Trump in Scotland: Escaping Epstein?
The Epstein files are increasingly consuming the Trump administration, while Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's co-conspirator and accomplice, has met Department of Justice officials and been ordered to appear before a congressional committee.
This, as the Wall Street Journal continues to reveal the alleged extent of Donald Trump's relationship with the convicted sex offender.
Meanwhile, the president is due to arrive in Scotland to honour his mother, play golf, and meet Sir Keir Starmer and Scottish First Minister John Swinney.
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The Independent
19 minutes ago
- The Independent
Mike Johnson says Ghislaine Maxwell coming clean on Epstein case would be ‘a great service to the country'
Speaker Mike Johnson called on Jeffrey Epstein's accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, to come clean and told Americans that he "hoped" she could be trusted as he faces the growing uproar around the White House's handling of the investigation. Johnson appeared Sunday on NBC's Meet the Press, where moderator Kristen Welker asked him point-blank if the convicted sex-trafficker girlfriend of Epstein could be trusted to accurately testify about the crimes she and Epstein committed. Epstein was awaiting prosecution for sex trafficking underage girls after a previous conviction on similar charges when he died in federal custody. Maxwell has been thrust back into the spotlight as the MAGA base has grown frustrated with President Donald Trump and his administration's shutting down of the so-called Epstein files release. Last week, a top Department of Justice official met with Maxwell about the case. "Well, I mean, look; it's a good question. I hope so," Johnson told Welker in response. "I hope that she would want to come clean." "I hope she's telling the truth. She is convicted, she's serving a 20-year sentence for child sex trafficking. Her character is in some if she wants to come clean now, that would be a great service to the country. We want to know every bit of information that she has." The House Oversight Committee voted this week to issue a subpoena for Maxwell after the Justice Department announced its own plans to speak with her. Agency officials did so for nine hours between Thursday and Friday, after making a statement seeming to confirm that her testimony hadn't been aggressively sought before. Some have called Maxwell to testify and suggested she should be given a pardon for sharing what she knows about the Epstein case. She was convicted of sexual abuse against minors and sex trafficking for helping Epstein carry out crimes. Johnson touted the Oversight subpoena favorably Sunday, casting it as evidence that GOP leadership supported efforts aimed at transparency. The Trump administration turned speculation about Epstein's death and the so-called 'Client List' of his co-conspirators into a raging wildfire in early July. The Justice Department and FBI published a joint memo explaining that future releases from the files would not take place, and that the list of Epstein's accomplices was not found. Epstein was rumored to have cultivated personal relationships with many powerful men and institutions. Critics of the president have alleged that a cover-up is in the works regarding the Epstein files. Democrats have hammered the president for his reversal, and a pair of scoops from the Wall Street Journal have reported on the president's connections to Epstein, to Trump's fury. The newspaper reported the contents of a message allegedly penned by Trump to Epstein as part of a 50th birthday celebration in 2003, including allusions to a shared 'secret' between them. Trump firmly denied authoring the note, and sued the Journal and its reporters in response. A second article from the Journal days later reported that Attorney General Pam Bondi informed Trump in May that he was mentioned in the Epstein investigation multiple times, thought it was not clear in what context. The White House called that story 'fake' and has repeatedly insinuated that Democrats including Joe Biden tampered with evidence while Trump was out of office. Being mentioned in the files does not mean wrongdoing, and hundreds of names are reportedly included. The lead GOP co-sponsor behind a House resolution that would force the Justice Department to release the entirety of its collected evidence related to Epstein said Sunday that his push was to help the convicted pedophile's victims and would only grow stronger in the coming weeks. Earlier on the same network, Rep. Thomas Massie appeared alongside the resolution's lead Democratic co-sponsor, Rep. Ro Khanna, as the two promoted a resolution that would force Attorney General Pam Bondi to release 'all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials' related to the Epstein and Maxwell investigations. Massie told Welker that 'the release of the Epstein files is emblematic of what Trump ran for' and explained that the president's MAGA base expected results. 'There seems to be a class of people beyond the law, beyond the judicial all thought that when Trump was elected, he would be the bull in the china shop and break that all up,' said Massie. Massie went on to say that the Trump administration had lost his trust on the issue after publicly supporting transparency around the investigation, then doing an abrupt about-face. The administration is now calling on its supporters to move on from the issue and focus on hashing out issues with the 2016 'Russiagate' investigation instead of Epstein. Top administration officials, including Vice President JD Vance, also spent months calling for the very releases the Justice Department says it won't authorize. 'People who were allegedly working on this weren't sincere in their efforts,' Massie said. 'Somebody should ask Speaker Mike Johnson, why did he recess Congress early so that he didn't have to deal with the Epstein issue?' 'Politics is the art of the doable. There's enough public pressure right now that we can get 218 votes and force this to a vote on the floor,' said Massie. He also firmly rejected a DOJ memo explaining the administration's position against further releases of information from the Epstein files, despite the very public promises of Bondi and others to do the opposite. In the memo, agency officials said that explicit imagery involving children was 'intertwined' throughout the files collected by the Justice Department. Some have said the files should not be released to protect sex-abuse victims of both Maxwell and Epstein. 'That's a straw man [argument],' Massie responded on Sunday, after Welker read part of the memo. 'Ro [Khanna] and I carefully crafted this legislation so that the victims' names would be redacted, and that no child pornography will be released.'
The National
34 minutes ago
- The National
Man arrested for 'carrying a placard calling Trump an offensive word'
The man, aged 20, was arrested at Prestwick Airport, Ayrshire, where Air Force One landed, on Friday evening 'for abusive behaviour and refusing to stop', according to Police Scotland. The man allegedly was carrying a placard which called the US president Trump an 'offensive word', PA have reported. A Police Scotland spokesperson said: 'A 20-year-old man was arrested next to Prestwick Airport on Friday for abusive behaviour and refusing to stop. READ MORE: 'The welcome he deserves': TikToker goes viral praising National's Trump front page 'He was given a recorded police warning.' The force said on Saturday that no arrests had been made, although a 50-year-old woman was issued with a recorded police warning in connection with alleged threatening behaviour at a Stop Trump Scotland protest outside the US consulate in Edinburgh on Saturday. Hundreds of protesters gathered at two demonstrations held in Aberdeen and [[Edinburgh]] against the US president's visit to Scotland. Protesters were seen holding placards and banners against Trump, along with messages of support for Palestinians. Scottish Greens MSP Maggie Chapman spoke at the demonstration in Aberdeen, where she criticised Trump's comments on the genocide in Gaza. 'We say 'no' to the genocide in Palestine, and we say 'no' to any politician who says that their politics has to be built on hate, has to be built on division, and has to be built on enriching the billionaires while the majority of the rest of the world starve', Chapman said. 'Not in our name. Never in our name. That is why we are here today.' Police Scotland is continuing to work on the assumption there will be protests in Ayrshire, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
Man shouting 'Death to Trump' tackled by passengers on EasyJet flight to Glasgow
A 41-year-old man has been arrested after reportedly shouting 'death to America, death to Trump' at Glasgow Airport. Officers boarded the aircraft from London Luton once it landed at around 8.20am this morning – coinciding with the US president's visit to Scotland. In viral footage, a man can be seen shouting 'death to America, death to Trump' before shouting Allāhu Akbar – which is Arabic for God is greatest. He is later tackled by passengers, with one saying to him 'sit down, don't move' as he lies pinned on the easyJet plane's floor. Officers from Police Scotland can be seen escorting a man in handcuffs out of the aircraft. A Police Scotland spokesperson told Glasgow Live: 'We received a report of a man causing a disturbance on a flight arriving in Glasgow around 8.20am on Sunday, 27 July, 2025. 'Officers boarded the plane on its arrival and a 41-year-old man was arrested and remains in custody. Enquiries are continuing. 'At this time we believe the incident was contained and that nobody else was involved. 'We are aware of videos circulating online and these are being assessed by counter terrorism officers.' More Trending An easyJet spokesperson added: 'Flight EZY609 from Luton to Glasgow this morning was met by police on arrival in Glasgow, where they boarded the aircraft and removed a passenger due to their behaviour onboard. 'easyJet's crew are trained to assess all situations and act quickly and appropriately to ensure that the safety of the flight and other customers is not compromised at any time. 'The safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is always easyJet's highest priority.' has contacted Police Scotland and easyJet for comment. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Thief hides 76 bottles of stolen wine in wheelie bin and flees in tuk-tuk MORE: Prince Andrew among 100 people who could be dragged into Epstein scandal MORE: American Airlines jet with 182 people on board goes up in flames forcing evacuation
