Latest news with #Pam Bondi
Russia Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Trump orders release of Epstein ‘transcripts'
US President Donald Trump has promised to release more information after criticism of his administration's handling of the sex trafficking case involving the late financier Jeffrey Epstein reached a tipping point. After months of pledges to disclose the full case files, the US Department of Justice said in a memo on Sunday that no further documents would be made public – triggering backlash even among some of Trump's closest supporters. 'Based on the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein, I have asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce any and all pertinent grand jury testimony, subject to court approval,' Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday. 'This SCAM, perpetuated by the Democrats, should end, right now!' Bondi confirmed that her office is 'ready to move the court tomorrow to unseal the grand jury transcripts,' though it remains unclear which documents would be released or when. Epstein was arrested in 2019 and charged with trafficking minors for sex. He allegedly hanged himself in his New York jail cell before standing trial. His longtime associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, was later convicted of conspiring to sexually abuse underage girls and is now serving a 20-year sentence. Although Epstein's death was officially ruled a suicide, it has long fueled public skepticism. The DOJ's controversial review concluded that no 'client list' of Epstein's sex-trafficking ring ever existed and found no evidence of blackmail. There were no grounds to investigate uncharged third parties, the memo stated. These findings appeared to contradict Bondi's earlier comments that the client list was 'sitting on [her] desk,' and that the FBI had turned over a 'truckload' of materials that would 'make you sick.' During a government meeting on Tuesday, she walked back those remarks, clarifying that she was referring to case files on her desk in general. She also dismissed concerns about a one-minute gap in the 11-hour surveillance video recorded near Epstein's jail cell. Trump ordered the release of additional documents after the Wall Street Journal published a report accusing him of sending a birthday greeting to Epstein in 2003 that allegedly featured a crude drawing of a nude woman. The president has denied the claim and threatened to sue Rupert Murdoch and what he called his 'third-rate newspaper' for defamation.
New York Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
A Timeline of What We Know About Trump and Epstein
By his own admission, President Trump was friendly for at least 15 years with Jeffrey Epstein, the multimillionaire financier and convicted sex offender who died in prison in 2019. Their relationship is now under scrutiny after the Trump administration decided to withhold parts of the files from the sex trafficking investigation into Mr. Epstein and his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell. Mr. Epstein had many connections to rich and powerful people that both the right and the left suspect of being involved in the financier's criminality. Attorney General Pam Bondi agreed to release some materials, including flight logs from Mr. Epstein's private jets, but she held back others, including what officials described as child sexual abuse material. The Department of Justice's review of the files 'revealed no incriminating 'client list,'' the department wrote in an unsigned July memo. 'There was also no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions. We did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.' Mr. Trump has instructed Ms. Bondi to release only 'credible' information, and suggested he is concerned that innocent people could be unfairly smeared if the full files are released. He has condemned questions about his handling of the case as a 'hoax' perpetrated by Democrats and called Mr. Epstein a 'creep.' Mr. Epstein was convicted of paying teenage girls money to perform sex acts. He hanged himself in his cell in 2019, according to local and federal authorities. Ms. Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence after being convicted in 2021 of conspiring with Mr. Epstein for nearly a decade to aid in his abuse. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Forbes
2 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Anti-DEI Shareholder Proposals Are Failing, But Not Because Of Politics
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 30: U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order to appoint Chris ... More Rocheleau as the Deputy Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration in the Oval Office at the White House on January 30, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump also signed a memorandum ordering an immediate assessment of aviation safety and ordering an elevation of what he called 'competence' over 'D.E.I.' (Photo by) Shareholders are overwhelmingly voting down proposals to end diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at top companies. The rejection of anti-DEI proposals is emboldening advocates who view it as a clear statement by investors that they are rejecting conservative policies and as an admonishment of President Trump. However, the rejections were not about politics, rather about the process and nature of the shareholder votes. Simply, the proposals were doomed to fail. Republicans in the U.S. have taken a strong stance against DEI programs, calling them discriminatory. Under Attorney General Pam Bondi, the Department of Justice has made it clear they view DEI programs as illegal and will be using the office to prosecute violators, stating the 'Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division will investigate, eliminate, and penalize illegal DEI and DEIA preferences, mandates, policies, programs, and activities in the private sector…' This creates a clear threat of legal liability against companies wishing to engage in DEI practices. Conservative groups are also taking the issue directly to companies During the 2025 proxy season, the National Center for Public Policy Research, a conservative think tank, submitted the majority of the anti-DEI shareholder proposals in 2025. The proposals referenced a series of cases, including Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard that ruled race-based admissions are unconstitutional. As I noted in 2023, the Court's opinion was a major blow to ESG and DEI, even though it did not directly address those issues in the corporate world. Other cases and the actions by the DOJ are connecting DEI as illegal discrimination. While there may be legal merits to some of NCPPR's arguments, the format of the shareholder proposal made passage nearly impossible. This has caused confusion as to the intent of corporate management versus their actions, causing activists to find false hope. However, a look at the type of proposals provides needed context. Proposals submitted to the shareholders for approval come in the form of management proposals and shareholder proposals. Management proposals originate from the board of directors of the company. They have been vetted and worked through a clear process. As a result, those tend to have a high passage rate. Shareholder proposals originate from individuals or organizations that own shares in the company. Each company has its own process for how a shareholder can introduce a proposal for approval by the shareholders. Typically, shareholder proposals are only a small fraction of the total proposals. Shareholder proposals also have a much lower passage rate. According a BlackRock report, only 867 shareholder proposals were voted on in the 2023 - 2024 proxy year, compared to 168,400 management proposals. During that year, BlackRock only voted in favor of 99 of the shareholder proposals, approximately 11.4% of them. This has been consistent as BlackRock states they generally follow management for the direction of a company, while shareholder proposals tend to be in conflict with management proposals. A study by Cooley of the 2025 proxy season showed similar results, stating that 3000 companies received 830 shareholder proposals in the 2025 proxy year. Looking at overall support, not passage rate, shareholder proposals relating to governance issues only received 35% support, environmental proposals received 13% support, and social proposals received 12% support. No DEI proposals passed, either in support or in opposition of the programs. The lack of support for shareholder proposals is institutional and driven by the large financial management companies, like BlackRock, that tend to support management proposals at a much higher rate, while overwhelming rejecting shareholder proposals. This has led to confusion of policies as people attach meaning to the vote that is not tied to the stated rationale. This misunderstanding of the shareholder proposal votes is not new. I wrote about this issue in August 2024, when BlackRock was accused of pulling support of ESG. The accusations were based on BlackRock's votes against shareholder proposals that called for a larger focus on ESG. In BlackRock's 2024 Global Voting Spotlight, released in August 2024, the company stated 'our analysis indicates that a relatively small number of shareholder proponents and advocacy groups filed the majority of proposals at U.S.-based companies – with fewer than 10 filing approximately 80% of proposals in the 2023-24 proxy year. Based on our review of proxy materials, these proponents often filed similar proposals at multiple companies, regardless of the specifics of their sectors or business models.' The BlackRock report also stated, 'we still observed many poor-quality proposals come to a vote, particularly on proposals that attempted to address climate and natural capital or company impacts on people-related issues. Consistent with last year, we found the majority of proposals addressing these topics were overreaching, lacked economic merit, or sought outcomes that were unlikely to promote long-term shareholder value. A significant percentage were focused on business risks that companies already had processes in place to address, making them redundant.' The same rationale was offered in opposition of the anti-DEI proposals. In response to a proposal made to Apply by NCPPR, management stated the proposal 'is unnecessary as Apple already has a well-established compliance program. The proposal also inappropriately attempts to restrict Apple's ability to manage its own ordinary business operations, people and teams, and business strategies.' Dick's Sporting Goods offered a similar response, stating 'we already have well established compliance and risk oversight programs and processes…' Others used similar language. The argument by management is simply that this is an issue that should not be adopted by shareholders. Instead, it is a risk and compliance issue that should be addressed by management. As the legal landscape changes, the company needs to be able to adapt without the confines of a shareholder vote. While DEI advocates will use the failure of the anti-DEI shareholder proposals as a sign that the tide is shifting against Trump, the data shows that is is just business as usual.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump sends embattled Pam Bondi to Alcatraz prison in re-opening bid
Two senior Trump officials visited Alcatraz Thursday to announce plans to convert it back into a federal prison, which one Democrat called the president's "stupidest initiative yet." Attorney General Pam Bondi, who has been mired in controversy since the contentious release of the Epstein Files last week, and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum visited the island in San Francisco Bay. Sharing photos from a boat on the way to the island, as well as inside the prison, Burgum wrote on X, 'Spent the day on Alcatraz Island, a @NatlParkService site, to start the work to renovate and reopen the site to house the most dangerous criminals and illegals. This administration is restoring safety, justice, and order to our streets. @Interior & @TheJusticeDept are following a directive by @POTUS to help lead that mission.' In a separate tweet, Bondi said, 'A great morning at Alcatraz with @SecretaryBurgum. Under President Trump, we are Making America Safe Again.' The White House didn't confirm the duo's visit before their online remarks, but a plane marked "United States of America" arrived in the Bay Area Wednesday night, accompanied by officials and a police-led motorcade. Doug Burgum and Pam Bondi shared this photo of themselves on their way to Alcatraz Island on Thursday. (X/@AGPamBondi) The Independent has contacted the White House for comment. Trump first proposed reopening Alcatraz as a prison in May, calling the island 'a sad symbol, but it's a symbol of law and order.' Bureau of Prisons officials subsequently visited the island at Trump's direction to evaluate the feasibility of reopening it as a high-security prison for violent offenders. Attorney General Pam Bondi (left) and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum (middle) visited Alcatraz on Thursday, with Bondi tweeting that it was a "great day" to do so. (X/@SecretaryBurgum) Golden Gate National Recreation Area superintendent David Smith said the bureau had conducted initial assessments and planned to return for further structural evaluations. Alcatraz is safe for visitors and maintained by the National Park Service, but some buildings have deteriorated, and restoration could cost over $1 billion. Alcatraz became part of the Golden Gate National Parks in 1972 and opened to the public the following year. (Getty Images) Alcatraz, which once housed notorious inmates Al Capone, George "Machine Gun" Kelly, Robert Stroud (the "Birdman of Alcatraz"), and James "Whitey" Bulger, closed in 1963 due to high operating costs. It became part of the Golden Gate National Parks in 1972 and opened to the public the following year. Alcatraz generates around $60 million annually in tourism and has been featured in several films, including The Rock, Escape from Alcatraz, Birdman of Alcatraz, Murder in the First, Point Blank, and X-Men: The Last Stand. The idea of transforming Alcatraz back into a prison has attracted heavy criticism from state and local leaders. California Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi called it Trump's "stupidest initiative yet." "It should concern us all that clearly the only intellectual resources the Administration has drawn upon for this foolish notion are decades-old fictional Hollywood movies,' her office said in a statement. Attorney General Pam Bondi (pictured) and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum are set to visit Alcatraz on Thursday to announce plans to reopen it as a federal prison. (Getty Images) San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie noted: 'There's no realistic plan to make Alcatraz reopen as anything other than a wonderful attraction than it currently is.' California Governor Gavin Newsom's Press Office added: "Pam Bondi will reopen Alcatraz the same day Trump lets her release the Epstein files. So... never." In May, President Donald Trump called Alcatraz Island 'a sad symbol, but it's a symbol of law and order.' (Getty Images) Charlie Hopkins, one of the last living Alcatraz inmates, told ABC7 New York that he doubts Trump actually wants to reopen the prison and was instead trying to draw attention to the crime rate. 'When I was on Alcatraz, a rat couldn't survive,' Hopkins, now in his 90s, said.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Ghislaine Maxwell breaks silence with bombshell claim after Trump closes Epstein case
Ghislaine Maxwell 's family broke their silence to insist she is innocent and was subjected to 'government misconduct' in an unscrupulous effort to blame someone for Jeffrey Epstein 's crimes after he died. President Donald Trump and his Attorney General Pam Bondi ar e facing MAGA mutiny amid claims they botched an investigation into Epstein's laundry list of crimes. Epstein's right-hand woman is serving 20 years in prison for sex trafficking offenses tied to the billionaire financier's crimes. But Bondi maintains that after years of rampant speculation, there is no evidence Epstein ever held a 'client list' implicating high-profile associates. Maxwell was convicted in 2021, two years after Epstein was found dead in his cell while awaiting trial for child sex offenses. Her family now maintain 'our sister Ghislaine did not receive a fair trial', claiming prosecutors stopped at nothing to convict her due to the public's appetite for her to face justice on Epstein's behalf after his death. According to the family's statement, Maxwell is prepared to 'file a writ of habeas corpus' which would 'allow her to challenge her imprisonment.' This challenge would be 'on the basis of new evidence such as government misconduct that would have likely changed the trial's outcome.' The family argue that Maxwell should have been protected under an agreement Epstein entered with the Department of Justice in 2007, in which they vowed not to prosecute any of his co-conspirators after he 'paid fines, paid "victims" millions of dollars and served 13 months in Prison.' Counsel representing Maxwell, David Oscar Marcus, said: 'I'd be surprised if President Trump knew his lawyers were asking the Supreme Court to let the government break a deal. 'He's the ultimate dealmaker - and I'm sure he'd agree that when the United States gives its word, it should keep it. 'With all the talk about who's being prosecuted and who isn't, it's especially unfair that Ghislaine Maxwell remains in prison based on a promise the US government made and broke.' The family said they 'profoundly concur' with Marcus' comments. The controversial deal stated if 'Epstein successfully fulfills all of the terms and conditions of this agreement, the United States also agrees that it will not institute any criminal charges against any potential co-conspirators of Epstein, including but not limited to' four of Epstein's assistants.' This did not name Maxwell specifically. But the 2007 deal applied only to the US Attorney's Office in the Southern District of Florida. Prosecutors found a loophole in which they were able to target Maxwell in New York, which treats such agreements differently to the vast majority of American states. 'Ghislaine Maxwell's lawyers are asking the Court to resolve this difference between the Districts,' a filing seen by states. The family wants Maxwell's sentence to be vacated and for her to be referred for resentencing, accusing the court of also 'applying an incorrect guideline range and offense level.' The Maxwell family's comments come at a time of hightened interest in the case after Bondi's memo shut down long-held theories of an Epstein client list. But Maxwell's brother Ian told The Spectator that she has always denied any such list existed, saying his family was not surprised by Bondi's admission. 'My sister has always maintained there was never such a thing. It never existed,' he said. 'If you prick a conspiracy the balloon goes down and people wonder why they've been fooled.' He called out Elon Musk and other high-profile social media influencers for giving 'tremendous currency' to conspiracy theories about the list, ultimately giving it 'a life of its own' that was always going to become a thorn in Trump's side. 'They've reached the end of the road, it's finished, for what it's worth I think the President would be pleased they've concluded that,' he said. MAGA loyalists had long theorized that Epstein did not kill himself in his cell, but this was also rubbished by Bondi's memo, in which she ruled out any foul play. Maxwell (pictured with Prince Andrew and accuser Virginia Giuffre) was convicted in 2021 , two years after Epstein was found dead in his cell while awaiting trial for child sex offense Ian Maxwell said he statement has not changed his sister's opinion. She has long believed he was murdered. 'I think there is more substance to different and opposing views, that he was murdered,' Ian said. 'That is, and remains, my sister's view for what it's worth.' Ian said while 'people seem to think this involves som James Bond figure slipping into the prison' he suggested a separate theory entirely. 'It seems to preclude another way in which that may have happened - him actually paying someone in prison to kill him. Suicide by internal killing.'
