Ghislaine Maxwell prison interview transcripts could be published 'within weeks'
Transcripts of prison interviews with Ghislaine Maxwell could be released within weeks.
Meanwhile, a congressional committee issued a legal order for US Justice Department files related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation to be released to them.
Maxwell, who is serving 20 years in prison on sex trafficking charges linked to her relationship with dead paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, was interviewed twice last month by Deputy US Attorney General Todd Blanche.
Blanche is Donald Trump's former personal lawyer.
The Mirror revealed this week that Maxwell was quizzed about "high profile" Brits during the interview.
READ MORE: Donald Trump made a major change to the White House and people are furious
According to CNN, an audio recording of the conversation exists, as well as transcripts which the Justice Department are considering releasing.
The broadcaster cited three senior administration officials, who said they are currently discussing whether to release the transcript.
Trump is under increasing pressure for transparency over the Epstein scandal.
This pressure ramped up yet further last week as it emerged Maxwell had been moved to a cushier prison in the weeks following the interviews.
"A final decision has not been made," one of the officials is quoted as saying.
Two officials are said to have told CNN the release would "likely be sooner rather than later."
One said it could be "several weeks from now."
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said: "This is nothing more than CNN trying desperately to create news out of old news. [Trump] already addressed this issue in an interview with Newsmax, a real news outlet that routinely gets better ratings than CNN."
Trump said during the Newsmax interview that he would "like to release everything, but we don't want people to get hurt that shouldn't be hurt, and I assume that was why [Blanche] was there."
But he did not specifically mention interview transcripts.
"I haven't spoken about it, but he's a very talented guy, Todd Blanche, and a very straight shooter, and I think he probably wanted to know, you know, just to get a feeling of it," Trump said.
Meanwhile, the House Oversight Committee subpoenaed the Justice Department today for files in the sex trafficking investigation into Epstein, part of a congressional probe that lawmakers believe may show links to Trump and other former top officials.
The Republican-controlled committee also issued subpoenas for depositions with former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and eight former top law enforcement officials.
The committee's actions showed how even with lawmakers away from Washington on a monthlong break, interest in the Epstein files is still running high.
Trump has denied prior knowledge of Epstein's crimes and claimed he cut off their relationship long ago, and he has repeatedly tried to move past the Justice Department's decision not to release a full accounting of the investigation.
But lawmakers from both major political parties, as well as many in the Republican president's political base, have refused to let it go.
Since Epstein's 2019 death in a New York jail cell as he awaited trial for sex trafficking charges, conservative conspiracists have stoked theories about what information investigators gathered on Epstein — and who else could have been involved.
Republican lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee nodded to that line of questioning last month by initiating the subpoenas for the Clintons, both Democrats, as well as demanding all communications between President Joe Biden's Democratic administration and the Justice Department regarding Epstein.
The committee is also demanding interviews under oath from former attorneys general spanning the last three presidential administrations: Merrick Garland, William Barr, Jeff Sessions, Loretta Lynch, Eric Holder and Alberto Gonzales. Lawmakers also subpoenaed former FBI directors James Comey and Robert Mueller.
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.
However, it was Democrats who sparked the move to subpoena the Justice Department for its files on Epstein. They were joined by some Republicans to successfully initiate the subpoena through a subcommittee of the House Oversight Committee.
'Democrats are focused on transparency and are pushing back against the corruption of Donald Trump,' Rep. Robert Garcia, who is the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, told reporters last month. 'What is Donald Trump hiding that he won't release the Epstein files?'
The committee had previously issues a subpoena for an interview with Maxwell, Epstein's former girlfriend.
But the committee's Republican chairman, Rep. James Comer, has indicated he is willing to delay that deposition until after the Supreme Court decides whether to hear an appeal to her conviction. She argues she was wrongfully prosecuted.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
11 minutes ago
- The Independent
United Airlines flights across the US hit by ground stop caused by ‘technology issue'
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference.
Reuters
12 minutes ago
- Reuters
US to ease human rights criticism of El Salvador, Israel and Russia, WaPo reports
WASHINGTON, Aug 6 (Reuters) - The Trump administration plans to scale back criticism of El Salvador, Israel and Russia over human rights, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday, citing drafts of the State Department's annual human rights reports. The draft reports related to those countries were significantly shorter than the ones prepared by the administration of Democratic former President Joe Biden, who left office in January, when Donald Trump assumed the presidency. The State Department, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters on Wednesday, has not yet officially released this year's reports, which cover last year's incidents. Usually, these annual reports are released around March or April each year. "The 2024 Human Rights Report has been restructured in a way that removes redundancies, increases report readability and is more responsive to the legislative mandates that underpin the report," a State Department official briefing reporters on Wednesday said. "The report is not meant to be a every single human rights abuse that's happened in every single country. It's meant to be illustrative and a broad picture of what the conditions of human rights are on the ground in each country."
Powys County Times
29 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Trump says he plans to put a 100% tariff on computer chips
US President Donald Trump has said he will impose a 100% tariff on computer chips, likely raising the cost of electronics, autos and household appliances. The Republican president said that companies who make computer chips in the US would be spared the import tax. 'We'll be putting a tariff on of approximately 100% on chips and semiconductors,' Mr Trump said in the Oval Office while meeting Apple chief executive Tim Cook. 'But if you're building in the United States of America, there's no charge.' During the Covid-19 pandemic, a shortage of computer chips increased the price of cars and contributed to an uptick in overall inflation. Mr Trump's announcement came as Mr Cook joined him at the White House to announce a commitment by the tech company to increase its investment in US manufacturing by an additional 100 billion dollars (£74.9 billion) over the next four years. 'This is a significant step toward the ultimate goal of ensuring that iPhones sold in the United States of America also are made in America,' Mr Trump said at the press conference. 'Today's announcement is one of the largest commitments in what has become among the greatest investment booms in our nation's history.' As part of the Apple announcement, the investments will be about bringing more of its supply chain and advanced manufacturing to the US as part of an initiative called the American Manufacturing Programme, but it is not a full commitment to build its popular iPhone device domestically. 'This includes new and expanded work with 10 companies across America. They produce components — semiconductor chips included — that are used in Apple products sold all over the world, and we're grateful to the president for his support,' Mr Cook said in a statement announcing the investment. The new manufacturing partners include Corning, Coherent, Applied Materials, Texas Instruments and Broadcom among others. Apple had previously said it intended to invest 500 billion dollars (£374 billion) domestically, a figure it will now increase to 600 billion dollars (£449 billion). Mr Trump in recent months has criticised the tech company and Mr Cook for efforts to shift iPhone production to India to avoid the tariffs his Republican administration had planned for China. While in Qatar earlier this year, Mr Trump said there was 'a little problem' with the Cupertino, California, company and recalled a conversation with Mr Cook in which he said he told the businessman 'I don't want you building in India'. India has incurred Mr Trump's wrath, as the president signed an order on Wednesday to put an additional 25% tariff on the world's most populous country for its use of Russian oil. The new import taxes to be imposed in 21 days could put the combined tariffs on Indian goods at 50%. Apple's new pledge comes just a few weeks after it forged a 500 million-dollar deal with MP Materials, which runs the only rare earths producer in the country. That agreement will enable MP Materials to expand a factory in Texas to use recycled materials to produce magnets that make iPhones vibrate. Speaking on a recent investors call, Mr Cook emphasised that 'there's a load of different things done in the United States'. As examples, he cited some of the iPhone components made in the US such as the device's glass display and module for identifying people's faces and then indicated the company was gearing to expand its productions of other components in its home country. 'We're doing more in this country, and that's on top of having roughly 19 billion chips coming out of the US now, and we will do more,' Mr Cook told analysts last week, without elaborating. News of Apple's latest investment in the US caused the company's stock price to surge by nearly 6% in Wednesday's midday trading. That gains reflect investors' relief that Mr Cook 'is extending an olive branch' to the Trump administration, said Nancy Tengler, chief executive of money manager Laffer Tengler Investments, which owns Apple stock.
