Trump says Epstein 'stole' young women from his Mar-a-Lago spa
Amid public pressure for more disclosures in the Epstein case, a House of Representatives committee subpoenaed Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence, to testify before lawmakers on 11 August.In a letter obtained by the BBC's US partner CBS, her legal team said she would only do so if granted immunity or pardoned, and provided with questions in advance.Questions about Trump's relationship with Epstein followed him on to Air Force One on Tuesday, where he was asked to expand on comments he made the previous day in Scotland where he said: "He [Epstein] stole people that worked for me."Asked if the employees were young women, Trump responded: "the answer is yes", and added that they were hired "out of the spa" he ran.Trump said that one of them was Virginia Giuffre, who had said she began working at Mar-a-Lago in the summer of 2000, when she was 16.According to court documents unsealed in 2019, Giuffre alleged she was recruited by Ghislaine Maxwell to give massages to Epstein while she was working at the spa.Giuffre accused Prince Andrew and Epstein of sexual abuse, allegations they both denied. She died by suicide earlier this year in Australia.Why the Epstein case looms large in MAGA worldVirginia Giuffre's death leaves unanswered questionsTrump remark's aboard Air Force One are his latest on how he and Epstein's relationship ended.Last week, the White House said Trump kicked Epstein out of his Mar-a-Lago club "for being a creep".Pressed on whether there was a discrepancy between the reasons, Trump said: "You know, it's sort of a little bit of the same thing."
Trump and Epstein fell out in the early 2000s, after having been friends for more than a decade.It also comes amid mounting pressure on Trump officials to release files related to Epstein and growing frustration with the administration's handling of the issue, including its failure to deliver a rumoured "client list". Trump had promised to release such files about the well-connected sex offender while campaigning for the presidency last year. But in a memo earlier this month, the justice department and FBI said there was no "incriminating" list.Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that Attorney General Pam Bondi informed Trump during a May briefing that his name was among hundreds that appeared in justice department documents related to Epstein. Being named in such files is no confirmation of wrongdoing.The two were spotted together at parties throughout their friendship. At least two women who had attended those events later came forward with sexual assault allegations against Trump. One of them was Jill Harth, who accused Trump in a 1997 lawsuit of forcibly kissing her and fondling her at a Mar-a-Lago event for young women where Epstein was also in attendance, the New York Times reported. Trump denied the allegations and the lawsuit was dropped.Another woman, model Stacey Williams, accused Trump of groping her after she was brought to Trump Tower in Manhattan by Epstein to greet Trump. The president has also denied her allegations.Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had written a "bawdy" letter to Epstein in 2003 for his birthday. It reportedly contained a joking reference that "enigmas never age" and allegedly ended with the words: "A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday - and may every day be another wonderful secret."Trump has dismissed the article as "fake" and has sued the publication for defamation.
Trump and Epstein reportedly fell out in 2004 over a sought-after Palm Beach oceanfront property that had fallen into foreclosure. Trump ultimately outbid Epstein for the home.In 2006, Epstein was indicted in Florida for solicitation of prostitution and later pleaded guilty to the charges. He was then arrested in 2019 over federal charges of sex trafficking, and died by suicide in prison before his trial. Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence after she was found guilty of helping Epstein sexually exploit and abuse young girls over the course of a decade.She was subpoenaed by House Oversight chairman James Comer last week to testify before Congress. Her lawyers made an appeal for clemency from President Trump, writing that if she "were to receive clemency, she would be willing - and eager - to testify openly and honestly". Earlier on Tuesday, a spokesperson for Comer said the Kentucky congressman "will not consider granting congressional immunity for her testimony".Comer told CNN last week that there were not "many Republicans that want to give immunity to someone that may have been sex trafficking children".Asked whether he would give clemency to Maxwell, Trump told reporters last week that doing so was within his powers, but that he had "not thought" about it.
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