Pressure mounts for Ghislaine Maxwell to testify to Congress over Epstein files
Calls are growing for caged Ghislaine Maxwell to be released from prison to appear under oath before US Congress about her knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein.
The demands are being made after Donald Trump abruptly ended the federal investigation into the sex offender, with his Department of Justice (DoJ) stating no further charges would be brought. The move has sparked a civil war among the President's MAGA base, with many now turning on the US leader, accusing him of a cover-up.
It has sparked renewed interest in Trump's once-close friendship with Epstein, to which Maxwell was party to. Now, famed US lawyer Alan Dershowitz has publicly demanded that the 63-year-old be freed from prison and compelled to testify on Capitol Hill in a bid to dispel the conspiracy theories that have dogged the White House for years.
The attorney, who has represented both Epstein and Trump, said Maxwell should have her 20-year sentence commuted and reveal everything she knows. Dershowitz has previously quashed claims that his client Epstein ever kept a 'client list' and suggested that the latest tranche of documents due to be unsealed is unlikely to contain any bombshells.
'Ghislaine Maxwell is basically serving the sentence that Epstein would have gotten,' he said. 'She should never be in jail for 20 years. What should happen is that she should be freed. She should have her sentence commuted. She should then be called in front of Congress, have Congress give her total immunity, and then she can tell everything.'
Maxwell has expressed a willingness to testify, according to Dershowitz. A source told the Mirror his demand has sent panic through the White House as the president grows increasingly anxious over the scrutiny now placed on his relationship with the late sex offender.
They said: 'What with everything that is documented about Trump's relationship with Jeffrey, in articles, videos, flight logs and photos, he is now backed into a corner with his base he has never been before. While he tries to tell the world, 'there is nothing to see here', no one else is buying it. Not even his Republicans. For the first time, he has lost control of the narrative, and it's started to damage him badly.'
Since the announcement that no one in Trump's circle is to be prosecuted, the backlash has only intensified. To try to appease the anger, Trump ordered his Attorney General, Pam Bondi, to release more of the Epstein files related to grand jury testimony about the case, pending court approval.
However, many feel the President and Bondi will shift blame to the court if all papers are not released. Scrutiny in the case ramped up on Friday after The Wall Street Journal ran a story claiming the president sent Epstein a 'bawdy' birthday message in 2003.
Maxwell was convicted of aiding Epstein in procuring underage girls for sex in 2022 and is currently serving time in a Florida jail.
She is appealing her conviction on the grounds that a 2007 non-prosecution Epstein made in relation to a solicitation of a minor charge in Florida bars her from being prosecuted in New York.
'She knows everything,' Dershowitz added. "She is the Rosetta Stone. She knows everything. She arranged every single trip with everybody. She knows everything. And if she were just given use immunity, she could be compelled to testify. I'm told that she actually would be willing to testify. And there'd be no reason for her to withhold any information.'
Epstein died by suicide in a New York prison cell while awaiting trial for charges linked to the sex trafficking ring in 2019. Conspiracy theorists have long believed that there was more to his death.
The DoJ released 11 hours of footage in a bid to try and stamp out the rumours for good. But people were quick to point out that parts seemed to be missing and that the view of Epstein's cell was obscured. Expert analysis also found that the clip secured from a camera stationed outside Epstein's cell was 'likely modified' using the professional video editing software Adobe Premiere Pro. The doubt stemmed from the 'raw' released footage's timestamp, which jumps ahead one minute at midnight on August 10.
Epstein died by suicide in a New York prison cell while awaiting trial for charges linked to the sex trafficking ring in 2019.
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