Latest news with #GhislaneMaxwell
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Judge declines to unseal Epstein grand jury transcripts in Florida
A federal judge in Florida on Wednesday declined the Justice Department's request to unseal grand jury transcripts from a probe into the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. 'The Court's hands are tied — a point that the government concedes,' wrote U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenberg. The Justice Department last week asked Rosenberg to release the documents stemming from federal investigations in Florida in 2005 and 2007, court papers show. The request cited 'extensive public interest' in Epstein's case since the agency made public its determination that Epstein did not have a 'client list' and died by suicide in a New York City prison in 2019 while awaiting trial — findings that have infuriated some of Trump's most fervent supporters. The decision thwarts Trump's efforts to tamp down criticism from his political base for now but does not affect the administration's other pending requests to release grand jury transcripts tied to later federal investigations of Epstein and his accomplice, Ghislane Maxwell, in New York. Rosenberg determined that the government's request to unseal the documents did not amount to any exceptions to the rules that require grand jury material to stay secret. She noted that appellate court precedent bars her from ordering the release of records in instances not covered by the exceptions. 'The Court cannot grant a request for disclosure unless one of the five exceptions…applies,' she wrote. The Justice Department also asked the judge to transfer the case to the Southern District of New York, where its other pending requests are. Rosenberg denied that request, as well, closing the case in which the government's request was made while ordering the creation of a new case to retain the request and her denial. The judges overseeing the Trump administration's bid to unseal other grand jury information in New York set schedules for briefing the matter Tuesday, ordering the government to turn over the sealed grand jury material and make more detailed arguments by July 29. Submissions from Maxwell, Epstein's representatives and victims are due Aug. 5. They promised to rule 'expeditiously' afterward. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has taken the lead so far on the effort. The lawyer representing Maxwell, David Oscar Markus, is a friend. 'Until now, no administration on behalf of the Department had inquired about her willingness to meet with the government,' Blanche said in a statement Tuesday. 'That changes now.' Markus confirmed that talks were underway to see if Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison term for helping Epstein carry out his sex trafficking scheme, would speak with DOJ prosecutors about her knowledge. He said Maxwell would 'always testify truthfully' and expressing gratitude to Trump for his 'commitment to uncovering the truth in this case.' One of the federal judges in New York, U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer, on Wednesday denied Maxwell's request for access to the grand jury transcripts in her case, calling it 'black-letter law' that defendants are typically not allowed to view that material. Epstein's death has long captivated conspiracists, who have for years claimed the government is covering up the truth about the convicted sex-offender's ties to prominent public figures. Updated 3:31 p.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
The Independent
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
‘I never went to that island,' Trump says of Epstein's underage getaway and tells reporters to talk about Bill Clinton
President Donald Trump on Friday angrily demanded that news outlets give their attention years-old allegations about one of his predecessors rather than continue covering his connections to dead pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Trump was addressing reporters as he departed the White House for a visit to Scotland, where he owns a trio of golf courses, when he was asked whether he'd consider a pardon for Epstein's convicted sex trafficker associates, Ghislane Maxwell. Maxwell, who is currently serving a prison sentence in Florida, has been meeting with Todd Blanche, the president's ex-criminal defense attorney who now serves as the Deputy Attorney General, as Blanche has sought to diffuse anger among Trump's supporters over the failure to release documents from Epstein's case by interviewing his associate. After Trump replied that he did not know much about Maxwell's talks with Blanche and stated that he's not currently considering a pardon, he was asked if the convicted criminal — who is alleged to have lied under oath on numerous occasions — could be trusted. He told reporters that he trusts Blanche as a 'professional lawyer' and quickly began ranting about what he believes the press should focus on instead of him and Epstein. 'You know, you should focus on Clinton. You should focus on the president of Harvard, the former president of Harvard. He should focus on some of the hedge fund guys — I'll give you a list,' Trump said. Press further on what he hopes Blanche will get from meeting with Maxwell, Trump again attempted to deflect with talk of former presidents and the same former higher education officials. 'People should really focus on how well the country is doing, or they should focus on the fact that Barack Hussein Obama led a coup. Or they should focus on the fact that Larry Summers from Harvard, that Bill Clinton, who you know very well, and lots of other friends, really close friends, of ... Jeffrey Epstein should be spoken about and they should speak about them, because they don't talk about them. They talk about me. I have nothing to do with the guy,' he said. 'Todd is a great attorney, but you want to be speaking about Larry Summers. You ought to be speaking about some of his friends that are hedge fund guys. They're all over the place. You ought to be speaking about Bill Clinton, who went to the island 28 times. I never went to the island. I don't even know what they're talking about.' The case of Epstein, a former math teacher turned financier who was arrested for alleged sex trafficking by federal authorities in 2019, has been a longtime fixation for many of Trump's Maga supporters who believe they contain damaging information on prominent Democrats and other liberal celebrities. For years, the president's supporters have pushed for release of what they believe was a list of powerful people to whom Epstein is alleged to have trafficked young girls, as well as other information they believe would reflect negatively on members of the Democratic Party, various Hollywood celebrities, and other purported elites who they believe to be part of a sinister cabal controlling world events. Trump has winked and nodded at such beliefs and had indicated during his 2024 campaign that his administration would release the documents in question if he were victorious in last year's presidential election. The president was once closely associated with and spoke highly of the disgraced financier and his proclivity for surrounding himself with young women, while Epstein at one point described himself as Trump's 'best friend,' leading to speculation that the president has been trying to prevent release of the files despite a campaign promise to do so because their content would reflect poorly on him.
Fox News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
'Louder by the hour': Senate GOP wants the Epstein drama to end, but Democrats aren't letting it go
Senate Democrats have begun to ramp up their push for the full release of documents related to the late, convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, while Senate Republicans have tried to focus their attention elsewhere. "The story Republicans hoped would quietly fade is growing louder by the hour," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the Senate floor. Schumer has led the charge among Senate Democrats in demanding more transparency on the Epstein issue, and has used the drama in recent weeks as a political cudgel to go after congressional Republicans and the White House. His remarks come after a recent Wall Street Journal report alleged that President Donald Trump's name appeared in the documents surrounding Epstein, and that he was told by the Justice Department about it before publicly saying he was not among the untold number of names within the documents. Trump also ordered Bondi to "produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony" on the matter, and top Justice Department official Todd Blanche met with Epstein accomplice Ghislane Maxwell in Florida on Thursday to discuss the late pedophile and alleged sex trafficker. "It has the stench of a cover-up," Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told Fox News Digital. "The only right outcome here is to release and disclose all the files. There should be no secret meetings or secret deals." But the Epstein saga has not had near the effect in the Senate as in the House, where House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., sent lawmakers home early this week for a month-long break after some Republicans and Democrats joined forces in their calls to bring the so-called Epstein files out in the open. Senate Republicans, meanwhile, have downplayed the issue, arguing that Congress has far less power to obtain the information than the Justice Department does. Sen. Ron Johnson, who chairs the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, told Fox News Digital that he does not like "duplicating efforts," but noted that he is still curious to know more information about the Epstein documents. "I'm like every American who knows anything about this – I'm curious," the Wisconsin Republican said. "It doesn't make any sense to me, starting back with his original trial and very light sentence. But I think there are far more important things to worry about." Senate Democrats are trying to force the issue, however. Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., again tried to introduce a non-binding resolution that called on Bondi to release all files related to Epstein, and the move was again blocked by Sen. Markwaye Mullin, R-Okla. Gallego said that the White House continues to make the issue "political theater," something that began on the campaign trail. "They fed this monster, and now they have to figure out the solution to what the American public is asking for, which is, you know, resolution and answers to their questions," he said. Mullin, however, introduced his own resolution that comported with the president's order for state and federal courts to release all Epstein documents surrounding the criminal investigation and prosecution against him. But when Gallego offered to combine the two, he objected, and accused him of turning the issue into a "political football." "One, in this particular case — in a lot of cases — we're not willing to stretch the truth to tell something that's not accurate," Mullin said. "We want to be accurate with what we're telling the American people. And the truth is, what can Congress do?" So far, Mullin's resolution is the only action offered by Senate Republicans in the ongoing Epstein saga. When asked if he would be interested in bringing the resolution to the floor for a vote, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said "obviously there is some interest in taking action on it, and we'll see how intense that feeling is." Still, some Republicans don't want to focus their efforts elsewhere. "I hope we don't waste our time on that," said Sen. John Cornyn, R-TX, and a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. "We've got enough to do."
Al Arabiya
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
US Justice Dept. asks Epstein associate Maxwell to speak to prosecutors
The Justice Department has asked Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislane Maxwell if she would be willing to speak with U.S. prosecutors, and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Tuesday he expected to meet with her in the coming days. Developing
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Trump Claims He ‘Never Wrote a Picture in My Life.' He Actually Drew Plenty of Them
On Thursday evening, the Wall Street Journal published a bombshell report on letters allegedly gifted to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday and compiled in a 2003 album by Ghislane Maxwell, also a convicted sex offender. According to the newspaper, among the dozen of letters from Epstein's associates was a note bearing Donald Trump's name outlined by a drawing of a naked woman that also enclosed the text: 'We have certain things in common, Jeffrey.' The president denied that he wrote the letter or drew the picture in an interview with the Journal on Tuesday, threatening to sue the newspaper if it published the story. 'I never wrote a picture in my life. I don't draw pictures of women,' he said, according to the Journal. 'It's not my language. It's not my words.' Despite the president's insistence that's he's never doodled during his 79 years on earth, there is plenty of evidence to the contrary. Take for example, this mediocre sketch of the Manhattan skyline drawn by Trump that raked in $30,000 at an auction. Featuring the Trump Tower at the center, the picture was created by the now-president two decades ago for a charity event. Then there's the marker drawing of the Empire State Building Trump scrawled for another charity auction in 1995, which sold in 2017 for $16,000. Trump, himself, has boasted about his artistic benevolence, and in a 2010 book titled, Trump Never Give Up: How I Turned My Biggest Challenges into Success, he wrote: 'Sometimes being a giver will open you up to new talents. Each year I donate an autographed doodle to the Doodle for Hunger auction at Tavern on the Green. It takes me a few minutes to draw something. … Art may not be my strong point, but the end result is help for people who need it.' According to Journal, the album was part of the documents reviewed by Justice Department officials who investigated Epstein and Maxwell following allegations of sexual abuse. It's unclear if any of the pages of the leather-bound collection are part of the Trump administration's recent examination. News of the alleged letter arrives amid an ongoing MAGA revolt as the president's supporters continue to condemn the Justice Department's memo announcing the administration's belief that Epstein killed himself in prison, and that the department was effectively closing its case. The president's relationship with Epstein has been under renewed scrutiny since. The pair were photographed together many times during the 1990s and early 2000s, were shot on video at a party together, and Trump appeared in flight logs for Epstein's private jet. Trump continued to deny that he signed the letter or scribbled the bawdy drawing on Thursday. 'The Wall Street Journal printed a FAKE letter, supposedly to Epstein,' he ranted on Truth Social. 'These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don't draw pictures.' More from Rolling Stone The White House's Epstein 'Hoax' Explanation Makes Zero Sense Human Rights Defenders Are Fleeing El Salvador as Bukele Cracks Down Democratic Voters Who Skipped 2024 Election Want Candidates Like Bernie, AOC Best of Rolling Stone The Useful Idiots New Guide to the Most Stoned Moments of the 2020 Presidential Campaign Anatomy of a Fake News Scandal The Radical Crusade of Mike Pence
