Latest news with #SexTrafficking
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ghislaine Maxwell May Plead the Fifth After Congress Subpoena: Lawyer
Sex trafficker and Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell may invoke her Fifth Amendment right when giving testimony in response to a congressional subpoena. Maxwell's lawyer, David Oscar Markus, told the Daily Beast that it 'remains a big if' as to whether Maxwell will plead the Fifth to prevent self-incrimination. 'If Ms. Maxwell agrees to testify before Congress and not take the 5th—and that remains a big if—she would testify truthfully, as she always has said she would and as she will with Mr. Blanche,' Markus said, ahead of her meeting with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. 'The truth should not be feared or preemptively dismissed. No previous prosecutor from the Southern District of New York or elsewhere has had the courage to meet with Ms. Maxwell and ask her these important questions,' Markus continued. 'So we are grateful to Mr. Blanche and his DOJ that they are approaching this with an open mind. That's how our system is supposed to work. As for the Congressional subpoena, Ms. Maxwell is taking this one step at a time. She looks forward to her meeting with the Department of Justice, and that discussion will help inform how she proceeds.' When asked how it would view Maxwell pleading the Fifth, the White House referred the Daily Beast to the Justice Department, which did not immediately respond. Earlier Wednesday, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer issued the subpoena to Maxwell, which proposes that she be deposed August 11 in the low security women's prison in Florida where she has been serving her 20-year-sentence for sex trafficking and conspiracy to recruit underage girls for sex acts. Maxwell's testimony is significant enough that GOP Rep. Scott Perry has urged 'immediate action' from the Federal Bureau of Prisons to ensure her safety, in light of Epstein's 2019 jail cell death following his arrest for sex trafficking. Looming over Maxwell's testimony as well as her meeting with Blanche is how Trump, who wished Ghislaine 'well' after her 2020 arrest, has the ability to pardon her. This fact has led some commentators to question the veracity of what Maxwell would end up telling Congress, if anything. 'The only reason for Maxwell's criminal defense attorney to talk to Todd Blanche is to get her out of prison,' MSNBC anchor Lawrence O'Donnell said Tuesday on The Last Word. 'Any criminal defense lawyer would be able to tell Ghislaine Maxwell exactly what she has to say to get out of prison.' 'She has to say Donald Trump knew nothing about it, knew nothing about what we were doing to those girls,' O'Donnell continued. 'And it would be very helpful to Donald Trump if Ghislaine Maxwell was also willing to say something incriminating about other prominent people who knew Jeffrey Epstein, like maybe Bill Clinton.' The president, meanwhile, has been trying to distract his base by tapping into culture war topics like the football team once known as the Washington Redskins and by launching attacks on his political opponents. But bombshell reports on his relationship with Epstein have made the socialites' interconnected pasts hard to ignore.
The Guardian
16-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Trump tries to move on amid Epstein files backlash as speaker calls for their release
Update: Date: 2025-07-16T09:56:12.000Z Title: US House speaker Mike Johnson calls for release of Epstein files amid backlash Content: Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of US politics as the furore over the Epstein files continues to grip the country with the unusual public spectacle of normally-loyal House speaker Mike Johnson breaking with Donald Trump with his calls to make the files public. It was a rare moment of friction between Trump and the speaker, a top ally on Capitol Hill, and came as the president faces growing backlash from conservatives who had expected him to make public everything known about Epstein, who killed himself in 2019 while in federal custody as he faced sex-trafficking charges. Read the full story here: The president has continued with his efforts to move from the issue, last night attempting to both downplay it and deflect it on to his opponents. 'I don't understand why the Jeffrey Epstein case would be of interest to anybody,' Trump told reporters Tuesday. He also said there were credibility issues with the documents, suggesting without citing evidence they were 'made up' by former FBI director James Comey and former presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Stay with us for all today's developments. In other news: Vice-president JD Vance on Wednesday will head to the swing political turf of northeastern Pennsylvania to begin selling president Donald Trump's sweeping budget-and-policy package in a working-class district that could see a ferocious congressional campaign next year. Adelita Grijalva won the Democratic House primary in Arizona to succeed her father, beating a young social media activist in a closely watched election seen as a test of the party's generational divide. Asked by a reporter if that would be grounds for getting rid of Fed chairman Jerome Powell, Trump answered affirmatively. 'I think it sort of is, because if you look at his testimony ... he's not talking about the problem,' Trump said. 'It's a big problem.' Trump has repeatedly demanded that Powell cut the short-term interest rate that the central bank controls, in part because the president believes it will lower the government's borrowing costs. The Trump administration decided to withdraw half of the 4,000 national guard troops it dispatched to Los Angeles chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell confirmed to the Guardian. A flight carrying immigrants deported from the US has landed in Eswatini, the homeland security department announced, in a move that follows the supreme court lifting limits on deporting migrants to third countries. In a rambling set of remarks at an AI and energy investment summit, Trump veered wildly off-topic to praise two partisan, conservative reporters in attendance and made false claims about China having just one wind farm and about his uncle having once taught Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber. Mike Waltz, who was ousted as national security adviser after mistakenly adding a journalist to a group chat on Signal about strikes on Yemen, had his confirmation hearing to become UN ambassador. The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, asked Israel to 'aggressively' investigate the murder of a Palestinian American citizen who was beaten to death by Israeli settlers in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Daily Mail
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Kim Porter's best friend has jaw-dropping reaction to Diddy verdict
Kim Porter's best friend broke her silence on the Diddy trial to support the mogul after he was acquitted of sex-trafficking and racketeering. Eboni Elektra issued a message on her Instagram account on Wednesday after the world learned that Diddy would be spared from life in prison. 'PRAISE GOD,' Elektra wrote alongside a photo of Diddy's face, as reported by Page Six. 'OPINIONS ….we are all entitled to them. MISTAKES… we all make them. JUDGING… we all do it. GOSSIP …. we are all guilty of it.' Elektra added: 'GOD'S WILL… is higher than any opinion , mistake, judgement, or gossip... If this is God's will for Puff / diddy , than that's His will. In the end, what we think does not compare to His will. 'WHO ARE WE TO JUDGE??? That's God's job. It's all in His hands. U never know. #isallintheword #readyourbible … my opinion.' Elektra's words sparked massive backlash in the comment section, prompting Elektra to deactivate comments on the post - but not before many expressed their rage about her message. 'Out of all people I would have never thought you would make a post like this. Just know Kim is rolling over in her grave!' read one comment. Elektra's words sparked massive backlash in the comment section, prompting Elektra to deactivate comments on the post Diddy, next to his lawyers Teny Geragos and Marc Agnifilo, reacts on Wednesday after learning he will not be released on bail as he awaits bail on lesser prostitution offenses 'This isn't even about Kim, he beat and used women for prostitution and you're talking about "praise Jesus?" What's wrong with you?' said another. Not all comments were negative, however, with many, including T.I's wife Tiny, supporting Elektra's sentiment. 'Yeah!!! ppl wanna charge u so bad for being freaky!' Tiny wrote. Prominent restaurateur Lorenzo Wyche, on his part, called out Elektra for staying silent during the trial. 'Where was that energy last 9 months... nobody he knows personally stood up publicly for this man,' Wyche wrote. Porter, who died in 2019 from pneumonia, shared four children with Diddy during their long-term relationship. Diddy dropped to his knees and prayed in the courtroom after he was acquitted Wednesday of sex trafficking and racketeering charges that could have put one of hip-hop's celebrated figures behind bars for life. His lead attorney Marc Agnifilo called the verdict a 'great victory' and said the jury 'got the situation right — or certainly right enough' as he stood outside Manhattan federal court at a stand of microphones. 'Today is a victory of all victories.' The mixed verdict capped a sordid legal odyssey that shattered Diddy's affable 'Puff Daddy' image and derailed his career as a Grammy-winning artist and music executive, fashion entrepreneur, brand ambassador and reality TV star. 'I'll see you when I get out,' Combs told family members including his mother and children just before leaving the courtroom to return to jail. 'We're going to get through this.' Diddy stands convicted of two counts of a crime — transportation to engage in prostitution — that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. But jurors cleared him of three charges, two of which carried a mandatory 15 years and a maximum of life. He was convicted of flying people around the country, including his girlfriends and male sex workers, to engage in sexual encounters, a felony violation of the federal Mann Act. His defense lawyers said that under federal sentencing guidelines, he would likely face about two years in prison. Prosecutors, citing Diddy's violence and other factors, said the guidelines would call for at least four to five years. Locked up since his September arrest, Diddy has already served nine months. 'We fight on and we're going to win,' Agnifilo said. 'And we're not going to stop until he walks out of prison a free man to his family.'
New York Times
03-07-2025
- New York Times
What's Next for Sean Combs?
The federal trial of Sean Combs ended on Wednesday with the music mogul acquitted of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking, the most serious charges he had faced, but convicted on two counts of transporting prostitutes to participate in drug-fueled sex marathons. Though Mr. Combs and his lawyers were jubilant after the acquittals on the more severe charges, he still awaits sentencing at a date that is not yet scheduled. Here is what is next for Mr. Combs: Before 11 a.m. on Wednesday morning, a jubilant Mr. Combs and his family were clapping and cheering his legal team after what they considered a victory in court. But a question remained: Would Judge Arun Subramanian grant him bail to go free as he waited for his sentencing hearing? The defense proposed a $1 million bond, co-signed by Mr. Combs, his mother, his sister and Sarah Chapman, the mother of his oldest daughter, Chance. His passport would be surrendered, and his travel would be restricted to the judicial districts around New York, Los Angeles and Miami. He would also agree to drug testing. 'Today, the jury unambiguously rejected the government's allegations that Mr. Combs ran a yearslong criminal enterprise or engaged in sex trafficking — the core of the government's case,' the defense wrote. In a letter filed by the government, prosecutors argued that Mr. Combs should remain in detention in part because during the trial 'the defendant embraced the fact that he was a habitual drug user who regularly engaged in domestic abuse.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Reuters
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Reuters
Ye makes surprise appearance at Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial
NEW YORK, June 13 (Reuters) - Ye made a surprise appearance at Sean "Diddy" Combs' criminal trial on Friday, expressing support for his fellow rapper as he defends against sex trafficking charges. Dressed all in white, Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, arrived at the Manhattan federal courthouse in a Maybach, and entered through a public entrance. Ye nodded when asked by a reporter whether he was there to support Combs. He left the courthouse about 35 minutes later. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges, and if convicted could face life in prison. He has been held in a Brooklyn jail since his September arrest. Ye has also faced controversy for antisemitic and pro-Nazi remarks, prompting businesses such as Adidas ( opens new tab to sever ties. He appeared shortly after a Homeland Security special agent completed testimony about firearms and other items that law enforcement found in a March 2024 raid of Combs' Los Angeles home. Jonathan Perez, a former personal assistant to Combs, testified after the agent. During a trial break, outside the jury's presence, prosecutor Maurene Comey renewed her complaint about Combs' "nodding emphatically" at times about testimony he agreed with, on concern his gestures might influence jurors. Combs allegedly made similar gestures during testimony last week. Brian Steel, one of Combs' lawyers, denied that his client's in-court conduct was improper. U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, who oversees the trial, said he would try to watch for inappropriate gestures, but that it was normal to react to testimony and "impossible to police" everyone. Prosecutors are expected to continue their case next week, after which Combs' legal team can begin his defense.
