Kevin Spacey calls for release of Epstein files: ‘Truth can't come soon enough'
'Release the Epstein files. All of them,' tweeted Spacey, 65, who once flew on Epstein's 'Lolita Express' jet and posed on a Buckingham Palace throne with the pedophile's madam, Ghislaine Maxwell.
'For those of us with nothing to fear, the truth can't come soon enough,' stated 'The Usual Suspects' star.
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'I hate to make this about me — but the media already has,' he said
4 In this photo from The Telegraph, Ghislaine Maxwell and Kevin Spacey sit on thrones during a Buckingham Palace visit with former President Bill Clinton circa 2002.
The Telegraph
The Academy Award winner joined public clamor demanding the Department of Justice follow through on its promise to release troves of documents related to its investigation into the late pedophile, his associates and his death.
Spacey previously addressed his connection to Epstein and the pedophile's madam, Maxwell, whom he was pictured with in 2002 in the throne room at Buckingham Palace after they were allegedly invited there by disgraced Epstein associate Prince Andrew.
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He claimed he had not met the pair before they flew to London with President Bill Clinton on Epstein's private jet after a humanitarian event in Africa with 'young girls.'
'I didn't know him. I have never spent any time with him. I was with the Clinton Foundation people, that's who I was with,' he told Piers Morgan.
4 Kevin Spacey spoke to Piers Morgan about his connection to Epstein last year.
Piers Morgan Uncensored
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'This Maxwell woman, she was one of many people to sit down next to me in that throne room. I have no relationship with her. I had no relationship with him. I mean he's not my friend. I am not a confidant. I've never spent time with him,' he continued.
Spacey confirmed that there were 'young girls' on board the plane but claimed he never visited Epstein's island.
'I never went to Jeffrey Epstein's island. I did not know him and I never saw him or her after that morning at Buckingham Palace. He didn't even come to Buckingham Palace, she was only there,' he said.
Spacey was also among the elites named in a trove of previously sealed court documents related to Jeffrey Epstein that were released in January.
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4 Epstein's 2019 death in a New York City jail has sparked years of conspiracy theories.
US District Court for the Southe
The Trump administration had promised to release the full files from Epstein's federal investigation as conspiracies swirled over the financier's associates and how he died after he was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell in 2019.
But the Attorney General Pam Bondi last week announced that the government would not be releasing the records after all — with the President on Wednesday dismissing the outrcy for the documents the 'Epstein HOAX' as his MAGA-base demands answers.
4 The late financier's death was ruled a suicide by hanging.
AP
Trump spent months vowing to release all of the government's findings on Epstein and his associates — even publishing 'The Epstein Files: Phase 1 in February, although next to nothing new was revealed in those files.
Spacey was accused of committing sex crimes against four men between 2004 and 2013 while he was serving as artistic director at London's historic Old Vic Theatre. He was ultimately acquitted of all nine counts in July 2023.
The 'American Beauty' star also won a sexual abuse case against alleged victim and fellow actor Anthony Rapp in 2022.
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NBC News
an hour ago
- NBC News
Ghislaine Maxwell's meetings with Justice Department shrouded in secrecy
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche completed nine hours of meetings over two days with Ghislaine Maxwell on Friday but made no public statements about what she said or the next steps in the Justice Department's much-criticized Jeffrey Epstein investigation. Former prosecutors said it was highly unusual — and potentially unprecedented — for a the department's No. 2 official to personally interview a witness. Secrecy in a criminal investigation is normal, but the prosecutors involved in the case would typically be included in questioning. 'I've never heard of a deputy attorney general doing anything like this before,' said a former senior Justice Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Victims of Epstein and Maxwell, who was convicted in 2021 of recruiting and grooming multiple teenage girls to be sexually abused by the late financier, questioned the lack of transparency as well. Jack Scarola, a lawyer representing roughly 20 Epstein victims, said he asked to attend the Maxwell interviews but was not included. Berit Berger, a former federal prosecutor in New York, said the interviews by Blanche, who worked as Trump's former defense lawyer, may be performative. 'It may be just a way of being able to say, 'Look, we dotted every I and crossed every T,'' she said. 'There's value to being able to say that we've tried to speak to everyone we possibly could, including the co-defendant.' Attorney General Pam Bondi, Blanche and President Donald Trump himself have struggled to quell the uproar since the DOJ and FBI announced on July 6 that an exhaustive Epstein case review had not uncovered evidence that justified investigating other individuals. FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino — who haveboth spread conspiracy theories about the Epstein case — backed those findings and a DOJ decision to release no other Epstein case documents. Catherine Christian, a former Manhattan assistant district attorney and an NBC News legal analyst, said the Maxwell interviews could also be an effort to protect Trump, who now faces one of the largest political crises of his second term in the furor over the Epstein investigation. Trump, like dozens of other wealthy Americans, socialized with Epstein. He is among hundreds of individuals whose names appear in 100,000 pages of Epstein case documents reviewed by the DOJ and the FBI. 'It's hard to believe this is anything but performative,' Christian said. 'Or Todd Blanche, just wanting to have her on the record saying, 'Yes, President Trump had nothing to do with any of this. He was not a client.'' What was Maxwell asked? Maxwell's lawyer, David Oscar Markus, is a top Florida criminal defense lawyer and a friend of Blanche's. Blanche appeared on Markus' podcast in 2024, where the host praised Blanche's legal skills. After Friday's meeting with Blanche and Maxwell, Markus told reporters that the deputy attorney general 'did an amazing job' and asked Maxwell thorough questions. 'She was asked maybe about 100 different people,' said Markus, who did not disclose which individuals Maxwell was questioned about. 'She answered questions about everybody, and she didn't hold anything back,' he said. 'They asked about every single, every possible thing you could imagine, everything.' A senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly, said that Maxwell was granted limited immunity by the Justice Department to answer questions about the Epstein case. Granting limited immunity is common in criminal cases and allows defendants to provide information without fear that it will be used against them in court. The immunity is 'limited' because it only applies if the defendant is telling the truth. If it is determined that a defendant lied during the interviews, then the agreement becomes void. Prosecutors can take into consideration a defendant's cooperation and recommend a plea deal or a reduced sentence. This is not expected in Maxwell's case, as she has already been convicted and sentenced to 20 years in federal prison. Maxwell's lawyer, Markus, has argued that Maxwell's trial was unfair and an appeal of her conviction is pending before the Supreme Court. Potential pardon or commutation Trump, like all presidents, has the power to pardon or commute the sentence of anyone convicted of a federal crime. Asked about Epstein's case on Friday morning, Trump said the focus should be on other people who socialized with Epstein, such as former President Bill Clinton and Larry Summers, the former treasury secretary and Harvard University president. 'You should focus on Clinton,' the president told reporters. 'You should focus on the president of Harvard, the former president of Harvard. You should focus on some of the hedge fund guys.' 'I'll give you a list. These guys lived with Jeffrey Epstein. I sure as hell didn't,' Trump said. Asked if he was considering granting Maxwell a pardon or commuting her sentence, Trump said, 'It's something I haven't thought about.' 'I'm allowed to do it,' he added. Mimi Rocah, a former federal prosecutor in New York, said she believes the recent firing of Maurene Comey, a lead prosecutor in the Maxwell case and the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, was an effort to give Trump appointees full control of the Maxwell case, limit transparency and silence dissent. 'That does not seem coincidental. It seems like they wanted Maurene not to be present in the Department of Justice,' Rocah said. 'To be able to say, 'What the heck, you can't go talk to my client or my defendant.'' Rocah, a Democrat who served as Westchester County district attorney from 2020 to 2024, criticized Blanche's meetings with Maxwell, saying his apparent failure to include a prosecutor with deep knowledge of her crimes was unfair to Epstein's victims. 'The head of that entire institution that is supposed to be about protecting victims is talking to her, giving her a platform to say God knows what, without much way to verify it or not,' Rocah said. 'The real people who could test her truth-telling are the people who worked on the case, not Todd.'
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
House Democrats look to get copy of late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's 'birthday book'
WASHINGTON - House Democrats are looking to get a copy of late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's alleged 'birthday book' that reportedly contains a lewd letter from President Donald Trump. Reps. Ro Khanna and Robert Garcia of California requested the book in a letter sent to lawyers of Epstein's estate on July 25. Critics, including some prominent Republicans and Democrats, have accused the Justice Department of botching a review of files on the disgraced financier. The push comes after a Wall Street Journal report that Trump allegedly wrote a letter to Epstein for his 50th birthday containing a seemingly hand-drawn outline of a naked woman with a "Donald" squiggly signature mimicking pubic hair. The letter was part of a leather-bound book with dozens of other letters presented to Epstein, the Journal reported. 'The book is relevant for ongoing congressional oversight of the Department of Justice's handling of the Epstein investigation and prosecution, as well as the Trump Administration's decision to declassify and release only a handful of documents from the Epstein files while withholding others from the public,' Khanna and Garcia, ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, wrote in the letter. The House Oversight Committee voted on July 23 to subpoena the Justice Department for files related to Epstein amid public clamor for the records. Khanna and Garcia note that they want an 'unredacted copy' of the book no later than Aug. 10, a day before longtime Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell was subpoenaed by the committee to sit for a deposition at the Federal Correctional Institution Tallahassee. 'The American people deserve the truth about who was a part of Epstein's closest circle of friends. Most importantly, the American people deserve to know who was involved in Epstein's trafficking network and if they are in positions of power in our government,' Garcia said in a statement. Trump has denied the Wall Street Journal report, calling the letter 'FAKE' in a social media post. He sued the news organization on July 18 over the story. Contributing: Zac Anderson and Aysha Bagchi, USA TODAY
Los Angeles Times
2 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
The House is looking into the Epstein investigation. Here's what could happen next
WASHINGTON — A key House committee is looking into the investigation of the late Jeffrey Epstein for sex trafficking crimes, working to subpoena President Trump's Department of Justice for files in the case and hold a deposition of Epstein's jailed accomplice and former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell. The Republican-led House Oversight and Government Reform Committee acted just before House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) sent lawmakers home early for a monthlong break from Washington, a move widely seen as attempt to avoid politically difficult votes for his GOP caucus on the Epstein matter. The committee's moves are evidence of the mounting pressure for disclosure in a case that Trump has unsuccessfully urged his supporters to move past. But they were also just the start of what can be a drawn-out process. Here's what could happen next in the House inquiry as lawmakers seek answers in a case that has sparked rampant speculation since Epstein's death in 2019 and more recently caused many in the Trump administration to renege on promises for a complete accounting. Democrats, joined by three Republicans, were able to successfully initiate the subpoena from a subcommittee just as the House was leaving Washington for its early recess. But it was just the start of negotiations over the subpoena. The subcommittee agreed to redact the names and personal information of any victims, but besides that, their demand for information is quite broad, encompassing 'un-redacted Epstein files.' As the parameters of the subpoena are drafted, Democrats are demanding that it be fulfilled within 30 days from when it is served to Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi. They have also proposed a list of document demands, including the prosecutorial decisions surrounding Epstein, documents related to his death, and communication from any president or executive official regarding the matter. Ultimately, Republicans who control the committee will have more power over the scope of the subpoena, but the fact that it was approved with a strong bipartisan vote gives it some heft. The committee chairman, Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), said he told the speaker that 'Republicans on the Oversight Committee were going to move to be more aggressive in trying to get transparency with the Epstein files. So, we did that, and I think that's what the American people want.' Comer has said he is hoping that staff from the committee can interview Maxwell under oath on Aug. 11 at or near the federal prison in Florida where she is serving a lengthy sentence for child sex trafficking. In a congressional deposition, the subject typically has an attorney present to help them answer — or not answer — questions while maintaining their civil rights. Subjects also have the ability to decline to answer questions if they could be used against them in a criminal case, though in this instance that might not matter because Maxwell has already been convicted of many of the things she is likely to be asked about. Maxwell has the ability to negotiate some of the terms of the deposition, and she already conducted two days of interviews with Justice Department officials this past week. Democrats warn that Maxwell is not to be trusted. 'We should understand that this is a very complex witness and someone that has caused great harm and not a good person to a lot of people,' Rep. Robert Garcia of Long Beach, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, told reporters this week. Committee Republicans also initiated a motion to subpoena a host of other people, including former President Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as well as former U.S. attorneys general dating back to Alberto Gonzales, who served under President George W. Bush. It's not clear how this sweeping list of proposed subpoenas will play out, but Comer has said, 'We're going to move quickly on that.' Trump has often fought congressional investigations and subpoenas. As with most subpoenas, the Justice Department can negotiate the terms of how it fulfills the subpoena. It can also make legal arguments against handing over certain information. Joshua A. Levy, who teaches on congressional investigations at Georgetown Law School and is a partner at Levy Firestone Muse, said that the results of the subpoena 'depend on whether the administration wants to work through the traditional accommodation process with the House and reach a resolution or if one or both sides becomes entrenched in its position.' If Congress is not satisfied with Bondi's response — or if she were to refuse to hand over any information — there are several ways lawmakers can try to enforce the subpoena. However, that would require a vote to hold Bondi in contempt of Congress. It's practically unheard of for a political party to vote to hold a member of its party's White House administration in contempt of Congress, but the Epstein saga has cut across political lines and driven a wedge in the GOP. Ultimately, the bipartisan vote to subpoena the files showed how political pressure is mounting on the Trump administration to disclose the files. Politics, policy and the law are all bound up together in this case, and many in Congress want to see a full accounting of the sex trafficking investigation. 'We can't allow individuals, especially those at the highest level of our government, to protect child sex traffickers,' said Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.), a committee member. The Trump administration is already facing the potential for even more political tension. When Congress comes back to Washington in September, a bipartisan group of House lawmakers is working to advance to a full House vote a bill that aims to force the public release of the Epstein files. Groves writes for the Associated Press.
