Trump under mounting pressure over Epstein documents
Maxwell, the former girlfriend of the late financier Jeffrey Epstein who was convicted in 2021 of helping him sexually abuse teenage girls, says she opposed the US government's bid to release transcripts of proceedings before the grand jury that indicted her.
In a court filing on Tuesday, Maxwell's lawyers said the release of the materials would jeopardise a potential re-trial if she succeeds in persuading the US Supreme Court to overturn her conviction. She is serving a 20-year prison sentence.
"The reputational harm from releasing incomplete, potentially misleading grand jury testimony, untested by cross-examination, would be severe and irrevocable," her lawyers wrote.
Trump in July instructed Attorney-General Pam Bondi to seek the release of the Epstein and Maxwell grand jury material.
Republican Trump had promised to make public Epstein-related files if re-elected and accused Democrats of covering up the truth. But in July, the Justice Department said a previously touted Epstein client list did not exist, angering Trump's supporters. Epstein took his own life in jail in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. He had pleaded not guilty.
Grand juries meet in secret to guard against interference in criminal investigations, and records of their proceedings cannot be disclosed without a judge's permission. The Justice Department has cited what it calls continuing public interest in the cases in asking Manhattan-based judges Richard Berman and Paul Engelmayer to authorise the disclosure of the Epstein and Maxwell grand jury transcripts.
The judges asked lawyers for Maxwell, Epstein's estate, and the alleged victims to weigh in on the possible disclosure by Tuesday.
Lawyers for Epstein's estate said they took no position on whether the transcripts should be released. A lawyer for Annie Farmer, who testified at Maxwell's trial that Maxwell and Epstein abused her at Epstein's New Mexico ranch when she was 16, said disclosing the transcripts may provide additional details about people who facilitated Epstein's alleged abuse.
"The public has a legitimate interest in understanding the full scope of Epstein's and Maxwell's crimes," wrote the lawyer, Sigrid McCawley. Bradley Edwards, a lawyer for several alleged victims of Epstein and Maxwell, wrote in a filing that any disclosure of grand jury material should shield the alleged victims' identities, and that their lawyers should be able to review the material before it is made public.
It is unclear whether the public would learn anything new or noteworthy if such material were released.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Justice Department said in a court filing that much of the testimony from law enforcement officers at Maxwell's grand jury proceedings in 2020 was corroborated by the victims and witnesses who testified publicly at her trial the following year.
Maxwell's lawyers have told the Supreme Court that her conviction was invalid because a non-prosecution and plea agreement that federal prosecutors had made with Epstein in Florida in 2007 also shielded his associates.
The court is due to consider whether to take up the appeal in late September.
Deputy US Attorney-General Todd Blanche met with Maxwell in July o see if she had any information about other people who may have committed crimes. Neither party has provided a detailed account of what they discussed.
Maxwell last week was moved from a prison in Florida to a lower-security facility in Texas.
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Courier-Mail
12 minutes ago
- Courier-Mail
Bombshell new Prince Andrew, Epstein claims in new biography
Don't miss out on the headlines from Royals. Followed categories will be added to My News. It's nearly impossible to know where to start here. This weekend extracts from a bombshell new book about Prince Andrew, The Duke of York laid out a tranche of claims about the reviled, exiled royal, each of which is more stunning than the last. Mystery figure seen walking stairs near Epstein cell Questions are being asked about a mystery figure seen walking the steps to the floor which contained Jeffrey Epstein's cell the night he died. Video Player is loading. Play Video This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button. 00:19 SUBSCRIBER ONLY Mystery figure seen walking stairs near Epstein cell more... more mystery figure seen walking the steps to the floor which contained Jeffrey Epstein's cell the night he died. Questions are being asked about a... ... more Just some of the absolute jaw-droppers we have to choose from: That Jeffrey Epstein sold the duke's 'most intimate secrets' to Israel's Mossad, the Saudi Arabian authorities and Colonel Gaddafi's Libyan intelligence services; that Andrew met Epstein years earlier than he claimed; that they had 'shared women', that Epstein said the duke was 'perverted animal in the bedroom' and 'the only person I have met who is more obsessed with p***y than me'; or that during an official trip to Bangkok 'more than 40 women were brought to his hotel room'. Think Andrew had a grubby reputation before? Figured your estimation of King Charles' brother couldn't go any lower? Well, enter veteran author Andrew Lownie who after having published critically acclaimed biographies of Lord Mountbatten and Edward VIII has turned his attention to Andrew with his new bookEntitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York. Over the weekend the Daily Mail ran the first extracts from Entitled and the allegations it raises are more explosive than a TNT factory with faulty wiring. Of course, outsiders like us cannot know whether or not any of the now highly publicised claims are true. The prince has yet to make a response. Most damaging are Lownie's new claims about Andrew's friendship with Epstein, including the allegation that they first met years earlier than Andrew has claimed. Prince Andrew, Virginia Giuffre, and Ghislaine Maxwell posing for a photo. Picture: AFP MORE: Wild reason Charles can't kick Andrew out In 2019 Andrew told the BBC during his infamous Newsnight interview that he had met Epstein in 1999 but Lownie says that Andrew's former private secretary Alastair Watson confirmed the financier and the duke had been introduced in 'the early 1990s'. According to Lownie, Epstein described the duke saying, 'We are both serial sex addicts. He's the only person I have met who is more obsessed with p***y than me. 'From the reports I've got back from the women we've shared, he's the most perverted animal in the bedroom. He likes to engage in stuff that's even kinky to me – and I'm the king of kink!' Ivan Novikov, Epstein's personal driver in New York told Lownie: 'Whenever Andrew was in town I'd be picking up young girls who were essentially prostitutes. New claims do not paint Andrew in a flattering light. Picture: Kirsty Wigglesworth / POOL / AFP 'One time I drove him and two young girls aged around age 18 to a hotel. Both girls were doing lines of cocaine. Prince Andrew was making out with one of them.' The Duke of York also allegedly was a 'mainstay' at Epstein's Palm Beach house, according to Epstein's long-time housekeeper Debra Gale. According to her, the duke 'kept newly- wrapped women's pantyhose, lingerie and sandals of several sizes in his closet'. 'It was weird seeing all that. It appeared he had all types of fetishes,' Ms Gale has said. 'I once found sex toys on the floor of his room and women's panties in the bed. 'When the girls went I'd give them an envelope that Mr Epstein had left, with anywhere from $USD1,000 to $USD25,000 in it.' Ms Gale told Lownie she would see the 'handsy' royal 'a couple of times a year, if not more' and that 'Epstein made it clear he wanted to make Andrew happy'. He writes that the duke was allegedly 'a regular' on Epstein's private island Little St James. An employee of the 72-acre property reportedly told the US Virgin Islands attorney general they had seen him 'on a balcony groping girls right out in the open'. Entitled also makes claims about Andrew and Donald Trump who both reportedly attended Heidi Klum's annual Halloween Party in 2000. According to Lownie, 'Shortly afterwards and clearly good friends, Trump and Andrew were overheard at an event to discuss Trump's plans for a golfing complex in Scotland, talking entirely about 'p***y', with the American producing a list of masseuses for the prince.' Trump has not yet made a response to these claims. Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in Cambridge, MA in 2004. He was later convicted of having sex with underage women. Picture: Rick Friedman/Corbis via Getty Images In 2001 the Duke of York retired after a two decade-nearly naval career and was appointed as an international British trade envoy that saw him flit around the world on behalf of the UK government. Andrew 'was easy prey for a rattlesnake like Epstein,' Lownie writes. 'Epstein played Andrew. The prince was a useful idiot who gave him respectability, access to political leaders and business opportunities. He found him easy to exploit.' Lownie writes that, according to Steven Hoffenberg, Epstein's one-time 'mentor', 'Epstein would boast that Andrew was his 'Super Bowl trophy' and he planned to sell Andrew's secrets to Israel's intelligence agency Mossad'. Hoffenberg, who died in 2022, told Lownie: 'Andrew had a weakness for the girls and fast life, Epstein provided that fantasy. Andrew would then give intelligence that Epstein would give to Israel. Andrew didn't understand that he was being used.' Lownie also reports on claims made by 'many in Andrew's circle' to journalist Ian Halperin that Epstein had 'sold Andrew's most intimate secrets to notorious foreign intelligence agencies, including Israel's Mossad, to Saudi Arabia and to the Mukhabarat el-Jamahiriya, the national intelligence service of Libya under Colonel Gaddafi''. He also reports on allegations that 'Epstein had Kremlin connections and may have been an 'agent of influence' for Vladimir Putin.' On Sunday, Lownie told The Times that 'The claim about the kompromat, I've got it from other sources.' One friend of the duke's also said: 'Ghislaine is manipulating him and he's too naive to realise it…It's all very premeditated.' Entitled's new Andrew claims also extend to his personal life back in the UK. Prince Andrew, Duke of York reacts as he leaves at the end of the Royal Family's traditional Christmas Day service in 2022. Picture: Daniel LEAL / AFP As of 2001, a royal source said, 'There is the spectre of drugs hanging over almost everyone he's now associating with'. A friend reportedly said: 'He's spiralling out of control.' Andrew allegedly asked a woman to dance at at wedding and she turned him down, he replied, 'I suppose a b*** j** is out of the question, then?' He allegedly said to a masseuse, 'Hey, nice ar**e. Do you take it up the a**e?'' She said of the experience, 'All the way through he was talking about anal sex and making anal sex jokes. He asked when I had last had sex.' According to Entitled, 'Nor were staff out of bounds. There was a long-standing rumour of an affair with a household staff member when he was still married to the Duchess of York. One nanny left because he made unwelcome advances. 'When I started,' an employee told Lownie, 'I was warned to stay away from him. He would sometimes enter the staff quarters.' In 2006, Andrew represented the late Queen at the King of Thailand's diamond jubilee celebrations. During his stay, 'more than 40 women were brought to his hotel room'. Lownie writes: 'Hotel staff were used to foreigners bringing in girls, but amazed that more than 10 a day were going to Andrew's room.' The relationship between the two men is being examined in a new biography. Tom Sykes, a longtime and highly connected royal correspondent, has offered a corroborating account in his new Substack newsletter The Royalist. A veteran diplomatic source told Sykes of Andrew's alleged behaviour: 'What was so extraordinary about the Andrew thing was… the sheer number of girls going in and out of his room that weekend—and the fact that he just blatantly didn't give a shit who knew about it. 'I think now the floodgates are opening. If even one-tenth of the women who've slept with him—or just had weird sexual encounters with him—decide to talk, this could be a tsunami of shit for him.' Sykes writes that 'other Thai contacts confirmed' the Bangkok story and 'Even in Bangkok, what he did shocked people.' Back in London, rumours had, according to Sykes swirled for years about Andrew's so-called 'voracious sexual appetite'. Sykes also recounts a 'chilling' joke that is one of the duke's reported favourites: 'The grand old Duke of York, he had 10,000 men—and by golly, I can tell you it hurt.' A woman who knew him during his teenage years at Gordonstoun school in Scotland described him as 'a very slimy so-and-so, arrogant, pleased with himself, a bully'. The Duke of York is also described by former paramours as being 'perfunctory' and a 'let down' in bed who 'has been dumped by most of the girls linked to him because he is a bore.'' An image provided by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement shows financier Jeffrey Epstein. Wendy Berry, the housekeeper at King Charles' Highgrove and whose son worked at Buckingham Palace told Lownie: 'Apparently his bedtime habits as a single man left a lot to be desired. A collection of scrunched-up, soiled tissues usually lay scattered around the bed each morning for staff to collect after they had made his bed.' Meanwhile the Duke of York allegedly tells such 'disgusting' jokes that even a friend of his said they left dinner guests 'aghast'. He reportedly joked about farting to Prince Edward's then girlfriend Romy Adlington in the 1980s, 'Don't you find they always smell worse when you do them in the bath?' Andrew's sense of humour is reportedly painfully juvenile. Lownie recounts how at a dinner party he turned to someone beside him and said, 'This pâté smells. What do you think?' and when she lent 'forward to smell it and he promptly pushed her face into the dish.' There is more, so much more from Entitled, like that the Duke of York allegedly pulls off shonky moves on the golf course, pinched bottoms female during house parties, referred to 'The royal member' and could be 'cruel' towards royal staff. It's understandable why, even two weeks before Entitled is released, it is already on the bestseller list. On Sunday a glum-looking Andrew and his ex-wife and roommate Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York were photographed in grey old Windsor. It's hard to get further away from a Caribbean private island or a luxe Bangkok hotel. Daniela Elser is a writer, editor and commentator with more than 15 years' experience working with a number of Australia's leading media titles. Where to find help If you or someone you know is experiencing sexual abuse or family violence contact: National Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence Counselling Service 24-hour helpline 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732 on 24-hour Emergency Accommodation helpline on 1800 800 588 Safe At Home helpline on 1800 633 937 National Violence and Abuse Trauma Counselling and Recovery Service on 1800 FULLSTOP (1800 385 578). They also have a specific line for the LGBTIQA+ community called the Rainbow Sexual, Domestic and Family Violence Helpline on 1800 497 212 They also have a specific line for the LGBTIQA+ community called the Rainbow Sexual, Domestic and Family Violence Helpline on SHE (free and confidential counselling and support) on 6278 9090 Sexual Assault Support Services on 6231 1811 , or after hours 6231 1817 , or after hours Family Violence Crisis and Support Service on 1800 608 122 Bravehearts – Sexual Assault Support for Children on 1800 BRAVE 1 Kids Helpline is for young people aged 5 to 25 on 1800 551 800 Don't go it alone. Please reach out for help by contacting Lifeline on 13 11 14 Men who have anger, relationship or parenting issues, should contact the Men's Referral Service on 1300 766 491 or the Don't Become That Man helpline on 1300 243 413 Originally published as Bombshell claims emerge about Prince Andrew in new biography
ABC News
42 minutes ago
- ABC News
Why a showdown over Texas congressional districts could shape Trump's presidential future
Texas has become the site of a massive political showdown that could have a direct influence on US President Donald Trump's ability to continue his agenda. Democrats have scattered to friendly states across the country and warrants have been issued for their arrest. At the core of the fight is a map that could be key to Republicans retaining their majority in Congress. Here's a basic breakdown of the stoush. In late July, Texas Republicans put forward a proposal to redraw the state's congressional map. The map lays out the borders of Texas's 38 congressional districts (equivalent to Australia's federal electorates), which each vote for a politician to represent them in the US House of Representatives. Texas Democrats were quick to point out the new version of the map would result in Republicans gaining five seats. That's a tactic known as gerrymandering, where districts are redrawn to include more voters in favour of one party to give a political advantage. Democrats didn't support the proposal, but because they don't hold power in the Texas state legislature, they were unable to vote it down. So instead, they fled the state to prevent a vote entirely. Governor Greg Abbott retaliated by ordering the arrest of the Democrats and threatening to have them removed from office. The battle in Texas holds massive repercussions for Mr Trump's power at a federal level. Republicans currently only hold the US House of Representatives by a very fine margin of 219-212. But they are expected to lose seats in the midterm elections next year, when all members of the US House of Representatives stand for re-election. It means the Republicans are at serious risk of losing their majority. Redistricting Texas would give them a five-seat cushion, which could be what saves them from losing the majority. If Democrats take control of the House of Representatives, Mr Trump would need to negotiate with his opponents to get laws passed. Yes. The Supreme Court found in 2006 that there was nothing in the US Constitution that prevented Texas from redrawing its districts. In 2009, the court also found there were no judicial powers to stop districts from being redrawn for partisan advantage. Mr Abbott argues redistricting is necessary to better reflect voters who supported Mr Trump in the 2024 election, when he easily won Texas. "Gerrymandering can be done, or drawing lines, can be done on the basis of political makeup, as in Republicans versus Democrats, and there's nothing illegal about that," he said in an interview with Fox News on Monday. "All of these districts that are being added are districts that were won by Trump." Republicans hold the majority in the Texas State Legislature, so if the redistricting went to a vote, it would have been passed. Democrats sized up their limited power and options, and decided their only chance to put the brakes on the redistricting was to block the vote from going ahead at all. The Texas constitution requires at least two-thirds of the state's House of Representatives to be present when conducting legislative business. With 150 seats in the House, that means at least 100 representatives are needed, and while they don't have the majority, Democrats do hold 62 seats. As long as 51 are out of state, the House can't hold the redistricting vote. It hasn't worked when they've tried it in the past. They did so twice in 2003 to stop Republicans from redrawing voter maps. In 2021, Democrats fled for 38 days over an elections bill and new voting restrictions. These efforts only delayed the measures they were seeking to thwart — all were eventually passed when Democrats returned to Austin. The current legislature session runs until August 19, but Mr Abbott could keep calling 30-day special sessions until enough Democrats return. But districts need to be approved before the opening of Texas candidate filing for the 2026 midterms on November 8. So for Democrats to succeed with their current strategy, at least 51 would need to stay out of the state until then. Texas House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu says Democrats will do "whatever it takes" to stop the proposal. Legal experts and even Republican state Attorney-General Ken Paxton say it would be difficult to enforce consequences against the Democrats while they are safely camped out in sympathetic states. "Until they show up themselves back in Texas, sometimes it's hard to actually execute on that," Mr Paxton said in an interview with conservative podcaster Benny Johnson. When Democrats left Texas in 2021, the Texas Supreme Court held that House leaders had the authority to "physically compel the attendance" of missing members. But no Democrats were forcibly brought back to Texas after warrants were served. While House Speaker Dustin Burrows has issued civil arrest warrants for the missing Democrats, it's unclear whether they can or will be enforced outside Texas's borders. Mr Abbott has ordered the state troopers to find and arrest the Democrats, threatened to have them removed from office and has officially asked the state's highest court to remove Mr Wu, arguing he has vacated his seat. The attorney-general said having seats declared vacated could be a long process, and would require individual lawsuits filed against each missing representative. Still, Mr Paxton said he would press ahead with lawsuits if the Democrats had not returned by Friday. "We'll see where it goes," Republican state senator Charles Perry said. The Democrats will likely be hit with a hefty bill, though. Refusing to show up for a legislative session is a civil violation of legislative rules, and each representative can be fined $500 for every day they are not at the Capitol. Democratic-controlled states have warned if Texas goes ahead with redistricting, they could so the same. California Governor Gavin Newsom has asked politicians in his state to find ways for the Democrats to increase their majority. Governors Kathy Hochul in New York and JB Pritzker in Illinois have made similar calls. "Everything's on the table," Mr Pritzker wrote in a post on X. "Republicans are using every method they can, whether it's cheating or breaking the law. "We've got to do everything we can to stand up and fight back — we're not sitting around and complaining from the sidelines when we have the ability to stop them." Republicans are looking beyond Texas, too. Vice-President JD Vance is expected to bring the redistricting fight to Indiana as he meets with Governor Mike Braun on Thursday. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has suggested he may pursue redistricting, too. ABC/wires
West Australian
an hour ago
- West Australian
Elias Rodriguez: Israel embassy shooting suspect charged with hate crime in fatal shooting in Washington
A man accused of fatally shooting two staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington outside a Jewish museum has been indicted on federal hate crimes charges. The indictment, filed in federal court in Washington, charges Elias Rodriguez with nine counts, including a hate crime resulting in death. The indictment also includes notice of special findings, which would allow the Justice Department to potentially pursue the death penalty. It accuses him of carrying out a hate crime resulting in death motivated by the 'actual and perceived national origin of any person'. Rodriguez also faces charges of first-degree murder and murder of a foreign official. Elias Rodriguez, 31, is accused of gunning down Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Milgrim, 26, as they left an event at the museum in May. They had just attended an event for young professionals and diplomats at the Capital Jewish Museum that was hosted by the American Jewish Committee, an advocacy group that fights anti-Semitism and supports Israel. Rodriguez was heard shouting 'Free Palestine' as he was led away after his arrest. He told police, 'I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza', federal authorities have said. Rodriguez had previously been charged with murder of foreign officials and other crimes, and the hate crimes charges were added after prosecutors brought the case to a grand jury. It means prosecutors will be tasked with proving Rodriguez was motivated by anti-Semitism when he opened fire on Lischinsky and Milgrim, a young couple who were about to become engaged. Prosecutors have described the killing as calculated and planned, saying Rodriguez flew to the Washington region from Chicago ahead of the Capital Jewish Museum event with a handgun in his checked luggage. He purchased a ticket for the event about three hours before it started, authorities have said in court papers. Witnesses described him pacing outside before approaching a group of four people and opening fire. Surveillance video showed Rodriguez advancing closer to Lischinsky and Milgrim as they fell to the ground, leaning over them and firing additional shots. He appeared to reload before jogging off, officials have said. After the shooting, authorities say Rodriguez went inside the museum and stated that he 'did it'. 'I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza, I am unarmed,' he spontaneously said, according to court documents. He also told detectives that he admired an active-duty Air Force member who set himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in February 2024, describing the man as 'courageous' and a 'martyr'. The indictment by a federal grand jury comes ahead of a scheduled court appearance in Rodriguez's case on Friday. It alleges Rodriguez had a history of violent rhetoric online against Israelis, including a plea to 'vaporise every Israeli 18 and above'. Before the shooting, he scheduled a social media post to publish later that night with a document arguing that perpetrators and abettors of Israel's military actions in Gaza had 'forfeited their humanity', according to the indictment. With Reuters
