Latest news with #federal prison
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Ghislaine Maxwell to make 'mafia-like' deal with Trump amid fallout over Epstein files
The Trump administration has orchestrated a high-stakes jailhouse sit down with convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell amid the ongoing fallout over their handling of the Epstein files. A top Justice Department official confirmed he will personally meet with Maxwell as she serves her 20-year sentence at a federal prison in Florida for helping Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse underage girls. The 'mafia-style' negotiation could mean a reprieve for Maxwell as Trump looks to put an end to the torrent of speculation surrounding his history with the billionaire pedophile. 'She's going to make a deal,' attorney and Epstein associate Alan Dershowitz told The New York Post. 'That's the way things are done. They make deals with the mafia, so I'm certain they are going to try to make a deal with her.' The onetime Epstein lawyer called Maxwell the 'Rosetta stone' of the Epstein saga, hinting that more secrets could be revealed. 'She knows everything - not just about the perpetrators but the victims,' he said. 'And she knows about the victims who became perpetrators.' Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed on Tuesday that negotiations were already underway with Maxwell's attorneys. 'If Ghislaine Maxwell has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say,' Blanche said. 'I have communicated with counsel for Ms. Maxwell to determine whether she would be willing to speak with prosecutors from the Department. I anticipate meeting with Ms. Maxwell in the coming days.' The meeting could mark the first time federal prosecutors hear Maxwell's full version of events, after years of silence and failed appeals. 'Ghislaine will always testify truthfully,' Maxwell's lawyer, David Oscar Markus, said. 'We are grateful to President Trump for his commitment to uncovering the truth in this case.' It remains to be seen, however, whether the Justice Department will ask Maxwell to testify and whether new evidence will yield any prosecutions. MAGA supporters have been demanding that Trump be more transparent about the Epstein files after he campaigned on making all the information public. Legal experts, including Dershowitz, have cast doubt on the usefulness of grand jury transcripts, urging the DOJ instead to release FBI interview notes from Epstein's victims. Court filings previously revealed that some of Epstein's more than 1,000 identified victims were groomed to recruit others - a chilling tactic that created a web of silence and complicity that prosecutors have struggled to untangle since Epstein's death in 2019. Maxwell's reemergence comes at a critical moment. Earlier this year, the Justice Department and FBI raided Epstein's former properties, collecting what they described as 'voluminous materials.' But just weeks later, they released a joint memo dismissing long-running conspiracy theories, stating there was 'no incriminating client list' and no evidence of blackmail. That walk-back sparked outrage among Trump's base, especially after Attorney General Pam Bondi had previously promised to release 'a lot of names' and 'a lot of flight logs.' MAGA supporters were particularly enraged that no new material was produced in the Epstein files review and that Trump's DOJ found no existence of a so-called 'client list' of high profile co-conspirators. The president even started calling the whole ordeal the 'Epstein hoax' and claimed Democrats were to blame for stoking conspiracies in an effort to divide Republicans. Now, under pressure, the administration reversed course. 'President Trump has told us to release all credible evidence,' Blanche wrote on social media, before asking a federal court to unseal grand jury transcripts from both Epstein's and Maxwell's cases. The judges in charge - Richard Berman and Paul Engelmayer - have ordered the DOJ to submit its arguments by July 29, and have given Maxwell, a representative of Epstein's estate, and the victims until August 5 to file their responses. Speaking from the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump said he supports the outreach. 'I think it would be something - sounds appropriate to do, yeah,' he told reporters. The president has called parts of the Epstein scandal a 'hoax,' and has publicly criticized his own supporters who have become fixated on the idea of a government cover-up. But he has also told Bondi and Blanche to pursue all legitimate evidence. Just last week, the DOJ opposed Maxwell's request to have the Supreme Court review her case, with her lawyers claiming she should have never been charged because of a 2008 plea deal the courts struck with Epstein. But Maxwell's team has now hinted she may be ready to cooperate now that most of her appeals have failed. Maxwell's journey from international socialite to inmate has been as dramatic as it is disturbing. Once a fixture of British high society and New York elite circles, she rubbed shoulders with royalty, billionaires, and political power players. After her father, media tycoon Robert Maxwell, died in 1991 under suspicious circumstances, Ghislaine found herself under the wing of Epstein - eventually becoming his confidante, girlfriend, and accomplice. In court, four women testified that Maxwell groomed them as teenagers for Epstein and, at times, participated in the abuse herself. She was convicted in 2021 on charges of sex trafficking, conspiracy, and transporting a minor for illegal sexual activity. She did not testify at her trial, but gave two depositions in earlier civil cases, in which she denied wrongdoing and accused Epstein's most vocal accusers of fabricating stories. Her brother, Ian Maxwell, who has publicly defended her since her 2020 arrest, claimed this week that the infamous 'client list' is a myth. 'I don't think it constitutes a list of alleged people to whom young minor girls were trafficked,' he told Piers Morgan Uncensored. 'Ghislaine's position has been: she doesn't believe such a list existed.' Ian also warned of the danger Maxwell faces behind bars. 'Prisons are very dangerous places,' he said. 'We know from Ghislaine that there are serious staff shortages and more dangerous higher-risk-category prisoners now being admitted.' Maxwell's legal team has long argued that she should never have been prosecuted, citing the 2007 non-prosecution agreement Epstein signed in Florida, which extended immunity to his co-conspirators. But federal prosecutors in New York successfully argued that the deal did not apply outside Florida, and moved forward with the case that ultimately led to her conviction.
The Guardian
17-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Trump officials tour Alcatraz in bid to reopen prison amid outcry from California leaders
A delegation of US officials toured Alcatraz on Thursday as part of Donald Trump's pledge to reopen the shuttered federal prison and tourist attraction in the San Francisco Bay, amid an outcry from California leaders who have called the plan 'lunacy'. Doug Burgum, the interior secretary, who visited the island prison with attorney general Pam Bondi, said the federal government was beginning 'the work to renovate and reopen the site to house the most dangerous criminals and illegals'. The president's proposal to reopen Alcatraz, which closed in 1963 due to steep operating costs and is now a National Park Service museum with 1.4 million visitors a year, has attracted fierce criticism from local leaders, California Democrats and the state governor. 'With stiff competition, the planned announcement to reopen Alcatraz as a federal penitentiary is the Trump administration's stupidest initiative yet,' said Nancy Pelosi, the former House Speaker and San Francisco congresswoman, ahead of the delegation's visit. She described it as a 'diversionary tactic' from the recently passed budget and 'lunacy'. 'It remains to be seen how this administration could possibly afford to spend billions to convert and maintain Alcatraz as a prison when they are already adding trillions of dollars to the national debt with their sinful law.' In May, Trump said his administration would reopen and expand Alcatraz to 'house America's most ruthless and violent offenders'. This week, as the administration continued to deal with the outcry over the decision not to release additional files related to Jeffrey Epstein, Bondi and Burgum traveled to the site. 'Alcatraz is the brand known around the world for being effective at housing people that are in incarceration, so this is something we're here to take a look at,' Burgum told Fox News on Thursday. 'It's a federal property – its original use was a prison. So part of this would be to test the feasibility of returning it back to its original use.' But reopening the prison would be an enormous logistical and financial undertaking. The facility, known for its brutal conditions and escape attempts, closed because its operating costs were three times more than any other federal prison due to its physical isolation – and million of dollars were needed for restoration. While in operation, nearly 1m gallons of water were transported to the island each week, according to the Bureau of Prisons. The site later became a symbol of Indigenous resistance when Indigenous American activists began a 19-month occupation of Alcatraz in 1969, and opened to the public for tours in 1973. Officials have said it is in no condition to serve as a detention center. 'There is no realistic plan for Alcatraz to host anyone other than visitors,' Daniel Lurie, San Francisco's mayor, said on Thursday. 'If the federal government has billions of dollars to spend in San Francisco, we could use that funding to keep our streets safe and clean and help our economy recover.' In response to news of tour, Gavin Newsom's press office said: 'Pam Bondi will reopen Alcatraz the same day Trump lets her release the Epstein files. So … never.'
The Guardian
17-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Trump officials tour Alcatraz in bid to reopen prison amid outcry from California leaders
A delegation of US officials toured Alcatraz on Thursday as part of Donald Trump's pledge to reopen the shuttered federal prison and tourist attraction in the San Francisco Bay, amid an outcry from California leaders who have called the plan 'lunacy'. Doug Burgum, the interior secretary, who visited the island prison with attorney general Pam Bondi, said the federal government was beginning 'the work to renovate and reopen the site to house the most dangerous criminals and illegals'. The president's proposal to reopen Alcatraz, which closed in 1963 due to steep operating costs and is now a National Park Service museum with 1.4 million visitors a year, has attracted fierce criticism from local leaders, California Democrats and the state governor. 'With stiff competition, the planned announcement to reopen Alcatraz as a federal penitentiary is the Trump administration's stupidest initiative yet,' said Nancy Pelosi, the former House Speaker and San Francisco congresswoman, ahead of the delegation's visit. She described it as a 'diversionary tactic' from the recently passed budget and 'lunacy'. 'It remains to be seen how this administration could possibly afford to spend billions to convert and maintain Alcatraz as a prison when they are already adding trillions of dollars to the national debt with their sinful law.' In May, Trump said his administration would reopen and expand Alcatraz to 'house America's most ruthless and violent offenders'. This week, as the administration continued to deal with the outcry over the decision not to release additional files related to Jeffrey Epstein, Bondi and Burgum traveled to the site. 'Alcatraz is the brand known around the world for being effective at housing people that are in incarceration, so this is something we're here to take a look at,' Burgum told Fox News on Thursday. 'It's a federal property – its original use was a prison. So part of this would be to test the feasibility of returning it back to its original use.' But reopening the prison would be an enormous logistical and financial undertaking. The facility, known for its brutal conditions and escape attempts, closed because its operating costs were three times more than any other federal prison due to its physical isolation – and million of dollars were needed for restoration. While in operation, nearly 1m gallons of water were transported to the island each week, according to the Bureau of Prisons. The site later became a symbol of Indigenous resistance when Indigenous American activists began a 19-month occupation of Alcatraz in 1969, and opened to the public for tours in 1973. Officials have said it is in no condition to serve as a detention center. 'There is no realistic plan for Alcatraz to host anyone other than visitors,' Daniel Lurie, San Francisco's mayor, said on Thursday. 'If the federal government has billions of dollars to spend in San Francisco, we could use that funding to keep our streets safe and clean and help our economy recover.' In response to news of tour, Gavin Newsom's press office said: 'Pam Bondi will reopen Alcatraz the same day Trump lets her release the Epstein files. So … never.'
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- 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.
Washington Post
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
The Epstein files: What's Trump's best move?
You're reading the Prompt 2025 newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox. 'What's going on with my 'boys' and, in some cases, 'gals?'' a frustrated President Donald Trump groused on Truth Social over the weekend. The cause of his frustration: A revolt among typically allied commentators over his administration's handling of the case around billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, who died in federal prison in 2019 awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. For years, MAGA circles had hyped the existence of a client list that would implicate a web of Epstein's powerful friends, while also calling into question whether Epstein's death had been a suicide. Instead, the FBI and Justice Department announced that no such list existed and that Epstein had indeed killed himself. Now, top members of Trump's administration, including Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino, are being berated in right-leaning media circles for either not releasing more information or overhyping what had existed. How does the president get out of this mess? I discussed the question with my colleagues James Hohmann and Megan McArdle. — Philip Bump, columnist 💬 💬 💬 Philip Bump Which do you think is true: That there were never any secret files about the disgraced financier in the first place or that the administration is now trying to keep them under wraps? Or neither? James Hohmann Whatever or whoever is actually in the files aside, there's a pending cert petition in front of the Supreme Court on this case. No responsible U.S. attorney would release info that could upend Ghislaine Maxwell's conviction. Trump's team painted themselves into this corner though, so I don't exactly feel sympathy for the dog that caught the car. I hope the files get released — whatever exists. Philip Right — but the administration didn't say 'we can't release the files because of SCOTUS.' Megan McArdle I suspect that the files got to Bondi's desk and turned out to be … well, boring is not the right word. But not the exciting conspiracy she had imagined. There's a sort of a Catch-22 here: Releasing files that do not validate the conspiracy would simply convince people they were in on the conspiracy. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement Philip So why was it that this issue caused so much frustration within Trump's base? Why not any of the other issues where Trump's promises didn't match his actions? James It's hard to overstate how big a deal this was in MAGA world. It's such an unforced error that they handed out the binders and Bondi teased more to come. There's a lot of the agitation to oust Bondi, who MAGA alleges is motivated by other agendas. Megan I think because it plays so deeply into what the base feels: that the powerful collude to exclude and gaslight them. Philip I think that's right — my column Monday looked at how Trump suddenly finds himself inescapably stuck on the 'powerful' side. Now, onto the supporting cast: What do you all think is the over/under on Bondi, Patel and Bongino staying with the administration for another year? Megan Under for two out of three, but I'm not sure which two out of three. James Trump literally stood by Bondi at the FIFA game in New Jersey on Sunday. She's doing everything to preserve her job, including a fresh purge of career employees who worked on Jan. 6 cases. And Trump expended too much political capital to get Patel confirmed to ditch him in less than a year. Bongino has a job that's not Senate confirmable — easier to see him going. Megan Fair points, James. I just think any job in a Trump administration is highly contingent on his changing whims. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement Philip So what's Trump's play here? James I've heard that Trump, separate from Epstein, has been frustrated that Bondi hasn't been more aggressive in pursuing Trump's enemies. Obviously, that will feel wild to people who know Bondi has done quite a lot in that vein. Perhaps this prompts the attorney general to do more on the retribution front. I bet Patel and Bongino try to take on a lower profile coming out of this, at least for a little while. Megan I also think that's the play, but I'm not sure the audience will let this go. The Epstein conspiracy has a lot of legs in part because it does look pretty conspiratorial. A wealthy man whose funds are somewhat mysterious in origin, a secret island, a mysterious suicide — and now Wired has reported that the 'raw' surveillance footage of his cell appears to have been edited. ('Their foot slipped,' perhaps?) Philip Releasing the video without explaining the missing minute on the front end was a pretty astonishing own-goal. So, if you're top House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries, what do you do? James Jeffries (New York) will play the role an opposition party is supposed to play in our system. Democrats such as Rep. Jamie Raskin (Maryland) are already turning GOP talking points from the past few years against them. A lot of prominent conservatives have commented on social media that all the truth should come out; Democrats are gleefully recirculating them. And it shouldn't be partisan: Both parties should want to expose anyone affiliated with Epstein's horrific crimes. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement Philip Now it's time to play our favorite Trump Era game: Does This Matter™? James Doubtful. Charlie Kirk quickly fell in line after the president called him, following comments he made at a Turning Point event about Bondi. And, to Megan's point, any job in Trumpworld is contingent. Alex Acosta lost his job as labor secretary in 2019 amid furor over Epstein. Philip Although, in 2019, Trump was also thinking about an upcoming election. And for at least some of 2019, Epstein was still alive! Megan In the short term, no, it doesn't matter. But I wonder whether this isn't a bit like vaccine skepticism. Trump thought he was steering the wave of resistance to covid lockdowns. But when he tried to convince MAGA to take the vaccine that was the single best achievement of his presidency, it turned out he was only surfing the wave, not controlling it. Over time, that resistance to vaccines mattered more and more — which is why we now have an anti-vaccine quack running the Department of Health and Human Services. James It's naive, but the Trumpworld people who claimed they had a 'list' that never existed really should own up to that. But doing so risks prolonging the story for them another few cycles. Philip Well, we'll get the truth once Bongino returns to his podcast and resumes tellin' it like it is.
