Epstein accuser's family wants answers from Trump after recent comments
WASHINGTON − The family of Virginia Giuffre, one of Jeffrey Epstein's most prominent and outspoken sex trafficking accusers, demanded answers over why President Donald Trump said the disgraced financier "stole" Giuffre from his Mar-a-Lago spa – and have called for Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell to remain in prison.
In a lengthy July 30 statement, the family of Giuffre, who died by suicide in April, said, 'It was shocking to hear President Trump invoke our sister and say that he was aware that Virginia had been 'stolen' from Mar-a-Lago."
'It makes us ask if he was aware of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's criminal actions, especially given his statement two years later that his good friend Jeffrey 'likes women on the younger side … no doubt about it,'" the family's comment, given to USA TODAY July 31, said. "We and the public are asking for answers; survivors deserve this.'
Trump and Epstein were friends for more than a decade in the 1990s and early 2000s.
More: She's inmate No. 02879-509 in Florida. But once again, Ghislaine Maxwell is holding court
Trump made the comment July 30, telling reporters Epstein "stole her" while Giuffre was working as a spa attendant, and that he subsequently banned Epstein from his Palm Beach residence and club after he tried to poach additional employees.
"I think she worked at the spa. I think so. I think that was one of the people," Trump said of Giuffre. "He stole her. And by the way, she had no complaints about us, as you know, none whatsoever."
Giuffre had long insisted that Maxwell − Epstein's longtime associate and former girlfriend – was the one who met her at the club and recruited her to serve as a masseuse for Epstein. That arrangement ultimately led to Epstein sexually abusing her and Maxwell trafficking Giuffre to have sex with other men, she said.
More: How Trump and 'terrific guy' Jeffrey Epstein's party boy friendship ended badly
Trump's comments on Air Force One appeared to be the first time he had personally confirmed aspects of Giuffre's story and suggested her employment might have been at least partially responsible for his falling out with Epstein.
The Giuffre family's statement is the latest development in the growing controversy over Trump's relationship with Maxwell and Epstein, who died by suicide while in custody awaiting trial in 2019. It was issued by her surviving siblings and their spouses, Sky and Amanda Roberts and Danny and Lanette Wilson.
More: Trump says he's 'allowed' to pardon Ghislaine Maxwell and he never went to Epstein's island
In their lengthy statement, the Giuffre family rejected Trump's characterization, saying she was "stolen" by Maxwell, not Epstein.
"We would like to clarify that it was convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell who targeted and preyed upon our then 16-year-old sister, Virginia, from Mar-a-Lago, where she was working in 2000, several years before Epstein and President Trump had their falling out," the family said.
In a statement to USA TODAY, the White House said no leniency is being given or discussed, and that Trump himself has said that clemency for Maxwell is not something he is thinking about at this time.
In its statement, the family also said, "Virginia always said that Ghislaine Maxwell was vicious and could often be more cruel than Epstein."
They called on Trump to "never consider giving Ghislaine Maxwell any leniency."
'Ghislaine Maxwell is a monster who deserves to rot in prison for the rest of her life,' the family said. "She must remain in prison – anything less would go down in history as being one of the highest travesties of justice.'
More: New photos confirm Epstein attended Donald Trump's wedding
The family statement comes just days after Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche – Trump's former criminal defense lawyer – interviewed Maxwell in a Tallahassee, Florida, courthouse near where she is serving a 20-year sentence for trafficking a minor to Epstein for sexual abuse.
In a social media post, Blanche said he was interviewing the former British socialite because if 'Ghislane Maxwell has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say.'
The two days of talks between the Justice Department and Maxwell have led Trump critics, including Democrats in Congress, to speculate that Trump is seeking a way to silence Maxwell while at the same time quelling the growing controversy over his administration's attempts to close the book on the long-running Epstein saga.
More: Democrats hammer Epstein issue, find rare power move against Trump
In recent weeks, the Trump administration has faced mounting pressure to reverse its pledge not to release any more documents related to the DOJ investigation into Epstein, a move that prompted fierce backlash from even the president's most loyal followers.
Trump has said he has not considered whether to pardon Maxwell, but said on two occasions in recent days that he is 'allowed' to do so as president. Following the first of those remarks on July 29, Maxwell lawyer David Markus said, 'We hope he exercises that power in the right and just way."
Maxwell has said she'll testify before Congress, as requested, if Trump grants her clemency.
"If our sister could speak today, she would be most angered by the fact that the government is listening to a known perjurer," the family said, in reference to Maxwell. "A woman who repeatedly lied under oath and will continue to do so as long as it benefits her position."
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