Latest news with #federalPrison
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump-Epstein latest: DOJ to interview Ghislaine Maxwell as White House bans WSJ from president's travel pool and House speaker blocks votes
The fallout continues over the administration's handling of its investigation into the late accused sex trafficker. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Tuesday that the Department of Justice wants to interview Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's former girlfriend. Maxwell was convicted in 2020 of helping the disgraced financier sexually abuse underage girls and is currently serving a 20-year sentence in federal prison. "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," Blanche said in a statement posted to X, adding that he has reached out to her counsel and anticipates meeting with her "in the coming days." In a statement to the Associated Press, David Oscar Markus, a lawyer for Maxwell, confirmed that they were 'in discussions with the government' and that Maxwell will 'always testify truthfully.' 'We are grateful to President Trump for his commitment to uncovering the truth in this case,' the statement added. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said that he did not know about Blanche's overture to Maxwell, but added that it 'sounds appropriate.' 'I didn't know that they were going to do it,' Trump said. 'I don't really follow that too much. It's sort of a witch hunt, just a continuation of the witch hunt.' The Epstein fallout The announcement comes amid a fierce backlash from some of Trump's supporters over the administration's handling of its investigation into Epstein, who died by suicide in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial. Epstein has long been the focus of conspiracy theories that claim Epstein was murdered to conceal the names of powerful people on a secret 'client list.' Trump said he would consider releasing additional government files on Epstein and directed the Justice Department to conduct an exhaustive review of any evidence collected in its investigation. Earlier this month, the DOJ and FBI released a two-page joint memo, concluding that Epstein 'committed suicide in his cell" and had no such 'client list.' The move enraged some Trump loyalists, who accused the president and his administration of breaking their promise to release all of the Epstein files, and put Trump's relationship with Epstein back in the spotlight. White House bans WSJ from travel pool over Epstein report Late last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump sent Epstein a racy birthday letter in 2003. According to the Journal, Trump's letter, along with dozens of others, was part of a leather-bound book put together by Maxwell for the since-disgraced financier's 50th birthday. 'Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret,' Trump's letter concluded in a typewritten message to Epstein, per the Journal. The text was 'framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appears to be hand-drawn with heavy marker,' the report stated. 'A pair of small arcs denotes the woman's breasts, and the future president's signature is a squiggly 'Donald' below her waist, mimicking pubic hair.' Trump denied the report, calling it 'false, malicious, and defamatory,' and sued the newspaper and its owner, Rupert Murdoch. Also read: What Trump has said about Epstein through the years, from 'terrific guy' to 'creep' that 'nobody cares about' On Monday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that the paper would be excluded from the pool of news organizations covering Trump's upcoming trip to Scotland. 'Thirteen diverse outlets will participate in the press pool to cover the President's trip to Scotland,' Leavitt said in a statement. 'Due to the Wall Street Journal's fake and defamatory conduct, they will not be one of the 13 outlets on board.' The New York Times, a rival newspaper to the Journal, blasted the White House's decision. 'The White House's refusal to let one of the nation's leading news organizations cover the highest office in the country is an attack on core constitutional principles underpinning free speech and free press,' the Times said in a statement. 'Americans regardless of party deserve to know and understand the actions of the president and reporters play a vital role in advancing the public interest. This is simple retribution by a president against a news organization for doing reporting that he doesn't like. House speaker sends members home early, blocking Epstein vote House Speaker Mike Johnson announced Tuesday that he would send House members home early for their August recess, blocking any votes related to the Epstein matter. Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, said that he wants to give the White House 'space' to release more Epstein files on its own. His decision comes despite intense pressure from some members of his own party who are demanding more transparency from the Trump administration on its Epstein investigation. 'We're done being lectured on transparency,' Johnson said at a news conference on Tuesday. Last week, at least 10 House Republicans joined an effort launched by Kentucky GOP Rep. Thomas Massie and California Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna to force a symbolic floor vote on the release of more Epstein files. Congress does not have the authority to compel the Justice Department to release the files, but any vote would amount to a loyalty test among House Republicans regarding the Epstein case. Meanwhile, the House Oversight Committee also voted Tuesday to subpoena Maxwell.
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump-Epstein latest: DOJ to interview Ghislaine Maxwell as White House bans WSJ from president's travel pool and House speaker blocks votes
The fallout continues over the administration's handling of its investigation into the late accused sex trafficker. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Tuesday that the Department of Justice wants to interview Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's former girlfriend. Maxwell was convicted in 2020 of helping the disgraced financier sexually abuse underage girls and is currently serving a 20-year sentence in federal prison. "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," Blanche said in a statement posted to X, adding that he has reached out to her counsel and anticipates meeting with her "in the coming days." In a statement to the Associated Press, David Oscar Markus, a lawyer for Maxwell, confirmed that they were 'in discussions with the government' and that Maxwell will 'always testify truthfully.' 'We are grateful to President Trump for his commitment to uncovering the truth in this case,' the statement added. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said that he did not know about Blanche's overture to Maxwell, but added that it 'sounds appropriate.' 'I didn't know that they were going to do it,' Trump said. 'I don't really follow that too much. It's sort of a witch hunt, just a continuation of the witch hunt.' The Epstein fallout The announcement comes amid a fierce backlash from some of Trump's supporters over the administration's handling of its investigation into Epstein, who died by suicide in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial. Epstein has long been the focus of conspiracy theories that claim Epstein was murdered to conceal the names of powerful people on a secret 'client list.' Trump said he would consider releasing additional government files on Epstein and directed the Justice Department to conduct an exhaustive review of any evidence collected in its investigation. Earlier this month, the DOJ and FBI released a two-page joint memo, concluding that Epstein 'committed suicide in his cell" and had no such 'client list.' The move enraged some Trump loyalists, who accused the president and his administration of breaking their promise to release all of the Epstein files, and put Trump's relationship with Epstein back in the spotlight. White House bans WSJ from travel pool over Epstein report Late last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump sent Epstein a racy birthday letter in 2003. According to the Journal, Trump's letter, along with dozens of others, was part of a leather-bound book put together by Maxwell for the since-disgraced financier's 50th birthday. 'Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret,' Trump's letter concluded in a typewritten message to Epstein, per the Journal. The text was 'framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appears to be hand-drawn with heavy marker,' the report stated. 'A pair of small arcs denotes the woman's breasts, and the future president's signature is a squiggly 'Donald' below her waist, mimicking pubic hair.' Trump denied the report, calling it 'false, malicious, and defamatory,' and sued the newspaper and its owner, Rupert Murdoch. Also read: What Trump has said about Epstein through the years, from 'terrific guy' to 'creep' that 'nobody cares about' On Monday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that the paper would be excluded from the pool of news organizations covering Trump's upcoming trip to Scotland. 'Thirteen diverse outlets will participate in the press pool to cover the President's trip to Scotland,' Leavitt said in a statement. 'Due to the Wall Street Journal's fake and defamatory conduct, they will not be one of the 13 outlets on board.' The New York Times, a rival newspaper to the Journal, blasted the White House's decision. 'The White House's refusal to let one of the nation's leading news organizations cover the highest office in the country is an attack on core constitutional principles underpinning free speech and free press,' the Times said in a statement. 'Americans regardless of party deserve to know and understand the actions of the president and reporters play a vital role in advancing the public interest. This is simple retribution by a president against a news organization for doing reporting that he doesn't like. House speaker sends members home early, blocking Epstein vote House Speaker Mike Johnson announced Tuesday that he would send House members home early for their August recess, blocking any votes related to the Epstein matter. Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, said that he wants to give the White House 'space' to release more Epstein files on its own. His decision comes despite intense pressure from some members of his own party who are demanding more transparency from the Trump administration on its Epstein investigation. 'We're done being lectured on transparency,' Johnson said at a news conference on Tuesday. Last week, at least 10 House Republicans joined an effort launched by Kentucky GOP Rep. Thomas Massie and California Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna to force a symbolic floor vote on the release of more Epstein files. Congress does not have the authority to compel the Justice Department to release the files, but any vote would amount to a loyalty test among House Republicans regarding the Epstein case. Meanwhile, the House Oversight Committee also voted Tuesday to subpoena Maxwell.
New York Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Republicans and Democrats Call for More Information on Epstein Case
Days after the Justice Department asked a federal judge to unseal grand jury testimony related to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, Republicans and Democrats suggested on Sunday that the move was insufficient and called for the release of more information. 'I think it's a good start,' Representative Tim Burchett, Republican of Tennessee, said in an interview on CNN. But he still wanted to see as many files as possible released, he added later. President Trump has been contending with fierce criticism from some of his supporters over his administration's handling of materials related to the sex trafficking investigations of Mr. Epstein and his connections to rich and powerful figures on the left and right. Mr. Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while in federal prison awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. Mr. Trump and many of his allies vowed to release a trove of files in the case, including a so-called 'client list' that many involved in the case insist never existed. But the release of some documents earlier this year offered no new revelations. And the Justice Department said this month that it had closed the case and would not release more documents, concluding that there was no client list. One of Mr. Epstein's former lawyers, Alan Dershowitz, said in an interview on 'Fox News Sunday' that the grand jury testimony was unlikely to contain the information that has most interested Mr. Trump's supporters. Mr. Trump has encouraged his base to move on. But the backlash seemed to be on his mind on Sunday morning, when he accused 'Radical Left Democrats' of exposing the 'Jeffrey Epstein Hoax.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Elon Musk Blows Major Hole in Trump's Epstein ‘Hoax' Theory
Elon Musk went on a posting spree Wednesday afternoon to slam President Donald Trump's claim that the so-called 'Epstein Files' are a lefty-created hoax. The world's richest man, still just months removed from being Trump's 'First Buddy' before their explosive breakup, pointed out that Jeffrey Epstein's right-hand woman, Ghislaine Maxwell, remains in federal prison for sex trafficking on his behalf. 'Wow, amazing that Epstein 'killed himself' and Ghislaine is in federal prison for a hoax,' Musk wrote, blowing a hole in Trump's claim. Musk raged minutes later that 'not a single Epstein client has been prosecuted,' adding, 'Not even one.' Musk, 54, posted about Epstein 13 times in just over an hour on Wednesday afternoon. All of his posts included criticism of Trump or agreed with critiques on the president's handling of his self-inflicted Epstein headache. 'So many powerful people want that list suppressed,' Musk wrote in response to one tweet. That is likely in reference to Epstein's supposed 'client list.' Attorney General Pam Bondi claimed in February that such a list was on her desk, ready for review, but the Trump administration has since stated that no Epstein client list exists. Trump and Musk had a public falling out in early June. Amid nasty shots at each other, Musk accused Trump of suppressing details about the federal investigation into Epstein because he was named in the 'Epstein Files.' 'Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files,' Musk posted at the time. 'That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!' Musk followed up on the post shortly after, writing, 'Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.' The White House slammed Musk's claim as untrue. Musk deleted the allegation days later, and the story appeared to go by the wayside. But pressure on the president returned last week after a leaked DOJ and FBI memo stated that there was no Epstein client list. The White House confirmed the memo was genuine and insisted to his followers that it was time to move on from worrying about the accused sex trafficker. MAGA has refused to let the story go. Some of its biggest names, like Alex Jones, who has called the situation a 'trainwreck,' rebuked Trump over the issue. Some Trump supporters have gone as far as torching their Make America Great Again caps. The fiasco renewed attention on Trump's relationship with Epstein. Audio obtained by the Daily Beast last fall showed that Epstein once referred to Trump as his 'closest friend.' The two men, who both frequented New York and Palm Beach, Florida, were photographed together on a number of occasions in the 1990s and early 2000s. Epstein—and his rumored rich and powerful clients—have been at the center of perhaps the biggest conspiracy of the last decade in the United States. Many of those who are the most infatuated with Epstein's alleged mystery clients are members of MAGA's core. Musk, who has flirted with the idea of launching a new political party backed by his hundreds of billions, has been among the loudest voices refusing to let the White House silence the Epstein story. 'Trump indicated he'd release the Epstein files,' the influencer Kaizen Asiedu posted on Wednesday. 'Trump's team hyped the release. Trump's team fumbled the release. Yet Trump is blaming the Democrats and insulting his supporters for the consequences of his actions.' Musk responded to the post, 'The old: 1. Admit nothing 2. Deny everything 3. Make counterclaims. But it won't work this time.' Solve the daily Crossword
Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Times
Elon Musk mocks Trump over Epstein files — ‘Where is the client list?'
Elon Musk has renewed his war with President Trump by mocking his refusal to release the Jeffrey Epstein files. The tech billionaire alleged during the pair's explosive falling-out in May that Trump was named on the so-called Epstein client list. He later deleted the allegation, but on Wednesday night he criticised the president for suggesting the furore over the files was a 'hoax' perpetrated by his political rivals. 'Wow, amazing that Epstein 'killed himself' and Ghislaine [Maxwell, Epstein's longtime girlfriend convicted of sex trafficking] is in federal prison for a hoax,' he wrote. In more than a dozen posts in an hour to his 222 million X followers, he noted that 'not even one' of Epstein's alleged clients had been prosecuted and said 'so many powerful people want that list suppressed'. Musk resumed in the early hours of Thursday morning by responding to a number of posts questioning the decision to keep part of the evidence secret. 'Yeah, where is it?' he asked of the client list. In response to a photo of one of the binders the White House released to conservative influencers earlier this year, entitled 'The Epstein Files: Phase 1', Musk wrote: 'Where is Phase 2?' He also appeared, in a public exchange with his Grok chatbot, to endorse allegations that Trump flew on Epstein's private plane, nicknamed the Lolita Express. He asked it for details about Epstein's plane logs and to summarise 'who went to Epstein's island and when?' This was a reference to the financier's private resort in the US Virgin Islands, an alleged base for sex trafficking underage girls. • Musk reveals fantasy companion based on Fifty Shades of Grey 'Why was the plane called the Lolita Express? How old was Lolita in Nabokov's book?' he added. 'Research throughly [sic] to find the complete lists of who else was on the plane during Trump's 7 flights?' Epstein was a guest at Mar-a-Lago, Trump's estate in Florida, in the 1990s before the pair fell out in the mid-2000s. Trump once described him as a 'terrific guy'. Epstein died by suicide in his prison cell in 2019 while awaiting trial. In recent days, Trump has struggled to contain the fallout over his administration's decision not to publish all files about his case. Pam Bondi, the attorney-general, released a memo last week that rebuked the two core allegations among Maga loyalists — that Epstein was murdered and that he kept a 'client list' to blackmail celebrities. However, she refused to publish all the documents from the case. It was later claimed that a video released by the justice department, purporting to show no one entering or leaving Epstein's cell at the time of his death, had been doctored. Trump has stood by Bondi and described the controversy as the Democrats' 'new SCAM', but has also encouraged her to release all 'credible' evidence. In a further development sure to alarm conspiracy theorists, the prosecutor who worked on the criminal cases against Epstein and Maxwell was fired from her job in the Manhattan US attorney's office on Wednesday. Maurene Comey, 36, is the daughter of James Comey, the former director of the FBI and one of the people Trump has blamed for spreading the 'hoax' along with Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Democrats are looking to exploit the divisions in the Maga movement over Trump's refusal to release the files by forcing a vote in Congress. Mike Johnson, the Republican speaker of the House, himself called this week for 'transparency' and the release of 'everything' in the files. Ro Khanna, a Democrat from California, has teamed up with Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, to introduce a bill calling for the files' release that has attracted several Republican co-sponsors, including the Maga firebrand Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia. 'People voted for Trump in part because they were so disgusted in the system — they thought that Washington protected the elite, protects the powerful, protects the wealthy. Epstein is a symbol of that,' Khanna told Politico.
