US Justice Department asks Epstein associate Maxwell to speak to prosecutors
The decision to request a meeting with Maxwell comes as Attorney General Pam Bondi has faced mounting pressure from President Donald Trump's supporters to release additional materials related to Epstein, who killed himself in a jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.
"President Trump has told us to release all credible evidence," Blanche said in a statement posted on X.
He added that if 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 he has been in touch with Maxwell's attorneys to see if she is willing to speak with prosecutors.
"I anticipate meeting with Ms Maxwell in the coming days," he added.
'I can confirm that we are in discussions with the government and that Ghislaine will always testify truthfully. We are grateful to President Trump for his commitment to uncovering the truth in this case. We have no other comment at this time," said David Oscar Markus, a lawyer for Maxwell.
Some of Trump's most staunch supporters in recent weeks have called on Bondi to resign, after she back-tracked on a promise she made earlier this year that the department would release additional materials including "a lot of names" and "a lot of flight logs" in connection with Epstein's clients.
After releasing only a select number of records that failed to shed new light on the case, the department and the FBI released a joint memo earlier this month that poured cold water on long-running conspiracy theories about Epstein by saying there was "no incriminating client list" or any evidence of blackmail.
Since then, at Trump's direction, Bondi and Blanche have asked a federal court for permission to unseal grand jury transcripts in the cases of both Epstein and Maxwell, who was convicted in 2021 of five federal charges related to her role in Epstein's alleged sexual abuse of underage girls.
However, legal experts including one of Epstein's former attorneys, Alan Dershowitz, have said that those transcripts will not likely contain the types of materials being sought by Trump's supporters.
A judge could also deny the request.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
24 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Trump administration to release over $5 billion school funding that it withheld
Find out what's new on ST website and app. FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks, as he meets with Bahrain's Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa (not pictured), in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 16, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard/File Photo WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump's administration will release more than $5 billion in previously approved funding for K-12 school programs that it froze over three weeks ago under a review, which had led to bipartisan condemnation. KEY QUOTES "(The White House Office of Management and Budget) has completed its review ... and has directed the Department to release all formula funds," Madi Biedermann, deputy assistant secretary for communications at the U.S. Education Department, said in an emailed statement. "The agency will begin dispersing funds to states next week," Biedermann added. Further details on the review and what it found were not shared in the statement. A senior administration official said "guardrails" would be in place for the amount being released, without giving details about them. The release of the more than $5 billion amount was reported earlier by the Washington Post. WHY IT'S IMPORTANT Early in July, the Trump administration said it would not release funding previously appropriated by Congress for schools and that an initial review found signs the money was misused to subsidize what it alleged was "a radical leftwing agenda." Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore SMRT to pay lower fine of $2.4m for EWL disruption; must invest at least $600k to boost reliability Singapore MRT service changes needed to modify 3 East-West Line stations on Changi Airport stretch: LTA Singapore S'pore could have nuclear energy 'within a few years', if it decides on it: UN nuclear watchdog chief Asia 'Nothing like this has happened before': At least 16 dead as Thai-Cambodian conflict enters second day Life 'Do you kill children?': Even before independence, S'pore has always loved its over-the-top campaigns Singapore Lung damage, poor brain development, addiction: What vaping does to the body Singapore Tipsy Collective sues former directors, HR head; alleges $14m lost from misconduct, poor decisions Singapore Kopi, care and conversation: How this 20-year-old helps improve the well-being of the elderly States say $6.8 billion in total was affected by the freeze. Last week, $1.3 billion was released. CONTEXT After the freeze, a coalition of mostly Democratic-led states sued to challenge the move, and 10 Republican U.S. senators wrote to the Republican Trump administration to reverse its decision. Republican U.S. lawmakers welcomed the move on Friday, while Democratic lawmakers said there was no need to disrupt funding in the first place. The frozen money covered funding for education of migrant farm workers and their children; recruitment and training of teachers; English proficiency learning; academic enrichment and after-school and summer programs. The Trump administration has threatened schools and colleges with withholding federal funds over issues like climate initiatives, transgender policies, pro-Palestinian protests against U.S. ally Israel's war in Gaza and diversity, equity and inclusion practices. REUTERS
CNA
41 minutes ago
- CNA
Trump in Scotland as EU-US trade deal nears, von der Leyen to meet president on Sunday
BRUSSELS: The European Union and the United States could finalise a framework trade deal this weekend, EU officials and diplomats said on Friday (Jul 25), as US President Donald Trump arrived in Scotland for bilateral talks and a visit to his golf properties. The deal would likely include a 15 per cent baseline tariff on all EU goods entering the United States and probably a 50 per cent tariff on European steel and aluminium, the officials and diplomats said. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed she would meet Trump on Sunday in Scotland, saying on social media that the pair would discuss 'transatlantic trade relations, and how we can keep them strong' following a 'good call' with the US president. US President Donald Trump on Friday said there was a 50-50 chance or perhaps less that the United States would reach a trade agreement with the European Union, adding that Brussels wanted to "make a deal very badly". 'We are close to an agreement and it is possible we will reach it during the weekend,' one senior EU official said. One of the sources said a weekend deal seemed likely as the "agreement is basically in the hands of Trump now." "We are close to an agreement and it is possible we will reach it during the weekend," one senior EU official said. A source familiar with the negotiations said there was a "good chance" European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen would meet Trump in Scotland over the weekend. The visit comes as Trump faces mounting pressure at home over his administration's handling of documents related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who died in prison in 2019. White House officials reportedly hope the controversy fades while Trump is abroad. European luxury and auto shares, two of the sectors most exposed to US tariffs, rose on Friday, with LVMH and Volkswagen closing up around 4 per cent and 3 per cent respectively. Combining goods, services and investment, the EU and the United States are each other's largest trading partners by far. The American Chamber of Commerce to the EU warned in March that any conflict jeopardised US$9.5 trillion of business in the world's most important commercial relationship. The EU is facing US tariffs on more than 70 per cent of its exports - 50 per cent on steel and aluminium, 25 per cent on cars and car parts and a 10 per cent levy on most other EU goods, which US President Donald Trump has said he would hike to 30 per cent on Aug 1, a level EU officials said would wipe out whole chunks of transatlantic commerce. Further tariffs on copper and pharmaceuticals are looming. The EU has prepared countermeasures that could enter into force on Aug 7 in the event that talks collapse. French car parts supplier OpMobility said it was concerned that the bloc as a whole seemed unable to negotiate better terms than individual countries. 'In the short term, we can probably say that we've avoided the worst, but that does not mean that it's a good deal,' CEO Laurent Favre said on Thursday. 'At the end of the day it shows that the relationship is unbalanced.'
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Trump travels to Scotland for golf and bilateral talks as EU trade deal nears
A police officer watches a golfer tee off on a hole on the Trump Turnberry golf course ahead of the expected arrival of Donald Trump later this week in Turnberry, Scotland, Britain, July 24, 2025. REUTERS/Phil Noble EDINBURGH/LONDON - U.S. President Donald Trump, dogged by questions about his ties to disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, flew to Scotland on Friday for some golf and talks that could yield a trade deal with the European Union. Trump told reporters that he will visit his golf resort in Turnberry on Scotland's west coast, where he will meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday, before the two of them head to his sprawling golf property 200 miles (320 km) away near Aberdeen in the east. As part of the visit, Trump will open a second 18-hole course on the Aberdeen property named in honor of his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, who was born and raised on a Scottish island before emigrating to America. As he left the White House, Trump told reporters that he looked forward to meeting both Starmer and Scottish leader John Swinney, who had publicly backed Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. "We have a lot of things in Scotland. I have a lot of love - my mother was born in Scotland," he said. "The Scottish leader is a good man, so I look forward to meeting him," Trump said. Trump said he and Starmer would discuss the U.S.-British trade deal and perhaps even "improve" it, but gave no details. He said Washington was also working hard on a possible trade deal with the European Union, which he said was very keen to make a deal; European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said later she would meet Trump in Scotland over the weekend. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore SMRT to pay lower fine of $2.4m for EWL disruption; must invest at least $600k to boost reliability Singapore MRT service changes needed to modify 3 East-West Line stations on Changi Airport stretch: LTA Singapore S'pore could have nuclear energy 'within a few years', if it decides on it: UN nuclear watchdog chief Life 'Do you kill children?': Even before independence, S'pore has always loved its over-the-top campaigns Singapore Lung damage, poor brain development, addiction: What vaping does to the body Singapore Career setbacks among challenges raised by those seeking fertility help in S'pore: Survey Singapore Fine for couple whose catering companies owed $432,000 in salaries to 103 employees Singapore Kopi, care and conversation: How this 20-year-old helps improve the well-being of the elderly EU diplomats say a deal could result in a broad 15% tariff on EU goods, mirroring a framework agreement with Japan and half of the 30% Trump is threatening to impose by August 1. At home, Trump faces the biggest domestic political crisis of his second term in office. Allies and opponents alike have criticized his administration's handling of investigative files related to Epstein's criminal charges and the circumstances of his 2019 death in prison. The issue has caused a rare breach with some of Trump's most loyal Make America Great Again supporters, and majorities of Americans and Trump's Republicans say they believe the government is hiding details on the case, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling. White House officials, frustrated by the ongoing focus on the Epstein saga, are hoping the controversy dies down while Trump is abroad, one person familiar with the matter said. DEEPEN TIES The trip, initially billed as a private visit, gives Trump and Starmer a chance to deepen their already warm relationship, with key issues on the agenda to include ending Russia's war in Ukraine, British and U.S. sources said. British officials have been heartened by what they see as a clear shift in Trump's rhetoric on Ukraine and Russia in recent weeks, a British source said. The deteriorating situation in Gaza is also likely to come up. Starmer on Thursday said he would hold an emergency call with France and Germany over what he called the "unspeakable and indefensible" suffering and starvation being reported there, and called on Israel to allow aid to enter the Palestinian enclave. Gaza health authorities say more than 100 people have died from starvation, most of them in recent weeks. Human rights groups have said mass starvation is spreading even as tonnes of food and other supplies sit untouched just outside the territory. Since being elected last year, Starmer has prioritized good relations with Trump, stressing the importance of Britain's defense and security alliance with the U.S. and being careful to avoid openly criticizing Trump's tariff policies. Britain sealed the first tariff-reduction deal with the U.S. in May, which reaffirmed quotas and tariff rates on British automobiles and eliminated tariffs on the UK's aerospace sector, but left steel tariffs in place. Starmer is expected to press for lower steel tariffs, but sources close to the matter said it was unclear if any breakthrough was possible during Trump's visit. Trump has described Scotland as a "very special place" and made a similar trip there in 2016 during his first run for the presidency, but he will not necessarily get a warm welcome. About 70% of Scots have an unfavorable opinion of Trump, while 18% have a favorable opinion, an Ipsos poll in March found. Scottish police are girding for protests on Saturday in both Aberdeen and in Edinburgh, the country's capital. Trump will return to Britain from September 17-19 for a state visit hosted by King Charles. It will make Trump the first world leader in modern times to undertake two state visits to Britain. The late Queen Elizabeth hosted him at Buckingham Palace for a three-day state visit in June 2019. REUTERS
