US judge denies govt request to release Maxwell transcripts
'There is no 'there' there.'
The Manhattan-based judge also cast doubt on the Trump administration's motivation for seeking the public release of the Maxwell transcripts and suggested it was 'disingenuous'.
'A member of the public, appreciating that the Maxwell grand jury materials do not contribute anything to public knowledge, might conclude that the government's motion for their unsealing was aimed not at 'transparency' but at diversion – aimed not at full disclosure but at the illusion of such,' he said.
Maxwell opposed release of transcripts
Maxwell, 63, is serving a 20-year sentence after being convicted in 2021 of recruiting underage girls for Epstein, who died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking.
Her lawyers had opposed releasing the transcripts, saying it could potentially impact her ongoing legal appeals of her conviction.
The Justice Department is also seeking the release of the secret grand jury transcripts in Epstein's case. That request is being handled by a different judge.
Trump's supporters have been obsessed with the Epstein case for years and have been up in arms since the FBI and Justice Department said last month that the wealthy financier had committed suicide while in jail, did not blackmail any prominent figures, and did not keep a 'client list'.
In a bid to calm the furore, the Justice Department asked for the release of the grand jury transcripts from the cases against Epstein and Maxwell.
US Deputy Attorney-General Todd Blanche – who is also Trump's former personal lawyer – met recently with Maxwell but has not revealed what was discussed.
She was later moved to a minimum security prison.
Trump, 79, was once a friend of Epstein, and The Wall Street Journal reported last month that the President's name was among hundreds found during a Justice Department review of the so-called 'Epstein files', though there has not been evidence of wrongdoing.
Maxwell is the only former Epstein associate convicted in connection with his activities, which right-wing conspiracy theorists allege included trafficking young girls for VIPs and other elites.
- Agence France-Presse
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scoop
9 hours ago
- Scoop
Gaza: UNESCO Condemns ‘Unacceptable' Killing Of Journalists
12 August 2025 'I condemn the killing of journalists Anas Al-Sharif, Mohammed Qreiqeh, Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, Moamen Aliwa, and Mohammed Al-Khaldi and call for a thorough and transparent investigation,' UNESCO's Director-General, Audrey Azoulay, said in a statement on Tuesday. Five of the six worked for the influential Qatari-based media organization, Al Jazeera: Anas Al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh were on air correspondents, while Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa worked as camera operators. Mohammed Al-Khaldi was a freelance photojournalist. They were reportedly killed by an Israeli attack on a tent used by media personnel at the entrance of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Blatant, premeditated attack The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) alleged that 28-year-old correspondent Anas al-Sharif was a serving Hamas operative. Al Jazeera strongly denies this, describing the attack as an 'assassination' and 'yet another blatant and premeditated attack on press freedom.' The UN Human Rights Council-appointed independent expert on freedom of expression issued a statement on 31 July denouncing an Israeli military spokesperson's 'repeated threats' and 'unfounded accusations' against Mr. Anas Al-Sharif, flagging it as 'a blatant attempt to endanger his life and silence his reporting' in Gaza. Condemning the attack in the strongest possible terms on Tuesday, two special rapporteurs described the killings as 'an attempt to silence reporting on the ongoing genocide and starvation campaign' in Gaza. 'It is outrageous that the Israeli army dares to first launch a campaign to smear Anas Al-Sharif as Hamas in order to discredit his reporting and then kill him and his colleagues for speaking the truth to the world,' the experts said, demanding an immediate investigation into the killings and full access to international media, which Israel currently bars from entering Gaza. Special Rapporteurs and other independent experts are appointed by and report regularly to the Human Rights Council. They work in their individual capacity, are not UN staff and receive no payment for their work. Violation of international law UNESCO chief Ms. Azoulay stressed that targeting journalists reporting on conflicts is unacceptable and violates international law. She also reiterated her call to respect UN Security Council Resolution 2222, which was unanimously adopted in 2015 to protect journalists, media professionals and associated personnel in conflict situations. Since October 2023, UNESCO has reported at least 62 journalists and media workers killed in the line of duty in Palestine, excluding deaths in circumstances unrelated to their work, while OHCHR reports that at least 242 Palestinian journalists have been killed in the same time frame.
Newsroom
20 hours ago
- Newsroom
Crown and council to take voting edge over Māori on Waitakeres body
Joint oversight of the Waitakere Ranges by Māori, Auckland Council and the Crown will not now be through a committee with equal representation after feedback from west Aucklanders, some opposed to 'co-governance'. From initial proposals of an equal five seats for tangata whenua and five representing public bodies, the latest deed to establish the oversight committee has moved to six to five in favour of the council and Crown entities. The change leaves west Auckland-based iwi Te Kawerau ā Maki feeling 'a little bruised, and beaten up' after years of waiting, but accepting it 'could live with' the council's change of representation and wanting to get on and protect the ranges. Iwi chief executive Edward Ashby told Newsroom: 'It was pretty clear there was a fear – and I do think it is an irrational fear because it's an advisory body and we are not the boogie man. But we are really focused on the outcome. We are not too worried by the numbers.' The deed for the Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area Forum, a body to be set up under a 2008 law but only now being finalised, goes before Auckland Council's policy and planning committee on Thursday. The Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area Act recognised the 27,700 hectares of publicly owned land in the ranges as nationally significant, needing protection. It specified the Crown, council and nominated iwi to develop the deed and oversight body, a non-statutory body to identify areas of cooperation and develop a strategic plan for the area. It aims to identify areas tangata whenua can contribute to the management of public land and to acknowledge their traditional relationship with the ranges. The five seats for Māori are initially to be taken up by Te Kawerau ā Maki, as another iwi listed in the Act, Ngāti Whātua, has declined. Under the deed, there will be no change of ownership of land under the deed or forum structure, and the forum would not be able to direct spending of council or Crown funds, other than its own delegated budget. In April, the New Zealand First party complained the forum would be an example of 'co-governance' with Māori able to set strategy and veto council or government measures related to the ranges. MP Shane Jones said his party would never agree to an iwi having '50 percent sovereignty over the Waitakere forest'. Ashby dismissed the criticisms in April as scaremongering and said the forum as proposed was not co-governance. If it had been, there would have been a different structure and entity established. The deed simply acknowledged tangata whenua's special relationship with the ranges area. Around 2250 people and organisations made public submissions on the heritage forum deed, with 51 percent in favour, 39 percent against and 10 percent recorded as 'other'. Analysis of the submissions by research firm Ipsos said there was concern among those opposed to the deed at the prospect of 50-50 representation on the joint committee giving tangata whenua 'disproportionate influence' over management of the public land. Those in favour of the deed and shared oversight acknowledged the iwi role of kaitiaki or guardian and the importance of tangata whenua having a strong voice and seat at the table. It appears that public feedback, rather than the political claims by NZ First and the Act Party, has now seen the forum membership weighting changed to favour the public bodies. Council staff recommend three seats for the Waitakere Local Board, two for the council governing body and one for the Department of Conservation – and five seats to be occupied by Te Kawerau ā Maki, to be shared with Ngāti Whātua should that iwi choose at a later date to participate. The role of chair would come from the iwi side and deputy chair from the public bodies. Waitakere ward councillor Shane Henderson says the composition of the forum changed 'in response to feedback, not to scaremongering from central government politicians but the voices of West Aucklanders that fed back into the process'. He said the new balance allowed half of the six-member Waitakere local board to join the forum, with two ward councillors. DoC's strong interests in the heritage area also needed representation. 'So the new numbers work a little better on that basis too.' Te Kawerau ā Maki chief executive Edward Ashby. Photo: Supplied Ashby says the change in representation came after the consultation and was put to Te Kawerau ā Maki by the council. 'It's a place the council came to that we could live with at the end of the day. It's about giving these people some certainty that there would not be a super majority of Māori on the committee. There's been a lot of misunderstanding of the original proposal. 'It's good the deed is out there and people can read it; it clearly says it's advisory, about public land, it does not have power to make any decisions about budgets. That's all in there.' He said the political claims from Jones and Act's David Seymour, among others, led to fears among some members of the public. 'I do understand that if you are reading scaremongering headlines on Facebook you might react. It's unfortunate. 'It's just the political reality of the time. The original proposal was for 50-50, not out of any power grab but simply that the Crown and council was on one side of the equation and on the other side was Te Kawerau ā Maki and Ngāti Whātua. It was as simple as that.' He noted much of the feedback against the proposed deed had come from beyond Waitakere and Auckland. 'But, there's this beautiful area. It's our heartland and I'm biased. It really needs to be looked after. We really need to get together on how we make it work.' The six-five composition of the forum was 'at least an outcome that takes some of the edge out of some people's concerns, even though I think they were not well-founded concerns'. He hoped the compromise result did not turn the clock back in other areas of the country. 'I like to think most New Zealanders are fair minded … and I would hope that progress made is not lost. There's been some really good progressive stories.' The council's policy and planning committee considers the proposed deed on Thursday, with the full Governing Body having the final say before the forum is appointed. Ashby says: 'We just want to get on with it.'
1News
a day ago
- 1News
Winston Peters announces new US ambassador
Senior diplomat Chris Seed has been appointed as New Zealand's next ambassador to the United States, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. Seed's appointment comes at a crucial time for diplomatic relations between New Zealand and the US, New Zealand's second biggest trading partner. He would step into the role in January 2026. Earlier this month, the Trump administration levelled a surprise 15% tariff on New Zealand. Just a day prior, the FBI opened its new office in Wellington to "strengthen and enhance" its cooperation with a "key Five Eyes partner in the southwestern Pacific region". Director Kash Patel also said the new office would be working to counter China's influence in the Pacific. ADVERTISEMENT Seed was currently filling in as acting High Commissioner to the UK, stepping into the role after Phil Goff was sacked after he made comments about US President Donald Trump. He has previously served as Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade from 2019 to 2024, as well as leading New Zealand High Commissions in Canberra and Port Moresby. Hamish Cooper would take up the role of High Commissioner to the UK in September. Peters today described New Zealand's strategic partnership with the United States as, "one of our most important and long-standing relationships". He said it was "essential" that New Zealand's ambassador to the US was experienced and had the "judgement and influence to effectively represent our country in Washington DC and navigate the range of important and pressing issues that are vital to New Zealanders". 'Mr Seed is one of New Zealand's most senior and accomplished diplomats and is, accordingly, the right person for this vital role." Seed would be replacing Rosemary Banks, who would be completing her second term as ambassador by the time Seed arrives in Washington DC. "Ms Banks has had a most distinguished diplomatic career, having led New Zealand missions in Paris, New York and Washington,' Peters said. 'Twice Ms Banks has been asked by her Government to serve in Washington DC and we are enormously grateful to her that twice she answered that call to serve with distinction as New Zealand Ambassador to the United States. 'Ms Banks' long diplomatic experience and her elevated standing amongst her US counterparts, during such a challenging time in global affairs, has seen her contribute greatly to one of New Zealand's most critical bilateral relationships."
