Ghislaine Maxwell's family hint at using ‘new evidence' in shock bid to FREE her… as MAGA civil war erupts over Epstein
Maxwell, 63, was found guilty in December 2021 of luring young girls to massage rooms for paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein to molest them between 1994 and 2004.
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She was sentenced to 20 years in prison at the federal court in the southern district of New York (SDNY) in June 2022.
Maxwell's family has suggested that "government misconduct" could be used as new evidence to challenge her imprisonment.
The family argue that Maxwell should have been protected under an agreement Epstein entered with the Department of Justice in 2007 - in which they vowed not to prosecute any of his co-conspirators after he "paid fines to victims".
He family has frequently claimed she "did not receive a fair trial".
Although legal appeals against her sex trafficking convictions have been rejected by the courts.
In a statement, the disgraced socialite's family said: "Our sister Ghislaine did not receive a fair trial.
"Her legal team continues to fight her case in the courts and will file its reply in short order to the government's opposition in the US Supreme Court.
"If necessary, in due course they will also file a writ of habeas corpus in the US district court, SDNY.
"This allows her to challenge her imprisonment on the basis of new evidence such as government misconduct that would have likely changed the trial's outcome."
Judges previously dismissed her lawyers' arguments that she "should never have been prosecuted" because of a "weird" agreement drafted more than 15 years ago - concluding that the Florida agreement "does not bind" the United States Attorney's Office for the SDNY.
The US Justice Department has reportedly written to the Supreme Court to ask a judge to further deny Maxwell's appeal against her convictions.
During her three-week trial in 2021, jurors heard prosecutors describe Maxwell as "dangerous", and were told details of how she helped entice vulnerable teenagers to Epstein's various properties for him to sexually abuse.
It comes as The Sun on Sunday exclusively revealed that Maxwell was seeking a pardon from Donald Trump.
Her legal team believes the former socialite has a 'window of momentum' after the Jeffrey Epstein inquiry was brought to an abrupt close in the US.
A source said: "Those close to her believe it's unfair that she alone is paying for Epstein's crimes and call into question much of the evidence against her.
'Now her legal team feel as if they have a rare window of momentum so they are set to take up her case with the President."
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MAGA CIVIL WAR
Trump's MAGA camp has been left divided over a lack of clarity regarding the release of the hyped files in Epstein's sex trafficking investigation.
The US Department of Justice (DoJ) and FBI's decision to close the Epstein inquiry has sparked fury among Trump's base.
DoJ last week announced that Epstein died by suicide - although conspiracy theories are to the contrary.
They added that there was no 'incriminating client list' to be revealed to the public - and no further revelations would be made regarding the case.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi had suggested in February that Epstein's supposed client list was sitting on her desk waiting for review.
Though last week she appeared to suggest she'd been referring generally to the Epstein case file, not a client list.
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Bondi said: "I did an interview on Fox, and it's been getting a lot of attention because I said I was asked a question about the client list, and my response was, it's sitting on my desk to be reviewed.
"Meaning the file, along with the JFK, MLK files as well. That's what I meant by that."
Meanwhile, Trump insisted the much-hyped documents are "pretty boring" amid a slew of conspiracies surrounding the death of Epstein - and his so-called client list.
Many within Trump's MAGA movement allege that the files about the paedophile's crimes have been withheld to protect big names.
Last night, Trump said the DoJ should release all "credible" information from its probe into the notorious sex criminal.
Though he repeated his claim that the so-called Epstein files were "made up" by his Democratic predecessors in the White House - even though he said multiple times during the election campaign that he would "probably" release them.
He told reporters in the White House: "I don't understand why the Jeffrey Epstein case would be of interest to anybody.
"It's pretty boring stuff."
THE 'EPSTEIN FILES'
One key theory centres on a rumoured client list of individuals who committed sex offences alongside Epstein.
The Trump administration has insisted that no such list exists.
Trump was himself dragged into the conspiracy theories after his former advisor Elon Musk claimed in June -- in a now-deleted X post -- that Trump was "in the Epstein files".
His administration's efforts to appease demands for a full disclosure of the files have largely fallen short.
A bundle released in February that promised to shed light on the Epstein case contained little new information.
Sceptics also allege suspicious circumstances in Epstein's death, such as the security cameras around his cell apparently malfunctioning on the night he died, alongside other irregularities.
An almost 11-hour video published this month to dispel theories that Epstein was murdered fell flat.
The camera angle showed a section of the New York prison on the night Epstein died - but appeared to be missing a minute of footage, fueling more speculation online.
Bondi explained that the lost minute in the footage - which occurs at 11.59pm - was due to the prison's outdated system.
The missing minute happens at 11.59pm - with the time switching from 11.58.59pm to midnight.
Bondi said: "There was a minute that was off the counter, and what we learned from the Bureau of Prisons is every night they redo that video… every night should have the same minute missing."
A memo from the Justice Department and FBI last week saying the Epstein files did not contain evidence that would justify further investigation was met by calls for the heads of each agency to resign.
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