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BBC News
20 hours ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Virginia Giuffre's family asks Trump not to pardon Maxwell
Getty Images The family of one of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's victims has asked US President Donald Trump not to consider pardoning the late financier's accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. "Ghislaine Maxwell is a monster who deserves to rot in prison for the rest of her life," said the family of the late Virginia Giuffre. Their statement also questioned Trump's recent remark that Epstein "stole people that worked for me", including Giuffre, who was once an employee at the president's Florida golf club, Mar-a-Lago. Trump has recently faced questions over his historical friendship with Epstein, including whether he might pardon Maxwell. He has never been accused of any criminal wrongdoing in the matter. The BBC has contacted the White House for comment on the Giuffre family remarks. In a statement, family members Sky and Amanda Roberts and Danny and Lanette Wilson said they were still "reeling" from Giuffre's suicide in April. Trump made his allegation that Epstein had poached his employees during remarks to reporters on board Air Force One on Tuesday. He said one of that group had been Giuffre. Giuffre had said in a 2016 court deposition that she began working at Mar-a-Lago in the summer of 2000, when she was 16. In their statement, her family members said they "would like to clarify" that their sister was "preyed upon" by Maxwell during her time working for Trump. They said this was in 2000, four years before Trump and Epstein reportedly fell out. "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," wrote the family. "It makes us ask if he was aware of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's criminal actions." Giuffre's family also condemned federal prosecutors for recently holding meetings with Maxwell at the Florida jail where she is serving a 20-year sentence. They said Maxwell had already been convicted for lying under oath and "will continue to do so for as long as it affects her position". "A predator who thought only of herself, she destroyed the lives of girls and young women without conscience," Giuffre's family said. "Virginia always said that Ghislaine Maxwell was vicious and could often be more cruel than Epstein." They also said Giuffre's ordeal had continued as she helped prosecutors. "She endured death threats, threats against the lives of her children and family, financial ruin, and her physical and mental well-being were destroyed," they said. They called on Trump to "never consider giving Ghislaine Maxwell any leniency". The statement ended: "She must remain in prison – anything less would go down in history as being one of the highest travesties of justice." Last week, Trump was asked whether he was considering granting clemency to Maxwell. He said he had "not thought" about it. Maxwell is being interviewed by justice department officials as part of an effort by the Trump administration to quell the backlash it has faced over its handling of files relating to Epstein. The former British socialite recently spent two days in talks with the department's second-highest ranking official, Todd Blanche. Maxwell's lawyers have said she is willing to testify to Congress if she is granted immunity from future prosecution. The Trump administration has faced pressure to release files related to Epstein after failing to disclose a rumoured client list of the disgraced financier. In 2006, Epstein was indicted in Florida for solicitation of prostitution and later pleaded guilty to the charges. He was arrested in 2019 over federal charges of sex trafficking, and died by suicide in prison before his trial. The White House has said that Trump banned Epstein from his club because he was a "creep". Other reports say they fell out in 2004 over a Palm Beach oceanfront property when Trump ultimately outbid Epstein for the real estate. Virginia Giuffre, Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein accuser, dies Virginia Giuffre's death leaves unanswered questions Trump says Epstein 'stole' young women from his Mar-a-Lago spa Virginia Giuffre Jeffrey Epstein Donald Trump United States
BBC News
a day ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Giuffre family asks Trump not to pardon Maxwell
The family of one of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's victims has asked US President Donald Trump not to consider pardoning the late financier's accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. "Ghislaine Maxwell is a monster who deserves to rot in prison for the rest of her life," said the family of the late Virginia Giuffre. Their statement also questioned Trump's recent remark that Epstein "stole people that worked for me", including Giuffre, who was once an employee at the president's Florida golf club, has recently faced questions over his historical friendship with Epstein, including whether he might pardon Maxwell. He has never been accused of any criminal wrongdoing in the matter. The BBC has contacted the White House for comment on the Giuffre family a statement, family members Sky and Amanda Roberts and Danny and Lanette Wilson said they were still "reeling" from Giuffre's suicide in made his allegation that Epstein had poached his employees during remarks to reporters on board Air Force One on said one of that group had been Giuffre. Giuffre had said in a 2016 court deposition that she began working at Mar-a-Lago in the summer of 2000, when she was their statement, her family members said they "would like to clarify" that their sister was "preyed upon" by Maxwell during her time working for Trump. They said this was in 2000, four years before Trump and Epstein reportedly fell out."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," wrote the family. "It makes us ask if he was aware of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's criminal actions." Giuffre's family also condemned federal prosecutors for recently holding meetings with Maxwell at the Florida jail where she is serving a 20-year sentence. They said Maxwell had already been convicted for lying under oath and "will continue to do so for as long as it affects her position"."A predator who thought only of herself, she destroyed the lives of girls and young women without conscience," Giuffre's family said."Virginia always said that Ghislaine Maxwell was vicious and could often be more cruel than Epstein."They also said Giuffre's ordeal had continued as she helped prosecutors."She endured death threats, threats against the lives of her children and family, financial ruin, and her physical and mental well-being were destroyed," they called on Trump to "never consider giving Ghislaine Maxwell any leniency".The statement ended: "She must remain in prison – anything less would go down in history as being one of the highest travesties of justice." Last week, Trump was asked whether he was considering granting clemency to Maxwell. He said he had "not thought" about is being interviewed by justice department officials as part of an effort by the Trump administration to quell the backlash it has faced over its handling of files relating to former British socialite recently spent two days in talks with the department's second-highest ranking official, Todd Blanche. Maxwell's lawyers have said she is willing to testify to Congress if she is granted immunity from future Trump administration has faced pressure to release files related to Epstein after failing to disclose a rumoured client list of the disgraced 2006, Epstein was indicted in Florida for solicitation of prostitution and later pleaded guilty to the charges. He was arrested in 2019 over federal charges of sex trafficking, and died by suicide in prison before his trial. The White House has said that Trump banned Epstein from his club because he was a "creep". Other reports say they fell out in 2004 over a Palm Beach oceanfront property when Trump ultimately outbid Epstein for the real estate.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Trump says Epstein ‘stole' Virginia Giuffre from Mar-a-Lago staff role
Donald Trump suggested on Tuesday that Jeffrey Epstein, the late sex offender he socialized with for more than a decade, 'stole' Virginia Giuffre and other young female staffers whom he hired away from the president's Mar-a-Lago country club. Speaking to reporters onboard Air Force One as he returned to Washington from Scotland, Trump was asked to elaborate on his earlier comments about falling out with Epstein because he took employees from his business. The president said on Monday that he had kicked Epstein out of his club 'because he did something that was inappropriate' – specifically, that 'he stole people that worked for me'. Senior White House aides have repeatedly suggested in recent weeks that Trump broke with Epstein in about 2004 and expelled him from the Mar-a-Lago club for inappropriate behavior of a sexual nature. In a statement last week, spokesperson Steven Cheung said Trump 'kicked him out of his club for being a creep'. The president's account of the break being motivated by pique at having his employees poached by his friend cast the break in a different light. On Tuesday, a reporter asked Trump: 'The workers that were taken from you – were some of them young women?' Trump replied: 'The answer is yes, they were. People that worked in the spa.' Another reporter then asked Trump if one of the people he was referring to was Giuffre, one of Epstein's most prominent accusers who said in a lawsuit that she was hired away from the Mar-a-Lago spa by Epstein's accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell in 2000, when she was 16. Giuffre, who died this year, alleged in her complaint that she was first abused by Epstein and Maxwell together, and then 'lent out to other powerful men', including Prince Andrew. 'I think she worked at the spa,' Trump replied. 'I think so. I think that was one of the people, yeah. He stole her. And by the way, she had no complaints about us, as you know. None whatsoever.' The president and his administration are working desperately to change the subject away from Epstein – an issue that has lately roiled his base. But his latest claim that one of those employees was the 16-year-old Giuffre also complicates the timeline. Giuffre was hired away from Mar-a-Lago in 2000, but two years later, Trump spoke highly of Epstein to a reporter. 'I've known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy,' Trump told New York magazine in late 2002. 'He's a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.' Sarah Blaskey, a Miami Herald investigative reporter, also pointed out in her 2020 book on Mar-a-Lago that Epstein remained on the membership rolls of Mar-a-Lago until October 2007, more than a year after he was first arrested and charged with soliciting prostitution from a minor. Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for conspiring with Epstein to sexually traffic minors, has offered to testify before Congress but has asked lawmakers to give her immunity, along with other major conditions, according to a list of demands sent to the House oversight committee by her attorneys, seen by CNN. Lauren Gambino contributed reporting
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
A frustrated Trump gives more details on his relationship with Epstein, as the scandal follows him abroad
Dogged by questions on the Jeffrey Epstein scandal even from Scotland, President Donald Trump again sought to put distance between himself and the sex offender — offering one of his most thorough personal explanations to date on his former relationship with the disgraced financier. While sitting next to a stone-faced British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump told reporters Monday that he never drew a woman in a reported raunchy birthday letter to Epstein, never visited his island, and that he cut ties with him after an 'inappropriate' business dispute. His extensive responses to reporters during the bilateral meeting starkly illustrated how Trump and White House officials have struggled to move on from Epstein, even during an international trip 3,000 miles from Washington. The president has been frustrated by the constant attention given to the Epstein case, multiple Trump administration officials told CNN, complaining about what he feels is a narrative being fueled by Democrats and the media that he engaged in something nefarious. Since his Justice Department released an unsigned memo three weeks ago that says Epstein did kill himself and there's no so-called client list of Epstein's criminal associates, the blowback has been fierce and sustained — including from Trump's MAGA base. White House Communications Director Steven Cheung has repeatedly tried to shut down stories regarding the president's former friendship with Epstein by calling them 'fake news.' One White House official clarified that they strongly dispute the notion that Trump was involved in any wrongdoing — not the fact that the two had a former relationship, nor that Trump's name has appeared in documents related to Epstein. 'What [Cheung] means by a fake story is the entire fake narrative that Trump somehow did something wrong or there is something incriminating about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein,' the official said. Trump himself has dismissed the Epstein drama in multiple public back-and-forths with reporters, or repeatedly called for the Justice Department to release any more 'credible' evidence with no further information. But Monday was a shift — though he began with his characteristically dismissive remarks, he soon offered his most substantive pushback and description of his falling out with Epstein, which happened before Epstein's initial criminal charges. 'For years, I wouldn't talk to Jeffrey Epstein. I wouldn't talk — because he did something that was inappropriate. He hired help, and I said, 'Don't ever do that again.' He stole people that work for me. I said, 'Don't ever do that again.' He did it again, and I threw him out of the place, persona non grata. I threw him out, and that was it. I'm glad I did,' he said. Trump also disavowed a recent Wall Street Journal report about a 2003 birthday letter to Epstein that included Trump's signature and an outline of a naked woman. 'I don't do drawings. I'm not a drawing person. I don't do drawings. Sometimes people would say, 'Would you do a building?' And I'll draw four lines and a little roof, you know, for a charity. But I'm not a drawing person. I don't do drawings of women — that I can tell you. They say there's a drawing of a woman, and I don't do drawings of women,' the president said, his lengthiest response on the matter since the story's publication earlier this month. The letter, according to the Wall Street Journal, included a drawing depicting a woman's breasts and a 'Donald' signature in the place of pubic hair, surrounded by several lines of typewritten text. Trump is suing the publication over the story, arguing the letter is a fake. Additionally, Trump emphasized that he 'never went to the island,' referring to Epstein's private Caribbean island. 'I never had the privilege of going to his island, and I did turn it down. A lot of people in Palm Beach were invited to his island. In one of my very good moments, I turned it down. I didn't want to go to his island,' he said. Trump still expressed disinterest in the topic initially, telling a reporter that it was a 'hoax that's been built up way beyond proportion.' The president repeated his argument that if there was any incriminating or salacious information about his relationship with Epstein, Democrats 'would have released it' by now. Trump and Epstein's relationship dates back to the 1980s and included regular appearances at social events. Attorney General Pam Bondi briefed Trump earlier this year that his name appears in files related to the Epstein case, though it was not clear in what context Trump's name appeared in the files and he has not been accused of wrongdoing. Yet the conspiracy theories once fanned by the president and allies who now lead federal law enforcement agencies have prompted intensifying scrutiny. Back in the US, Vice President JD Vance, who was among those previously calling for transparency around Epstein, also tried to distance the administration from the mounting fallout during a Monday appearance in Canton, Ohio. He praised Trump for his calls to release all 'credible information,' cautioning that 'some of that stuff takes time.' Instead, Vance took aim at former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush, saying their administrations went 'easy on' Epstein. 'If you want to criticize the people who aren't showing full transparency, you ought to go after the administrations that went easy on Jeffrey Epstein, that concealed this case for 20 years, and the administrations that failed to show full transparency,' Vance said. Under Bush, US Attorney Alex Acosta — who later served in Trump's first administration as Labor secretary — reached a non-prosecution agreement with Epstein in 2007, allowing him to avoid federal charges. He only served 13 months in prison for state prostitution charges concerning his sexual involvement with underaged girls. Trump has also tried to turn the focus on Obama, using a report by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard to continuously accuse the former president of treason. Trump and Gabbard claim that the idea that Russia meddled in the 2016 election and that it favored Trump is a narrative pushed by Obama to undermine the now-president. The additional intelligence Gabbard has released does not undercut the assertion that Russia interfered in the election, and Obama's office has called the claims 'ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction.' Meanwhile, White House officials remain exasperated that the focus on Epstein has drawn attention away from issues they deem more important. Three weeks after his administration released the Epstein memo, the president publicly lamented that he has been unable to move on from the subject. 'He's gone. And we want to focus on trade deals. I want to focus on the deal we just made with the European Union, which is the biggest trade deal in history,' he said. CNN's Donald Judd contributed to this report.
CTV News
4 days ago
- CTV News
High-risk sex offender refuses to appear at bail hearing in Guelph
A man known as a high-risk sex offender remains behind bars after he refused to appear in a Guelph court on Monday morning. Medhani Yohans was arrested Friday, less than 24 hours after being released from custody on separate charges. '[A] person that he had a pervious interaction with, about a year prior, called and indicated that he was downtown and was close to that person's workplace and [was] concerned for her safety,' Scott Tracey, a Guelph Police spokesperson, said Monday. 'Officers did investigate and were able to confirm his presence there.' The 36-year-old was charged with four counts of breach of probation, disobeying a court order and criminal harassment. 'Through the use of our new downtown cameras, that were installed about a year ago, officers were able to look back on the camera footage and confirm his attendance at a place that he shouldn't have been,' Tracey explained, adding that it was what led to criminal harassment charge. Yohans has a history of violence, including at least two sexual assaults involving strangers. On July 29, 2024, he was released from police custody in Toronto. Yohans was arrested again, this time by Guelph Police, for breaching his conditions on Aug. 23, 2024. He was released on March 1, 2025. At that time, Guelph Police warned the public he was a high-risk to reoffend. On March 8, 2025, Yohans was rearrested by Guelph Police for breaching conditions. He was released on bail the following day. Guelph Police said Yohans was found sleeping on a bench at the University of Guelph on March 10, 2025. He was, once again, arrested for breaching a court order. Yohans was released on bail on July 24 and, as before, Guelph Police issued a public warning. When he was arrested the next day, a court date was set for July 28. The morning of his bail hearing, Yohans refused to go to court. Ari Goldkind, a criminal defence lawyer not associated with the case, said there are processes in place to deal with these situations. 'If somebody does keep doing that throughout, for example, a preliminary inquiry or trial process, there's various mechanisms in the Criminal Code to, one, force them to come, or two, if forcing them to come isn't going to be done, to do the trial in their absence if you can show that there's a good reason to proceed, and they themselves are the ones causing the problem,' he explained. Goldkind also understands how frustrating it can be when repeat offenders are released from custody. 'We're not even talking about a Canadian citizen,' he said, referring to the fact that Yohans used to live in Africa. 'We're talking about somebody who should think it's a privilege to be here.' Yohans has another bail hearing scheduled Tuesday.
