Trump says he fell out with Epstein because he was taking Mar-a-Lago spa staff
The White House has said previously that Trump threw Epstein out of his Mar-a-Lago club two decades ago "for being a creep" and U.S. media has reported that they became estranged over a Florida real estate deal.
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One while flying home from Scotland, Trump gave some of his most expansive public comments yet about his falling out with Epstein, the wealthy and well-connected financier who died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking underage girls.
"People were taken out of the (Mar-a-Lago) spa, hired by him, in other words gone," Trump said. "When I heard about it, I told him, I said, 'Listen, we don't want you taking our people.'
"And then not too long after that, he did it again. And I said, 'Out of here.'"
Trump also confirmed that one of the Mar-a-Lago spa attendants taken by his longtime friend Epstein was Virginia Giuffre, who brought a civil case against Epstein friend Prince Andrew, accusing him of sexually assaulting her when she was 17.
Giuffre, who accused Epstein of using her as a sex slave, died by suicide at her home in Australia in April.
"I think she worked at the spa," Trump said. "I think that was one of the people. He stole her."
Before taking office in January, Trump promised to release more information about Epstein, who right-leaning conspiracy theorists allege trafficked young girls for VIPs.
Trump infuriated some of supporters, however, when the FBI and Justice Department announced in early July that they had not discovered any new elements warranting the release of additional information about Epstein.
Scrutiny has been intensifying ever since on Trump's own relationship with Epstein.
Seeking to tamp down the furor, the Justice Department has sought the release of grand jury transcripts from the investigation into Epstein and interviewed Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's imprisoned accomplice, last week.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche — who is also Trump's former personal attorney — met with Maxwell over two days but declined to say what was discussed in the highly unusual meetings between a convicted felon and a top Justice Department official.
Maxwell, 63, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence after being convicted in 2021 of recruiting underage girls for Epstein, offered meanwhile to testify before a House of Representatives committee but only if granted immunity.
Maxwell's lawyers, in a letter to the House committee which has subpoenaed her to testify next month, said she would be prepared to do so "if a fair and safe path forward can be established."
"If Ms Maxwell were to receive clemency, she would be willing — and eager — to testify openly and honestly, in public," they said.
Without clemency, the former British socialite would only testify if granted immunity.
"Ms Maxwell cannot risk further criminal exposure in a politically charged environment without formal immunity," her lawyers said.
Maxwell would also need to see potential questions in advance and would not agree to be interviewed at the Florida prison where she is being held, they said.
Finally, her lawyers said, any testimony could only come after the Supreme Court decides whether or not to hear Maxwell's appeal seeking to have her conviction overturned.
They said that if the conditions could not be met Maxwell would invoke her Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Mainichi
12 hours ago
- The Mainichi
Trump injects a new dose of uncertainty in tariffs as he pushes start date back to Aug. 7
WASHINGTON (AP) -- For weeks, President Donald Trump was promising the world economy would change on Friday with his new tariffs in place. It was an ironclad deadline, administration officials assured the public. But when Trump signed the order Thursday night imposing new tariffs, the start date of the punishing import taxes was pushed back seven days so the tariff schedule could be updated. The change in tariffs on 66 countries, the European Union, Taiwan and the Falkland Islands was potentially welcome news to countries that had not yet reached a deal with the U.S. It also injected a new dose of uncertainty for consumers and businesses still wondering what's going to happen and when. Trump told NBC News in a Thursday night interview the tariffs process was going "very well, very smooth." But even as the Republican president insisted these new rates would stay in place, he added: "It doesn't mean that somebody doesn't come along in four weeks and say we can make some kind of a deal." Trump has promised that his tax increases on the nearly $3 trillion in goods imported to the United States will usher in newfound wealth, launch a cavalcade of new factory jobs, reduce the budget deficits and, simply, get other countries to treat America with more respect. The vast tariffs risk jeopardizing America's global standing as allies feel forced into unfriendly deals. As taxes on the raw materials used by U.S. factories and basic goods, the tariffs also threaten to create new inflationary pressures and hamper economic growth -- concerns the Trump White House has dismissed. Questions swirl around the tariffs despite Trump's eagerness As the clock ticked toward Trump's self-imposed deadline, few things seemed to be settled other than the president's determination to levy the taxes he has talked about for decades. The very legality of the tariffs remains an open question as a U.S. appeals court on Thursday heard arguments on whether Trump had exceeded his authority by declaring an "emergency" under a 1977 law to charge the tariffs, allowing him to avoid congressional approval. Trump was ebullient as much of the world awaited what he would do. "Tariffs are making America GREAT & RICH Again," he said Thursday morning on Truth Social. Others saw a policy carelessly constructed by the U.S. president, one that could impose harms gradually over time that would erode America's power and prosperity. "The only things we'll know for sure on Friday morning are that growth-sapping U.S. import taxes will be historically high and complex, and that, because these deals are so vague and unfinished, policy uncertainty will remain very elevated," said Scott Lincicome, a vice president of economics at the Cato Institute. "The rest is very much TBD." The new tariffs build off ones announced in the spring Trump initially imposed the Friday deadline after his previous "Liberation Day" tariffs in April resulted in a stock market panic. His unusually high tariff rates announced then led to recession fears, prompting Trump to impose a 90-day negotiating period. When he was unable to create enough trade deals with other countries, he extended the timeline and sent out letters to world leaders that simply listed rates, prompting a slew of hasty agreements. Swiss imports will now be taxed at a higher rate, 39%, than the 31% Trump threatened in April, while Liechtenstein saw its rate slashed from 37% to 15%. Countries not listed in the Thursday night order would be charged a baseline 10% tariff. Trump negotiated trade frameworks over the past few weeks with the EU, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and the Philippines -- allowing the president to claim victories as other nations sought to limit his threat of charging even higher tariff rates. He said Thursday there were agreements with other countries, but he declined to name them. Asked on Friday if countries were happy with the rates set by Trump, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said: "A lot of them are." Thursday began with a palpable sense of tension The EU was awaiting a written agreement on its 15% tariff deal. Switzerland and Norway were among the dozens of countries that did not know what their tariff rate would be, while Trump agreed after a Thursday morning phone call to keep Mexico's tariffs at 25% for a 90-day negotiating period. The president separately on Thursday amended an order to raise certain tariffs on Canada to 35%. European leaders face blowback for seeming to cave to Trump, even as they insist that this is merely the start of talks and stress the importance of maintaining America's support of Ukraine's fight against Russia. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has already indicated that his country can no longer rely on the U.S. as an ally, and Trump declined to talk to him on Thursday. India, with its 25% tariff announced Wednesday by Trump, may no longer benefit as much from efforts to pivot manufacturing out of China. While the Trump administration has sought to challenge China's manufacturing dominance, it is separately in extended trade talks with that country, which faces a 30% tariff and is charging a 10% retaliatory rate on the U.S. Major companies came into the week warning that tariffs would begin to squeeze them financially. Ford Motor Co. said it anticipated a net $2 billion hit to earnings this year from tariffs. French skincare company Yon-Ka is warning of job freezes, scaled-back investment and rising prices. It's unclear whether Trump's new tariffs will survive a legal challenge Federal judges sounded skeptical Thursday about Trump's use of a 1977 law to declare the long-standing U.S. trade deficit a national emergency that justifies tariffs on almost every country. "You're asking for an unbounded authority," Judge Todd Hughes of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit told a Justice Department lawyer representing the administration. The judges didn't immediately rule, and the case is expected to reach the Supreme Court eventually. The Trump White House has pointed to the increase in federal revenues as a sign that the tariffs will reduce the budget deficit, with $127 billion in customs and duties collected so far this year -- about $70 billion more than last year. New tariffs threaten to raise inflation rates There are not yet signs that tariffs will lead to more domestic manufacturing jobs, and Friday's employment report showed the U.S. economy now has 37,000 fewer manufacturing jobs than it did in April. On Thursday, one crucial measure of inflation, known as the Personal Consumption Expenditures index, showed that prices have climbed 2.6% over the 12 months that ended in June, a sign that inflation may be accelerating as the tariffs flow through the economy. The prospect of higher inflation from the tariffs has caused the Federal Reserve to hold off on additional cuts to its benchmark rates, a point of frustration for Trump, who on Truth Social, called Fed Chair Jerome Powell a "TOTAL LOSER." But before Trump's tariffs, Powell seemed to suggest that the tariffs had put the U.S. economy and much of the world into a state of unknowns. "There are many uncertainties left to resolve," Powell told reporters Wednesday. "So, yes, we are learning more and more. It doesn't feel like we're very close to the end of that process. And that's not for us to judge, but it does -- it feels like there's much more to come."
Japan Today
15 hours ago
- Japan Today
Ghislaine Maxwell moved to prison camp; Trump says no plea for pardon
FILE PHOTO: Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell sits at the defense table as juror number 50 answers questions from Judge Alison Nathan about his answers on the juror questionnaire in a courtroom sketch in New York City, U.S., March 8, 2022. REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg/File Photo By Andrew Goudsward and Luc Cohen Ghislaine Maxwell has been transferred from a Florida prison to a lower-security facility in Texas to continue serving her 20-year sentence for helping the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse underage girls, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons said on Friday. Maxwell's move from FCI Tallahassee, a low-security prison, to the Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, Texas, comes a week after she met with Deputy U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, who said he wanted to speak with her about anyone else who may have been involved in Epstein's crimes. Maxwell's lawyer, David Markus, confirmed she was moved but said he had no other comment. Spokespeople for the U.S. Department of Justice did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Asked during a White House interview with Newsmax on Friday about the possibility of pardoning Maxwell, President Donald Trump said, "I'm allowed to do it, but nobody's asked me to do it." He added, "I know nothing about the case." Asked about what was discussed between Maxwell and the deputy attorney general last week, Trump said he believed Blanche "just wants to make sure that innocent people aren't hurt" should documents in the Epstein probe be released. The BOP classifies prison camps such as Bryan as minimum-security institutions, the lowest of five security levels in the federal system. Such facilities have limited or no perimeter fencing. Low-security facilities such as FCI Tallahassee have double-fenced perimeters and higher staff-to-inmate ratios than prison camps, according to the bureau. Asked why Maxwell was transferred, BOP spokesperson Donald Murphy said he could not comment on the specifics of any incarcerated individual's prison assignment, but that the BOP determines where inmates are sent based on such factors as "the level of security and supervision the inmate requires." Blanche's meeting with Maxwell came as Trump faces pressure from both his base of conservative supporters and congressional Democrats to release more information from the Justice Department's investigations of Maxwell and Epstein. The department is seeking court approval to release transcripts of law enforcement officers' testimony before the grand juries that indicted Maxwell and Epstein. Such transcripts are usually kept secret. Two federal judges in Manhattan are weighing the government's requests. Lawyers for Maxwell, Epstein, and their alleged victims are due to share their positions on the potential unsealing with the judges in filings on Tuesday. Epstein died by suicide in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. He had pleaded not guilty. Neither Markus nor Blanche has provided detailed accounts of what they discussed. Markus has said Maxwell would welcome relief from Trump. Maxwell was found guilty at a 2021 trial of recruiting and grooming girls for Epstein to abuse. She had pleaded not guilty and is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn her conviction. © Thomson Reuters 2025.
Yomiuri Shimbun
15 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Sanctions Bill Targets China for Enabling Putin's War in Ukraine
Bipartisan legislation introduced in the Senate on Friday would force the Trump administration to impose economic penalties on China for supporting Russia's war machine, targeting Moscow's most important sponsor as the president intensifies efforts to end the war in Ukraine. The bill introduced by Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) would require the administration to target Chinese 'entities and individuals' that have helped sustain the Russian defense industry despite enormous battlefield losses and widespread Western sanctions imposed since the start of the war. 'To finally bring Putin to the negotiating table and end this war, the United States must hold Chinese companies, CEOs, and banks accountable for this activity,' Shaheen, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's top Democrat, said in a statement singling out the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. The bill is among the efforts by Ukraine's supporters in Congress seeking to take advantage of President Donald Trump's recent pivot away from Moscow, where the Russian leader has spurned his efforts to broker a peace deal. Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with Putin and on Tuesday set a 10-day deadline for the Kremlin to stop the fighting, warning that a failure to comply would invite punishing new sanctions. On Friday, Trump said on social media that he had directed the Pentagon to dispatch two nuclear submarines to 'the appropriate regions.' The president's Truth Social post was aimed at Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chair of Russia's security council, who has ridiculed Trump's ultimatum. In a statement, the White House said: 'The Constitution vests the president with the authority to conduct diplomacy with foreign nations. Any sanction package must provide complete flexibility for the president to continue to pursue his desired foreign policy.' The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Neither did the Russian Embassy. While courting Putin earlier this year, Trump complained publicly about Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, while baselessly accusing the government in Kyiv of perpetuating the war. The president's change in tone has provided cover for Republican defense hawks, such as Cornyn, to push more aggressively against Russia. 'By imposing sanctions on Chinese companies and individuals who advance Putin's aggression, this legislation would deliver a significant blow to bad actors in Beijing and Moscow alike and bring us one step closer to President Trump's goal of ending the war in Ukraine,' Cornyn said in a separate statement. China has been one of Russia's closest backers in the conflict following a summit between the two countries' leaders, who promised a 'no limits' partnership shortly before the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago. Chinese firms have supplied an estimated 70 percent of the equipment Russia has needed to refill its supply of missiles, drones and other munitions throughout the war, said a Democratic congressional aide, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe the sensitive matter. China has avoided sending direct lethal support, in part out of concern that the U.S. and its allies would impose financial penalties on Beijing, the aide said. Still, in July, the European Commission levied its first sanctions on Chinese firms 'for supplying goods used on the battlefield.' North Korea and Iran also have come to Putin's aid, allowing the Russian military to replenish its substantial combat losses. While unlikely itself to pass, the bill presents a more tailored option next to a severe sanctions package on Russia introduced by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut). That bill, which has 84 co-sponsors, would impose 500 percent tariffs on countries that continue to buy Russian uranium and gas, all but cleaving them from the U.S. economy. The legislation introduced Friday would also direct the administration to work with U.S. allies on further sanctions to limit China's support for Russia and to assess whether to target Chinese defense firms. While the Trump administration has made concessions to China while negotiating a trade deal and a potential summit between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters he raised the issue of Beijing's support for Russia's war in trade talks this week. 'The Chinese take their sovereignty very seriously,' Bessent said. 'We don't want to impede on their sovereignty, so if they'd like to pay a 100 percent tariff, pay it,' Bessent said of the possible penalty.
