Keep Maxwell in prison, Giuffre's family urges Trump
Giuffre's family also said it was "shocking" to hear Trump say earlier this week that Epstein had poached Giuffre from Trump's Mar-a-Lago club, where she worked at the spa in 2000. The family said Trump's comment raised questions about whether Trump was aware of Epstein's sexual abuse at the time.
Trump has not been accused of wrongdoing. Giuffre has said she was a victim of Epstein's sex trafficking from 2000 to 2002, starting when she was 16. She took her own life in Australia in April aged 41.
The family's statement comes as Trump has faced pressure to make public documents from the federal investigations into Epstein, who took his own life in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, and his longtime girlfriend Maxwell, who was convicted of sex trafficking in 2021.
Deputy US Attorney-General Todd Blanche, Trump's former personal lawyer, last week met with Maxwell to see if she had any information about others who had committed crimes. Maxwell's lawyer David Markus has called on Trump to grant her relief, but Trump has said he has not thought about whether to pardon her.
"The government and the president should never consider giving Ghislaine Maxwell any leniency," Giuffre's family said in the statement.
"Maxwell destroyed many young lives."
A senior Trump administration official said no leniency for Maxwell was being given or discussed. "That's just false," the official said.
Markus did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump and Epstein socialised in the 1990s and 2000s, before what Trump has called a falling out.
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One on Tuesday, Trump said he told Epstein to "stay the hell out" of Mar-a-Lago after finding out Epstein was poaching Trump's workers, including Giuffre.
"He stole her," Trump said. In their statement, Giuffre's family said Maxwell recruited her from Mar-a-Lago in 2000. The family said that was years before Epstein and Trump had their falling out, pointing to a 2002 New York magazine article in which Trump was quoted calling Epstein a "terrific guy" who liked women "on the younger side".
"It makes us ask if he was aware of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's criminal actions," Giuffre's family said, referring to Trump's Air Force One comments.
Asked by a reporter on Thursday if he knew why Epstein was taking his employees, Trump said he did not.
"I didn't really know really why, but I said if he's taking anybody from Mar-a-Lago, if he's hiring or whatever he's doing, I didn't like it and we threw him out," Trump said.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement earlier on Thursday that Trump had been responding to a reporter's question about Giuffre and did not bring her up.
"President Trump kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of his club for being a creep to his female employees," Leavitt said.
At Maxwell's trial in 2021, Juan Alessi, the former manager of Epstein's Palm Beach home, testified that he drove with Maxwell to meet Giuffre at nearby Mar-a-Lago. He said he then saw Giuffre at Epstein's home for the first time that evening, and saw her at the home many times thereafter.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
Lifeline 13 11 14
Fullstop Australia 1800 385 578
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
AU Financial Review
an hour ago
- AU Financial Review
Trump to hike India's tariff over Russian oil buys
President Donald Trump said he would be 'substantially raising' the tariff on Indian exports to the US over the Asian nation's purchases of Russian oil, a move New Delhi slammed as unjustified in an escalating fight between the two major economies. 'India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil, they are then, for much of the Oil purchased, selling it on the Open Market for big profits,' Trump wrote on social media Monday. 'They don't care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine. Because of this, I will be substantially raising the Tariff paid by India to the USA.' Trump did not say by how much he would increase the levy. Last week, he announced a 25 per cent rate on Indian exports and vowed more duties if India continued to buy oil from Russia. The US president's warning comes ahead of an August 8 deadline for Russia to reach a truce with Ukraine, with the administration threatening so-called secondary sanctions on countries that purchase Russian energy. Ukraine's allies view those purchases as helping to prop up Russian leader Vladimir Putin's economy and undercutting pressure on Moscow to end a war that is now in its fourth year. India has been a top Trump target in the campaign to end the war. New Delhi has been defiant, however, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi — who previously enjoyed warm relations with Trump — responding by urging Indians to buy local goods and signalling that his country will continue to buy Russian oil. 'The targeting of India is unjustified and unreasonable,' said India's Ministry of External Affairs in a social media post later on Monday, accusing the EU and US of trading with Russia when it is 'not even a vital national compulsion.'
West Australian
an hour ago
- West Australian
‘HOTTEST': Donald Trump praises Sydney Sweeney after finding out she's a Republican, drags Taylor Swift
US President Donald Trump has again made headlines with his latest outspoken comments, this time praising actor Sydney Sweeney while taking a jab at Taylor Swift. The actor sparked backlash following her American Eagle ad, where she playfully remarked, 'Genes are passed down from parent to offspring, often determining traits like eye color, personality, and even hair color. My jeans are blue.' Given today's political climate, some critics accused the ad of carrying a racist 'dog whistle.' This weekend, BuzzFeed confirmed that Sydney Sweeney is a registered Republican in Florida, based on publicly available voter records. When Mr Trump learned about her political affiliation during an interview, he responded excitedly, 'She's a registered Republican? Oh, now I love her ad!' Shortly after, Mr Trump took to Truth Social, declaring, 'Sydney Sweeney, a registered Republican, has the 'HOTTEST' ad out there. It's for American Eagle, and the jeans are 'flying off the shelves.' Go get 'em Sydney!' Indeed, many sizes of Sydney's Ultra Wide-Leg Jeans are currently sold out on American Eagle's website. Interestingly, the success of American Eagle's sub-brand Aerie has been linked to its commitment to diversity in its campaigns. Mr Trump compared Sweeney's ad favourably to Jaguar's controversial 2024 'Copy Nothing' campaign, which featured a diverse cast but drew right-wing criticism for being 'woke.' 'On the other side of the ledger, Jaguar did a stupid, and seriously WOKE advertisement, THAT IS A TOTAL DISASTER! The CEO just resigned in disgrace, and the company is in absolute turmoil. Who wants to buy a Jaguar after looking at that disgraceful ad,' Mr Trump said. He also referenced the Bud Light boycotts sparked after transgender TikToker Dylan Mulvaney's promotional post, writing, 'Shouldn't they have learned a lesson from Bud Lite, which went Woke and essentially destroyed, in a short campaign, the Company. The market cap destruction has been unprecedented, with BILLIONS OF DOLLARS SO FOOLISHLY LOST.' Turning his sights to Taylor Swift, Mr Trump added, 'Or just look at Woke singer Taylor Swift. Ever since I alerted the world as to what she was by saying on TRUTH that I can't stand her (HATE!). She was booed out of the Super Bowl and became, NO LONGER HOT. The tide has seriously turned — Being WOKE is for losers, being Republican is what you want to be. Thank you for your attention to this matter!' Back in May, Mr Trump had also posted, 'Has anyone noticed that, since I said 'I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT,' she's no longer 'HOT?''.
Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
Trump drags Swift, praises Sweeney for jeans ad: ‘HOTTEST'
US President Donald Trump has again made headlines with his latest outspoken comments, this time praising actor Sydney Sweeney while taking a jab at Taylor Swift. The actor sparked backlash following her American Eagle ad, where she playfully remarked, 'Genes are passed down from parent to offspring, often determining traits like eye color, personality, and even hair color. My jeans are blue.' Given today's political climate, some critics accused the ad of carrying a racist 'dog whistle.' This weekend, BuzzFeed confirmed that Sydney Sweeney is a registered Republican in Florida, based on publicly available voter records. When Mr Trump learned about her political affiliation during an interview, he responded excitedly, 'She's a registered Republican? Oh, now I love her ad!' If you'd like to view this content, please adjust your . To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide. Shortly after, Mr Trump took to Truth Social, declaring, 'Sydney Sweeney, a registered Republican, has the 'HOTTEST' ad out there. It's for American Eagle, and the jeans are 'flying off the shelves.' Go get 'em Sydney!' Indeed, many sizes of Sydney's Ultra Wide-Leg Jeans are currently sold out on American Eagle's website. Interestingly, the success of American Eagle's sub-brand Aerie has been linked to its commitment to diversity in its campaigns. Mr Trump compared Sweeney's ad favourably to Jaguar's controversial 2024 'Copy Nothing' campaign, which featured a diverse cast but drew right-wing criticism for being 'woke.' 'On the other side of the ledger, Jaguar did a stupid, and seriously WOKE advertisement, THAT IS A TOTAL DISASTER! The CEO just resigned in disgrace, and the company is in absolute turmoil. Who wants to buy a Jaguar after looking at that disgraceful ad,' Mr Trump said. If you'd like to view this content, please adjust your . To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide. He also referenced the Bud Light boycotts sparked after transgender TikToker Dylan Mulvaney's promotional post, writing, 'Shouldn't they have learned a lesson from Bud Lite, which went Woke and essentially destroyed, in a short campaign, the Company. The market cap destruction has been unprecedented, with BILLIONS OF DOLLARS SO FOOLISHLY LOST.' Turning his sights to Taylor Swift, Mr Trump added, 'Or just look at Woke singer Taylor Swift. Ever since I alerted the world as to what she was by saying on TRUTH that I can't stand her (HATE!). She was booed out of the Super Bowl and became, NO LONGER HOT. The tide has seriously turned — Being WOKE is for losers, being Republican is what you want to be. Thank you for your attention to this matter!' Back in May, Mr Trump had also posted, 'Has anyone noticed that, since I said 'I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT,' she's no longer 'HOT?''.
