Latest news with #ToddBlanche
Daily Mail
12 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Ghislaine Maxwell's life could be in danger in prison, reporter warns
Ghislaine Maxwell's life may be in jeopardy behind bars after she allegedly shared new information about Jeffrey Epstein with the U.S. Department of Justice, according to one of the top reporters covering the scandal. Julie K. Brown, the Miami Herald journalist whose 2018 reporting helped bring Epstein and Maxwell back into the spotlight, said the 63-year-old British socialite is not safe inside the Federal Correctional Institute in Tallahassee, Florida. In a podcast, she said: 'It is so easy to cover up a crime in jail. The cameras are broken, guards fall asleep - they are, for the most part, very corrupt.' Brown added that Maxwell's recent decision to cooperate with federal investigators had put a target on her back and claimed that she 'wouldn't necessarily be safe anywhere.' Concerns over her safety have loomed long before she agreed to speak with the DOJ, which now includes former Trump lawyer Todd Blanche as Deputy Attorney General. Her lawyer, David Markus, previously described the intense surveillance his client faced in custody following her 2020 arrest. The scrutiny was widely believed to be an attempt to avoid a repeat of Epstein's death in August 2019, when he was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Centre in Manhattan. Speaking on the Daily Beast podcast, Brown told host Joanna Coles: 'Look at Epstein. He was probably one of the most high-profile prisoners that we've ever had, and he still was managed to be found dead. Anything's possible.' A November 2023 report by the Justice Department's Inspector General raised fresh concerns about conditions inside the Tallahassee prison, where Maxwell is serving her 20-year sentence. The review found 'weaknesses with inmate search procedures and limited security camera coverage.' Two inmates died at the facility last year - one at the federal prison, and another at the adjacent detention centre, with no cause of death released. Maxwell has also reportedly been threatened behind bars. A Daily Mail report says that two inmates discovered she had received extra food from a kitchen worker to help her maintain a vegan diet. They allegedly threatened her unless she gave them her entire $360 monthly commissary allowance. Maxwell allegedly reported the pair, and they were placed in solitary confinement for nearly 50 days. Upon their release, Maxwell is said to have become so paranoid about retaliation that she stopped using the showers. Brown also said in the podcast that Maxwell could also face pressure to clear Donald Trump's name if she wants to secure a reduced sentence or early release. She said: 'My guess is they're going to try to find something, because this story isn't going away for Trump. So my guess is they're going to try to figure out some way to have her make a public statement of some sort that Trump wasn't involved.' Maxwell is currently appealing her 2021 conviction for grooming minors for Epstein's abuse. In a petition filed with the Supreme Court on Monday, her legal team argued that she should have been shielded from prosecution under Epstein's controversial 2007 plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Florida.
Daily Mail
14 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Ghislaine Maxwell's life could be in danger in Florida prison after she met with Justice Department to reveal new Jeffrey Epstein details, top investigative reporter warns
Ghislaine Maxwell 's life may be in jeopardy behind bars after she allegedly shared new information about Jeffrey Epstein with the U.S. Department of Justice, according to one of the top reporters covering the scandal. Julie K. Brown, the Miami Herald journalist whose 2018 reporting helped bring Epstein and Maxwell back into the spotlight, said the 63-year-old British socialite is not safe inside the Federal Correctional Institute in Tallahassee, Florida. In a podcast, she said: 'It is so easy to cover up a crime in jail. The cameras are broken, guards fall asleep - they are, for the most part, very corrupt.' Brown added that Maxwell's recent decision to cooperate with federal investigators had put a target on her back and claimed that she 'wouldn't necessarily be safe anywhere.' Concerns over her safety have loomed long before she agreed to speak with the DOJ, which now includes former Trump lawyer Todd Blanche as Deputy Attorney General. Her lawyer, David Markus, previously described the intense surveillance his client faced in custody following her 2020 arrest. The scrutiny was widely believed to be an attempt to avoid a repeat of Epstein's death in August 2019, when he was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Centre in Manhattan. The Justice Department insisted this month that Epstein died by suicide, but questions still linger. The surveillance footage, which officials said would provide 'full raw' coverage, was missing three crucial minutes. The DOJ also acknowledged multiple protocol failures, including Epstein being left unattended and guards neglecting their rounds. Speaking on the Daily Beast podcast, Brown told host Joanna Coles: 'Look at Epstein. He was probably one of the most high-profile prisoners that we've ever had, and he still was managed to be found dead. Anything's possible.' A November 2023 report by the Justice Department's Inspector General raised fresh concerns about conditions inside the Tallahassee prison, where Maxwell is serving her 20-year sentence. The review found 'weaknesses with inmate search procedures and limited security camera coverage.' Two inmates died at the facility last year - one at the federal prison, and another at the adjacent detention centre, with no cause of death released. Maxwell has also reportedly been threatened behind bars. A Daily Mail report says that two inmates discovered she had received extra food from a kitchen worker to help her maintain a vegan diet. They allegedly threatened her unless she gave them her entire $360 monthly commissary allowance. Maxwell allegedly reported the pair, and they were placed in solitary confinement for nearly 50 days. Upon their release, Maxwell is said to have become so paranoid about retaliation that she stopped using the showers. Brown also said in the podcast that Maxwell could also face pressure to clear Donald Trump's name if she wants to secure a reduced sentence or early release. She said: 'My guess is they're going to try to find something, because this story isn't going away for Trump. 'So my guess is they're going to try to figure out some way to have her make a public statement of some sort that Trump wasn't involved.' Maxwell is currently appealing her 2021 conviction for grooming minors for Epstein's abuse. In a petition filed with the Supreme Court on Monday, her legal team argued that she should have been shielded from prosecution under Epstein's controversial 2007 plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Florida. The deal stipulated that several unnamed co-conspirators would not be prosecuted. Trump, for his part, told reporters Monday that he has not ruled out granting Maxwell a pardon, saying: Right now, it would be inappropriate to talk about it.'
ABC News
a day ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Donald Trump says he has not considered pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell
Donald Trump says he has not considered pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime associate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The US president is facing a political furore over the Epstein case and renewed questions about his past relationship with the disgraced financier. "It's something I haven't thought about," Mr Trump told reporters when asked about the possibility of a pardon for Maxwell. Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence at a federal prison in Florida after being found guilty in 2021 of helping Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls. She is currently appealing against her sentence, arguing that a prior plea deal that Epstein took protected her from prosecution. Maxwell completed a second day of interviews with Deputy Attorney-General Todd Blanche on Friday, local time, after the Justice Department reached out to her lawyers to see if she had additional information about the case. David Markus, a lawyer for Maxwell, told reporters she answered questions truthfully but he declined to detail what was discussed. "The truth will come out about what happened with Mr Epstein and she's the person who's answering those questions," Mr Markus said. Mr Markus said Maxwell has not asked for anything from the US government in exchange for her testimony and had not held discussions about a pardon. But he added that Maxwell would "welcome any relief", deploring her treatment in federal prison. The role of Ms Blanche, the second-highest ranking official at the Justice Department and a former personal lawyer to Mr Trump, was unusual. Senior officials typically do not personally conduct investigative interviews. US Attorney-General Pam Bondi promised earlier this year to release additional materials related to Epstein's clients and the circumstances surrounding his death. However, the Justice Department reversed course this month and issued a memo concluding that there was no basis for continued investigations and no evidence of a client list. Those findings sparked an angry outcry from some of Mr Trump's supporters who long believed the government was covering up Epstein's ties to the rich and powerful. Asked about the meeting between the attorney-general and Maxwell, Mr Trump said on Friday he was not aware of the details, only that it was taking place. He then pivoted to other claims, suggesting other high-profile figures should face scrutiny over their ties to Epstein. Mr Trump appeared with Epstein at social events in the 1990s and early 2000s. Mr Trump's name, along with many other high-profile individuals, appeared multiple times on flight logs for Epstein's private plane in the 1990s. However, Mr Trump has denied ever being on the plane. Reuters
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell urges Supreme Court to overturn her conviction
Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein, urged the Supreme Court on Monday to take up her pending appeal and overturn her sex-trafficking conviction, claiming she was covered by an agreement Epstein made with federal authorities that shielded her from prosecution. 'This case is about what the government promised, not what Epstein did,' Maxwell's attorneys told the justices in a new brief. Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison in 2022 for carrying out a years-long scheme with Epstein to groom and sexually abuse underage girls. She has recently met with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche for questioning amid a political firestorm over the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein files. Those talks were not mentioned in the latest Supreme Court filing. 'President Trump built his legacy in part on the power of a deal – and surely he would agree that when the United States gives its word, it must stand by it,' Maxwell's attorney, David Oscar Markus, said in a statement. 'We are appealing not only to the Supreme Court but to the president himself to recognize how profoundly unjust it is to scapegoat Ghislaine Maxwell for Epstein's crimes, especially when the government promised she would not be prosecuted.' In her appeal at the Supreme Court, filed in April, Maxwell argues she should have been covered by a non-prosecution agreement Epstein secured as part of his agreement to plead guilty. The New York-based 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against Maxwell, finding that the agreement made with prosecutors in Florida did not bind the authorities in New York. Maxwell's attorney has argued that appeals courts have taken different approaches to the issue of whether a non-prosecution agreement with the United States is nationally binding. The Supreme Court will likely decide this fall whether to grant the case. 'The government's argument, across the board, is essentially an appeal to what it wishes the agreement had said, rather than what it actually says,' Maxwell told the Supreme Court. 'Of course, if wishful thinking were the standard, the whole NPA would have been thrown out long ago.' Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to state prostitution charges and was indicted on federal sex trafficking charges in July 2019 but died by suicide in prison a month later. The Trump administration has been defending the charges and conviction at the Supreme Court, even as the Justice Department has met with Maxwell amid the spiraling controversy over the handling of the Epstein documents. 'Petitioner was not a party to the relevant agreement,' the Justice Department told the Supreme Court in a brief filed on July 14. 'Only Epstein and the Florida USAO were parties.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump Refuses to Answer Key Question About Ghislaine Maxwell
Pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell is an option that's apparently still on the table. Donald Trump refused Monday to shut down speculation that he might legally forgive the convicted associate and longtime girlfriend of child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, telling reporters at his Scottish golf club that no one had formally 'approached' him yet about the controversial idea. 'Would you completely rule out a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell?' asked a reporter. 'Is that something you would ever consider?' 'Well I'm allowed to give her a pardon,' Trump said. 'But nobody's approached me with it, nobody's asked me about it. It's in the news, about that. That aspect of it. But right now it would be inappropriate to talk about it.' Maxwell was sentenced in 2022 for playing an active role in Epstein's crimes, identifying and grooming vulnerable young women while normalizing their abuse at the hands of her millionaire boyfriend. As president, Trump can dole out pardons for anyone convicted of a federal offense. But why he would choose to extend one to Maxwell prods at a more unsettling possibility. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche—Trump's former personal attorney—met with Maxwell late last week, reportedly peeling 100 names from her in a potential pardon quid pro quo. After her second day with Blanche, Maxwell's team laid their cards on the table: They wanted a pardon from the president. The interview followed weeks of mounting pressure on Trump from his base, who have clamored for the release of more documents from the Epstein files after the Justice Department contradicted Attorney General Pam Bondi on the existence of the pedophile's supposed client list. In a last-ditch effort to quell the bubbling discontent and make the forthcoming Maxwell alliance more palatable, conservatives and Trump allies have attempted to make a martyr out of Maxwell, suggesting that the well-documented sex criminal could have been wrongly convicted and was unduly serving the sentence warranted to a deceased Epstein (Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence for aiding in the victimization of hundreds of girls). 'She deserves to be out,' Alan Dershowitz, Epstein's former lawyer, told Newsmax last week. Meanwhile, Americans are increasingly disturbed by Trump's handling of the entire fiasco. A poll published by Emerson College Polling on Friday found that just 16 percent of Americans approved of the way Trump was managing the Epstein scandal, while more than half of polled Americans—51 percent—disapproved. The spin is particularly humiliating for MAGA Republicans, especially those invested in QAnon. After years of their heralding Trump as a supposed messiah, believing that he would dish the dirt on a secretive, international web of sex traffickers, the administration now seems hell-bent on covering up its own ties to Epstein's island and the crimes committed there.
