well as the Justice Department — targeted by investigators reviewing the handling of the disgraced financier's case after he died in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking.
Sydney Morning Herald
an hour ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Unredacted' Epstein files – and the Clintons – subpoenaed by US House panel
Washington: US House Republicans subpoenaed the Justice Department, the Clintons and nearly a dozen former federal officials for information about the late financier Jeffrey Epstein's sex-trafficking operation, setting up a potential confrontation with the Trump administration. President Donald Trump and his top aides have faced a firestorm over their handling of the Epstein case, with supporters and critics alike demanding they release documents, financial records and information about Epstein's sex-trafficking operation and who may have committed crimes against underage girls. The House subpoena also swept in former President Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary, the Democrats' 2016 presidential nominee, threatening to douse fresh accelerant on an issue that's bedevilled Trump and Republicans in recent weeks. Democrats made life so politically painful for House Republicans over Epstein that Speaker Mike Johnson sent the House home early for its August break to avoid votes on publicly releasing the Epstein files. Democrats had repeatedly offered amendments to legislation to compel the administration to make the files public and GOP leaders halted work on major legislation. Trump has acknowledged he had a personal relationship with Epstein long ago and attended social gatherings with him, but has denied knowing anything about his sex-trafficking operation. The Wall Street Journal stoked new controversy over Trump's relationship with Epstein with a story last month that said the president once sent a suggestive birthday letter to Epstein. Trump denied the story and sued the news organisation. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, a Trump ally, demanded in a letter to Attorney-General Pam Bondi on Tuesday, Washington time, the 'full, complete, unredacted Epstein files,' including information about his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role in sexually abusing underage women. He also issued subpoenas for depositions from an array of former high-ranking FBI and Justice Department officials, including former FBI Director James Comey.
