Ghislaine Maxwell makes last-ditch plea to Supreme Court to throw out sex trafficking conviction
Maxwell's lawyers argue she is covered by the 2007 plea deal Epstein reached with South Florida prosecutors to not charge any of his accomplices.
The filing comes after President Donald Trump 's Justice Department earlier this month wrote it opposed the appeal.
'Rather than grapple with the core principles of plea agreements, the government tries to distract by reciting a lurid and irrelevant account of Jeffrey Epstein's misconduct,' Maxwell's legal team wrote in their petition.
'But this case is about what the government promised, not what Epstein did,' wrote the husband-and-wife duo, David and Mona Markus.
Maxwell met on Thursday and Friday with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to answer questions about the highly controversial case that has sparked a civil war in MAGA world.
David Oscar Markus said outside the courthouse in Tallahasse, Florida last week that his client answered every question the Blanche asked of her.
He also appeared to be angling for a pardon from the president.
In 2007, Epstein struck a deal that allowed him to plead guilty in Florida to solicitation of prostitution and procurement of minors to engage in prostitution and only serve 13 months in jail.
The agreement stipulated that Miami's U.S. Attorney's Office would 'not institute any criminal charges against any potential co-conspirators of Epstein.'
The deal names four individuals, none of whom were Maxwell.
But the Marukses argue that the deal also included their client when it said 'any potential co-conspirators' are also immunized in the case.
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Daily Mail
27 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Megyn Kelly slams Trump administration over Epstein scandal and warns them: 'You reap what you sow'
Megyn Kelly has no 'sympathy' for the Trump administration after it came under heavy fire over its handling of the Jeffrey Epstein crisis. Speaking on Monday's episode of Piers Morgan Uncensored, Kelly said it was 'hard to have a lot of sympathy' for the administration due to its numerous missteps on the issue. She specifically pointed to Attorney General Pam Bondi's decision to issue a memo insisting Epstein did not not have a 'client list' and killed himself in jail. 'Whoever told the [Justice Department] that this could somehow be buried and that people would move on and that the Trump administration could get away with that ridiculous two-page summation of "You're not getting any more information because there's no there there" should be fired,' Kelly said. 'That person is an idiot and didn't understand the Republican base - certainly the core MAGA base.' Kelly noted that Trump appointed Kash Patel and Dan Bongino, two outspoken supporters of the theory that Epstein was murdered in jail to protect his powerful associates, to lead the FBI. 'And by the way, of course [the MAGA base's] hackles have been up and their interest in this story has been at a peak in large part because of the two men Trump put in charge of his FBI - you know, there were no bigger proponents of there being more to the Epstein story than Kash Patel and Dan Bongino,' she said. 'And it's actually one of the reasons why the Republicans were so thrilled to see them get put in charge of the FBI. So, you reap what you sow.' Kelly went on to comment on Epstein's accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, currently speaking with investigators from her Florida prison. The former Fox News host branded the move a weak attempt by the administration to get on top of the scandal, while also calling its bid to release grand jury transcripts from Epstein's criminal proceedings another empty gesture. Trump made the move knowing the court was not likely to release the transcripts, Kelly claimed. As for Maxwell, she said: 'Can we really trust anything this woman says when she - it's either this: give something up or someone up, or spend 20 years in jail? 'So, they've really created this own pickle for themselves and we still haven't had a presser by Pam Bondi or even a long-form interview. 'So, it's hard to have a lot of sympathy for the complaints of why won't this go away.' The Justice Department memo enraged many in the MAGA movement, who have criticized the administration for what they see as backtracking on past promises to release classified information pertaining to Epstein's case. As calls from Congress for more information increase, Trump has attempted to deflect the controversy - dismissing it as a politically driven 'witch hunt.' Asked about the case during a recent Oval Office appearance, Trump said: 'I don't really follow that too much,' before turning to unrelated claims about the Obama administration and Russian interference in the 2016 election. The case is also causing political pushback for Republicans in Congress, including House Speaker Mike Johnson. Epstein died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal child sex trafficking charges. His close associate Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence for facilitating Epstein's abuse of young girls. Trump was friends with Epstein for more than a decade. They had a falling out surrounding Epstein 'stealing' some of Trump's hired staff, the president claimed Monday.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Jon Stewart on Trump's Epstein scandal: ‘How do you expect the media to move on, when Trump has such a hard time doing so?'
Late-night hosts followed Donald Trump and his Jeffrey Epstein scandal to Scotland, where he found new ways to put his foot in his mouth. Donald Trump headed to Scotland this week, nominally to work on a trade deal with the European Union, but also to put 'an ocean's distance between himself and the Epstein scandal', said Jon Stewart on Monday's Daily Show. But 'how do you expect the media to move on, when Trump has such a hard time doing so?' he wondered. Stewart played a clip of a Scottish reporter asking Trump, 'Mr President, was part of the rush to get this deal done to knock the Jeffrey Epstein story out?' 'He's all like, 'How did you even hear about … I thought you guys just got Baywatch like three months ago?'' Stewart laughed. ''Doesn't anybody here have a question about this trade deal sinking both of our economies with tariffs?'' In response to the question, Trump offered what Stewart called his '13 Reasons Why I'm Not Involved with a Pedophile'. Reason number one, as Trump told reporters in Scotland: 'Those files were run by the worst scum on Earth. If they had something, they would have released them. Now, they can easily put something in the files that's a phoney.' 'It's simple,' Stewart translated. ''If I, Donald Trump, was in the files, they would have released it. So clearly, I'm not in the files. But of course, I'm clearly in the files, which makes them phoney.'' Trump went on to say that he cut ties with Epstein because he did something inappropriate. The red line? Epstein hired some of Trump's low-level employees from him. 'You all know him as Jeffrey Epstein the sex trafficker. But I knew his dark side,' Stewart mocked. 'I mean, the sex trafficking, I was like … OK? But he was also a low-level employee poacher. And that, I cannot have.' And finally, Trump offered this defense for never having visited Epstein's private island: 'I never had the privilege of going to his island, and I did turn it down.' 'The privilege? The fuck?' Stewart laughed. ''Hey Donald, you want to go to the island this weekend?' 'Well, first of all, Jeffrey, thank you for thinking of me. Unfortunately, that's the weekend that the teen pageant that I bought is installing the indoor security locker room cameras.'' On Late Night, Seth Meyers also tracked Trump's attempts to distract from the Epstein scandal, starting with an extremely long rant about windmills. 'Am I the only one noticing that he's saying worse things about windmills than he says about Jeffrey Epstein?' Meyers wondered. 'At this rate, we'll probably find some old photos of Trump posing at his golf club with a windmill.' But despite his best efforts, Trump could not escape the Epstein story. At a meeting with the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, on Monday, Trump fumed to reporters: 'I never went to the island, and Bill Clinton went there supposedly 28 times … and many other people, who are very big people, went there and no one talks about them. I never had the privilege of going to his island.' 'You were doing really good right until privilege,' Meyers laughed. 'Privilege was not the word you wanted to use. 'Privilege makes it seem like you never turned down an invitation,' he added. 'It seems like you were checking your messages every day, in hopes one was forthcoming.' Asked why, after more than a decade of close friendship, he and Epstein had a falling out, Trump answered: 'That's such old history. Very easy to explain, but I don't want to waste your time by explaining it. But for years, I wouldn't talk to Jeffrey Epstein. I wouldn't talk, because he did something inappropriate.' 'All right, well you know what? That's reassuring,' said Meyers. 'You realized Epstein was a monster and as soon as you learned the horrible truth, you threw him out of Mar-a-Lago and cut him out of your life for good.' Except, what Trump actually deemed inappropriate was stealing staffers away from him. 'Because he poached your employee?!' Meyers marveled. 'You're making it so much worse, dude. I can't believe I'm saying this, but maybe you should go back to talking about windmills.' 'If you're wondering why you're feeling a little bit better about America today, it's because Donald Trump is in Scotland,' said Stephen Colbert on the Late Show. Technically, Trump was across the pond for trade talks with the European Union, 'but as always, he's focused a wee bit on stuffing his kilt with cash like ground-up organ meat in a sheep's bladder,' by also attending the opening of a new golf course bearing his name. 'Truly presidential,' Colbert deadpanned. In Scotland, Trump announced a brand new trade agreement with the European Union, to 'replace the old trade deal, where Europe sent us cheese and wine and in exchange, we sent them our most annoying college students', Colbert joked. The news deal only raises prices on European goods by 15%, instead of Trump's proposed 30%. Trump announced the deal with the European commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, with typical bombast: 'It's a good deal for everybody … I think you were saying this is probably the biggest deal that's ever been reached in any capacity, trade or non-trade,' he said, to which Von der Leyen simply replied: 'It is.' 'Oh, she played him like a fiddle,' Colbert laughed before mimicking the president. 'I think you were saying this is the biggest deal? That only the smartest, most handsome man would've agreed to this deal. I think you were also saying that anyone who agreed to this deal would never, ever have been on Jeffrey Epstein's sex island, sex plane or yet to be revealed, sex zeppelin.''
Glasgow Times
an hour ago
- Glasgow Times
Timeline of 22 year missing Clydebank man David McCallum
David McCallum was 31 years old at the time of his disappearance, and newly released images of him have been released in an appeal launched on his 54th birthday. The Glasgow Times first covered the case in April 2003. Following the new appeal, we have collated a timeline of events related to David's disappearance. Friday, March 28, 2003 David McCallum was with his girlfriend and two children at their house on Crown Avenue in Radnor Park. It is believed the 'happy-go-lucky' family man went out for a drink. This is his last known confirmed sighting at 11pm that evening. According to his sister, 24 hours later, he answered his mobile - sounding disorientated - and told his sister he was walking through trees. Saturday, March 29, 2003 According to our archives, David's car, a black Ford Focus, was found abandoned the next day in the Rowardennan area, near the shores of Loch Lomond. Sunday, March 30, 2003 Reports after the disappearance suggest David may have stayed overnight on March 29 into Sunday in the company of several campers at their campfire on the loch shore of Rowardennan. It was further believed that one of the campers may have provided David with a grey hooded top. Thursday, April 10, 2003 The Glasgow Times first reported David's appeal. In an article titled 'Family worried for missing dad', a description of his last known appearance was given. It read: "Avenue at 11pm on Friday, March 28. Mr McCallum is described as being white, of average build, 5ft 6in tall, with short, shaven, dark hair. "He was last seen wearing blue denim jeans with a Union Jack design on the back pocket and a cream jacket with the motif speed addict on the back and chest area." "His family and friends have told police that it is out of character for him to take off on his own and are worried for his safety." Newspaper Clipping from Clydebank Post, April 10, 2003. (Image: Clydebank Post) Thursday, April 24, 2003 In the next week's edition of the Post, a renewed appeal was printed with further information about David's last known movements. Police released their theory on his potential connection to campers in the area. The appeal read: "Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Mr McCallum since Friday 28 March 2003, or who was perhaps a camper on the shores of Rowardennan and recalls seeing him, is asked to contact Clydebank Police Office." Friends and family of David said that they were becoming "increasingly concerned" by his disappearance. READ MORE: I generate images of missing people - here's what I learnt in a Clydebank man's case Thursday, July 3, 2003 An appeal was once again issued, three months on from David's disappearance. The article was titled: 'Dad is still missing after three months.' Thursday, April 1, 2003 A year on from his disappearance, a bid to shed light on David's vanishing was made in the form of milk cartons. David's photo and details featured on two-litre cartons of milk produced by supermarket giant Iceland, as part of an agreement with the National Missing Persons Helpline. His desperate family hoped the campaign could jog the memory of someone who saw him. David's sister, Susan, spoke to the Post, saying the "worst part" was that they had "no closure." She explained: "It has devastated the whole family, including my mother and other brothers.' "It has been a traumatic year for David's partner and their two young sons. It's difficult when a child is asking where his father is, and all we can say is that we don't know." David's face and details featured on milk cartons in Iceland. (Image: Clydebank Post) Wednesday, March 30, 2007 David's family featured on BBC One series, Missing, where he was described as a "happy-go-lucky man." The show said that David went out for a drink in 2003 and never returned. Twenty-four hours later, he answered his mobile, sounding disorientated - and told his sister he was walking through trees. Days later, David's car was found abandoned on the banks of Loch Lomond. 2017 and 2019 Police Scotland announced that there was a potential sighting of him in Sussex in 2017. A second potential sighting was then noted in the Tower Hill Underground Station, London, in 2019. Friday, July 25, 2025 On David's 54th birthday, officers commissioned a professional at Dundee University to create age-progressed images, suggesting what he may look like now. (Image: Dundee University) Detective Inspector David Lavery, Dumbarton Police Office, said: 'We regularly review unsolved missing person cases and there have always been unanswered questions around David's disappearance. 'There have been a number of appeals over the years, including by the charity Missing and on television documentaries. 'These latest images show what David may look like now. If anyone recognises David from these images, or has any information that can help our enquiries, please contact us. 'I would appeal particularly to anyone who was wild camping in the Lochan Maoil Dhuinne area the weekend David was last seen, as well as people who have worked with the homeless community in London over the years.' [[Police Scotland]] works in close partnership with the [[Missing People]] Charity. They can be contacted via telephone on free phone 116 000 or by visiting the [[Missing People]] website.
