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The Prince Andrew / Jeffrey Epstein / Ghislaine Maxwell Thread

Ghislaine Maxwell has lost a bid to overturn her sex trafficking conviction, paving the way for her to be sentenced to decades in prison.

Lawyers for the British socialite had asked a judge to reject the verdict on multiple grounds, including insufficient evidence.

Maxwell was convicted in December of recruiting teenage girls for US financier Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse from 1994 to 2004.

In a written ruling, New York District Judge Alison Nathan said the jury's guilty verdicts were "readily supported" by extensive witness testimony and documentary evidence at the trial.

However the judge said she will only sentence 60-year-old Maxwell on three of the five counts she was convicted on.

The judge said three of the charges effectively covered the same offence so upheld only one of those three guilty verdicts.

It reduces Maxwell's possible maximum sentence by 10 years to 55 years behind bars, according to Reuters.

Judge Nathan wrote: "This legal conclusion in no way calls into question the factual findings made by the jury.

"Rather, it underscores that the jury unanimously found - three times over -that the defendant is guilty of conspiring with Epstein to entice, transport, and traffic underage girls for sexual abuse."

Maxwell - the daughter of late newspaper tycoon Robert Maxwell - is due to be sentenced on 28 June.

Earlier this month, the judge refused to throw out Maxwell's conviction after a juror disclosed during deliberations that he had been sexually abused as a child.

The juror had not revealed that fact during pre-trial screening in response to questions about prior sex abuse posed in a written questionnaire.

The juror said he "skimmed way too fast" through the questionnaire and did not intentionally give the wrong answer.

In her ruling, Judge Nathan said the juror's failure to disclose his prior sexual abuse during the selection process was highly unfortunate but not deliberate.

The judge also concluded the juror "harboured no bias toward the defendant and could serve as a fair and impartial juror".

Maxwell, who was arrested in July 2020, has remained in prison throughout her legal challenges.

Epstein, a convicted sex offender, was 66 when he took his own life in a jail cell in August 2019 as he awaited a sex trafficking trial.

SKY
 
Prince Andrew has tested positive for COVID, Buckingham Palace has said.

The Duke of York will be unable to attend the thanksgiving service at St Paul's Cathedral on Friday to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.
 
MenInG said:
Prince Andrew has tested positive for COVID, Buckingham Palace has said.

The Duke of York will be unable to attend the thanksgiving service at St Paul's Cathedral on Friday to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.
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How convenient

Clearly proves how reliable Buckingham Palace is as a source
 
MenInG said:
Prince Andrew has tested positive for COVID, Buckingham Palace has said.

The Duke of York will be unable to attend the thanksgiving service at St Paul's Cathedral on Friday to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.
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:))) How convenient!

Andrew, Harry, and Megan, should be banned from the palace balcony for life!

They have brought shame on her Majesty!
 
Ghislaine Maxwell should serve at least 30 years in prison for her role in the sexual abuse of teenage girls, US prosecutors have said ahead of a sentencing hearing.

In new court filings, the British socialite's conduct was described as "shockingly predatory" - and her crimes were branded "monstrous".

SKY
 
<b>The Telegraph

Maxwell deserves to be 'in a cage forever', says Virginia Giuffre ahead of sentencing</b>

Ghislaine Maxwell deserves to be "in a cage forever," abuse survivor Virginia Giuffre has said ahead of the British socialite's sentencing.

Maxwell, a former girlfriend of sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein, used her "femininity to betray us" like she was "a wolf in sheep's clothing", Ms Giuffre said.

The 60-year-old was convicted in December of sex trafficking and other crimes after a month-long trial that featured evidence from four women who said they were abused in their teens.

Ms Giuffre was not included in the trial but has become one of the highest-profile accusers of Epstein after settling a sexual assault case against the Duke of York, who denies her claims.

In a victim impact statement submitted to a Manhattan federal court ahead of Maxwell's sentencing on Tuesday, Ms Giuffre said the woman should spend the rest of her life "trapped in a cage".

"I want to be clear about one thing: Without question, Jeffrey Epstein was a terrible paedophile. But I never would have met Jeffrey Epstein if not for you. For me, and for so many others, you opened the door to hell. And then, Ghislaine, like a wolf in sheep's clothing, you used your femininity to betray us, and you led us all through it," Ms Giuffre wrote in the documents obtained by the PA news agency.

She added: "I worry every single day and night that you will get away with it and evade being punished. I will worry about that until you are brought to justice. And what should that justice look like? Ghislaine, you deserve to spend the rest of your life in a jail cell. You deserve to be trapped in a cage forever, just like you trapped your victims."

Maxwell victim Annie Farmer in her impact statement called on the sentencing judge to take into account the "ongoing suffering of the many women (Maxwell) abused and exploited as we will continue to live with the memories of the ways she harmed us".

Ms Farmer also said: "I ask you to bear in mind how Maxwell's unwillingness to acknowledge her crimes, her lack of remorse, and her repeated lies about her victims created the need for many of us to engage in a long fight for justice that has felt like a black hole sucking in our precious time, energy, and wellbeing for much too long now. These things cannot be replaced."

Prosecutors have argued that Maxwell should serve between 30 and 55 years in prison, reflecting the sentencing guidelines.

Defence lawyers said in a sentencing submission she should spend no more than five years in prison and should not pay for Epstein's crimes, since he was the mastermind and principal abuser and "orchestrated the crimes for his personal gratification".

Prosecutors have urged the judge to reject Maxwell's pleas for leniency on the grounds that she has suffered in extraordinary ways in jail while awaiting trial and afterward.

Defence lawyers said she has faced death threats and harsh conditions that have caused her to lose hair and weight.

Maxwell's appearance at trial proved those claims were wrong, prosecutors said, adding: "The defendant is perfectly healthy, with a full head of hair."

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/entertain...sedgntp&cvid=bfc94311d2744fb395d37c539d18c8e7
 
NEW YORK, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Ghislaine Maxwell was found guilty by a U.S. jury on Wednesday of helping the late financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls, sealing a remarkable fall from grace for the British socialite.

Maxwell, 60, was accused of recruiting and grooming four teenagers between 1994 and 2004 for Epstein, her former boyfriend, who killed himself in 2019 in a Manhattan jail cell while awaiting trial on sex abuse charges of his own.

She was convicted on five of six counts, including one count of sex trafficking. Lawyers for Maxwell, who faces up to 65 years in prison, vowed to appeal.

Maxwell's trial was widely seen as the reckoning Epstein never had and one of the highest-profile cases in the wake of the #MeToo movement, which encouraged women to speak out about sexual abuse by famous and powerful people.

During the month-long trial, jurors heard emotional and explicit testimony from four women who portrayed Maxwell as central to their abuse by Epstein. Three of the four said Maxwell herself touched their bare breasts or took part in the encounters, which often began as massages.

Maxwell's attorneys sought to undermine the women's credibility, arguing that they were motivated by money to implicate Maxwell since all four had received million-dollar awards from a compensation fund for Epstein's victims.

But the women disputed those characterizations, saying they decided to testify out of a desire for justice, not money.

"Money will not ever fix what that woman has done to me," testified one woman, known by her first name Carolyn, who said Maxwell once touched her bare breasts and buttocks as she prepared to massage Epstein when she was 14 in 2002.

Carolyn's case was at the heart of the sex trafficking charge because she said Maxwell would sometimes hand her hundreds of dollars in cash after she gave Epstein erotic massages. Epstein would masturbate during the encounters in his Palm Beach, Florida estate, Carolyn testified.

The jury deliberated for five full days before reaching the verdict.

After the verdict was read, Maxwell, wearing a burgundy turtleneck, poured herself a glass of water. Defense attorney Jeffrey Pagliuca patted her upper back. An expressionless Maxwell looked briefly at two of her siblings seated in the front row as she left the courtroom.

Annie Farmer, one of the women who testified against Maxwell, said: "I am so relieved and grateful that the jury recognized the pattern of predatory behavior that Maxwell engaged in for years and found her guilty of these crimes."

Maxwell's lawyer, Bobbi Sternheim, told reporters the defense was disappointed with the verdict.

"We have already started working on the appeal, and we are confident that she will be vindicated," Sternheim said outside of the courthouse.

Maxwell will return to Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC), where she has been held in isolation since July 2020. Maxwell has voiced concerns about her treatment at the jail, asserting that guards have disrupted her sleep at night and that the stench of raw sewage has permeated her cell.

Sternheim asked U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan after the verdict was read to ensure that Maxwell received her booster vaccine against COVID-19. Nathan said the shot was available at MDC, and that she would look into it.

'ROAD TO JUSTICE'

The conditions at MDC are a far cry from the opulence that Maxwell, a daughter of late British press baron Robert Maxwell, had been accustomed to most of her life.

Her father founded a publishing house and owned tabloids including the Daily Mirror. He was found dead off his yacht near the Canary Islands in 1991.

Ghislaine Maxwell dated Epstein for several years in the 1990s, when the pair attended high society parties and traveled on luxurious private jets.

During the trial, prosecutors showed jurors bank records indicating Epstein paid Maxwell millions of dollars over the years. They said Maxwell was motivated to do whatever it took to keep Epstein happy in order to maintain her luxurious lifestyle.

Maxwell's attorneys argued prosecutors were scapegoating her because Epstein was no longer alive.

"Epstein's death left a gaping hole in the pursuit of justice for many of these women," Sternheim said. "She's filling that hole, and filling that empty chair."

But prosecutors countered by describing Maxwell as Epstein's "partner in crime."

"Ghislaine Maxwell made her own choices. She committed crimes hand in hand with Jeffrey Epstein. She was a grown woman who knew exactly what she was doing," Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison Moe said.

Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, applauded the verdict in a statement that said Maxwell was convicted of "one of the worst crimes imaginable."

"The road to justice has been far too long," his statement said. "But, today, justice has been done. I want to commend the bravery of the girls – now grown women – who stepped out of the shadows and into the courtroom."

Epstein's arrest and suicide drew attention to Maxwell's role in his abuses, and to the financier's relationships with prominent figures like former U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, Britain's Prince Andrew and billionaire investor Leon Black.

None has been charged with crimes related to Epstein.

The prince, a former friend of Epstein, is defending against a civil lawsuit in Manhattan claiming he sexually abused Virginia Giuffre, another of Epstein's accusers. Andrew has denied her claims.

'THAT DID NOT FEEL NORMAL'

During the trial, prosecutors displayed for the jury a green massage table that was seized from Epstein's Florida estate in 2005, backing up the women's descriptions of the massages.

The one charge Maxwell was acquitted on - enticing an underage girl to travel for the purpose of illegal sexual activity - carried a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

That charge pertained to a woman known by the pseudonym Jane, who testified that she was 14 when Epstein first abused her in 1994.

Jane said she often traveled to Epstein's homes in New Mexico and New York, where some of the abuse took place, and that Maxwell sometimes helped coordinate her travel.

Maxwell at times took part in her sexual encounters with Epstein and acted as if it was normal, Jane testified.

"It made me feel confused because that did not feel normal to me," Jane said. "I'd never seen anything like this or felt anything like this."

Despite the not-guilty verdict on that count, the jury appeared to find other aspects of Jane's story credible. They convicted Maxwell of transporting a minor to travel for illegal sex acts, another count that pertained solely to Jane.

Moe said during her closing argument that Maxwell's presence made young girls feel comfortable with Epstein. Otherwise, receiving an invitation to spend time with a middle-aged man would have seemed "creepy" and "set off alarm bells," Moe said.

"Epstein could not have done this alone," she said.
 
That is a lengthy sentence.

She may well die in jail.
 
James said:
That is a lengthy sentence.

She may well die in jail.
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As Steinbeck wrote - “There is a failure here that topples all our success”.

Two-thirds of a life gone, and any good she ever did, any use she ever was, any value she ever added to life is obliterated by being a procurer of young girls for a group of rich perverts.

What possessed her? She was born rich, she had the education, all the advantages. Could have done anything, been anyone.

Now she will spend the last third of her life in jail, never to be released, last chance to do some good in life lost.
 
Maxwell’s 20 year sentence isn’t the story, the black book containing the peado client list is the story.

We have already had one name, Andrew Windsor.
 
20 years is a low sentence for grooming girls on a huge scale over so many years.

Maxwell will spend 3 years in US jail before completing the rest of her sentence in the UK. She will be out in 10 years.

US prosecutors may open a criminal case against Prince Andrew now, as he was a close associate of Maxwell. If Andrew ever gets to trail, it will be box office viewing!
 
KingKhanWC said:
20 years is a low sentence for grooming girls on a huge scale over so many years.

Maxwell will spend 3 years in US jail before completing the rest of her sentence in the UK. She will be out in 10 years.

US prosecutors may open a criminal case against Prince Andrew now, as he was a close associate of Maxwell. If Andrew ever gets to trail, it will be box office viewing!
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Andrew Peado Prince was guilty as charged, had to borrow millions from ami jaan (mummy) to bail him out.

Andrew will never face trial, the entire thing was a setup, Virginia Giuffre pursued a civil case when she should have testified in the criminal case of Maxwell, where she would have testified and implicated Andrew.

Virginia Giuffre was a key witness and she was never called at Maxwell's trial?

It all stinks of a setup.
 
Technics 1210 said:
Andrew Peado Prince was guilty as charged, had to borrow millions from ami jaan (mummy) to bail him out.

Andrew will never face trial, the entire thing was a setup, Virginia Giuffre pursued a civil case when she should have testified in the criminal case of Maxwell, where she would have testified and implicated Andrew.

Virginia Giuffre was a key witness and she was never called at Maxwell's trial?

It all stinks of a setup.
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Yes unlikely but Andrew lied so badly, the case would be pretty easy for any prosecutor to at least demand an interview. Andrews claim of visiting a pizza joint in Woking wasn't noted on the manifest of the Royals security, where each travel must be recorded.

I doubt Maxwell release the names in the black book, she must be fearing for her life so perhaps made it clear to those at risk she will stay hush.
 
KingKhanWC said:
Yes unlikely but Andrew lied so badly, the case would be pretty easy for any prosecutor to at least demand an interview. Andrews claim of visiting a pizza joint in Woking wasn't noted on the manifest of the Royals security, where each travel must be recorded.

I doubt Maxwell release the names in the black book, she must be fearing for her life so perhaps made it clear to those at risk she will stay hush.
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Why should Maxwell fear for her life when the chances are she will die in prison? Oh wait, she may pull an Epstein, suicide, but conveniently CCTVs will top working, log books will remain empty, and guards will be at the vending machine.

I am convinced Epstein and Maxwell are Mossad agents.
 
Technics 1210 said:
Why should Maxwell fear for her life when the chances are she will die in prison? Oh wait, she may pull an Epstein, suicide, but conveniently CCTVs will top working, log books will remain empty, and guards will be at the vending machine.

I am convinced Epstein and Maxwell are Mossad agents.
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Yes they both were but this will never make MSM. Maxwell knows too much but also realises her life will be over if she attempts to spill the beans.

The worlds biggest and most notorious paedophile gang allegedly includes leaders , elites of the west inc ex presidents, PMs.
 
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Reminds me, did they ever recover Epstein's black book?

The contacts included celebrities such as Mick Jagger, Simon Le Bon, the late Sir David Frost, Richard Branson, Naomi Campbell, Tamara Beckwith, Jonathan Dimbleby, Loyd Grossman and numerous lords and ladies.

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair is recorded once, while his former cabinet minister Lord Peter Mandelson has 10 numbers, including one marked “direct line” one for “home” and another for “country home”.

There are 16 numbers for Prince Andrew, including a mobile number, one marked “Palace ex-directory”, one for Balmoral, the Queen’s Scottish residence, where the Prince invited Epstein, and one marked “Sand”, for Sandringham, another royal retreat where he spent time.

Epstein also recorded 18 numbers for Prince Andrew’s former wife Sarah Ferguson, who took £15,000 off the paedophile to help pay off her debts.
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https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/jeffrey-epstein-300-brits-named-18921388

I wouldnt be surprised if Tony Blair is involved , evil evil man.
 
Ghislaine Maxwell has officially appealed against her conviction and sentence in the United States for sex trafficking.

The 60-year-old was found guilty of luring young girls to massage rooms for disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein to molest between 1994 and 2004.

She was sentenced to 20 years in prison at the federal court in the Southern District of New York last month.

Despite apologising to her victims during her sentencing hearing, court documents show Maxwell has now paid $505 (£420) to appeal against both her conviction and sentence.

During the three-week trial she was described as "dangerous", and jurors were told details of how she helped entice vulnerable teenagers to Epstein's various properties for him to sexually abuse.

Maxwell's lawyers had indicated they would be appealing against the conviction after it emerged one of the jurors in her trial had failed to disclose he had been sexually abused.

Her counsel previously said juror Scotty David's actions "demonstrated a lack of reliability and an appetite for publicity" when the socialite applied for a retrial.

Judge Alison Nathan dismissed this.

And in submissions before her sentencing hearing, Maxwell's lawyers said she should face no more than four to five years in prison.

But the judge said she "repeatedly, and over the course of many years participated in a horrific scheme to traffic young girls, some the age of 14".

Judge Nathan added: "The defendant's conduct... was heinous and predatory.

"Ms Maxwell worked with Epstein to select young victims who were vulnerable and played a pivotal role in facilitating sexual abuse."

Maxwell has been in prison since July 2020, despite numerous attempts to have her released on bail.

Epstein was found dead in his cell at a federal jail in Manhattan in August 2019 while he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges.

The death was ruled a suicide.

SKY
 
<b>Man charged over heckling of Prince Andrew as he followed coffin</b>

A 22-year-old man has been charged in connection with a breach of the peace after the Duke of York was heckled as he walked behind the Queen's coffin.

Footage showed a man shouting at Prince Andrew as he followed the coffin up Edinburgh's Royal Mile, at about 14:50 on Monday.

The man was pulled out of the queue by two bystanders and was later arrested and charged.

He was released and will appear in court at a later date.

A Police Scotland spokesman said: "He was released on an undertaking to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court at a later date and a report will be sent to the procurator fiscal."

No other arrests have been made in relation to the incident. Officers would not confirm if any inquiries into the incident were ongoing.

BBC
 
James said:
<b>Man charged over heckling of Prince Andrew as he followed coffin</b>

A 22-year-old man has been charged in connection with a breach of the peace after the Duke of York was heckled as he walked behind the Queen's coffin.

Footage showed a man shouting at Prince Andrew as he followed the coffin up Edinburgh's Royal Mile, at about 14:50 on Monday.

The man was pulled out of the queue by two bystanders and was later arrested and charged.

He was released and will appear in court at a later date.

A Police Scotland spokesman said: "He was released on an undertaking to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court at a later date and a report will be sent to the procurator fiscal."

No other arrests have been made in relation to the incident. Officers would not confirm if any inquiries into the incident were ongoing.

BBC
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Wow!

I am no fan of Prince Andrew but this action was shocking. People need to respect funerals.
 
James said:
<b>Man charged over heckling of Prince Andrew as he followed coffin</b>

A 22-year-old man has been charged in connection with a breach of the peace after the Duke of York was heckled as he walked behind the Queen's coffin.

Footage showed a man shouting at Prince Andrew as he followed the coffin up Edinburgh's Royal Mile, at about 14:50 on Monday.

The man was pulled out of the queue by two bystanders and was later arrested and charged.

He was released and will appear in court at a later date.

A Police Scotland spokesman said: "He was released on an undertaking to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court at a later date and a report will be sent to the procurator fiscal."

No other arrests have been made in relation to the incident. Officers would not confirm if any inquiries into the incident were ongoing.

BBC
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Andrew is a disgusting individual but he has just lost his mother. There is a time place for everything.
 
Andrew has been humiliated.

He was stripped of his titles, barring one. Stripped off his Military titles, his royal duties, his charities, you name.

So much so he was forbidden from wearing a military uniform while he and his sibling were Walking behind the Queen's hearse.

Take a look at this picture.

BBC News - Queen Elizabeth II's children in poignant reunion walk.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-62866248

Once the funeral is over he will disappear, his brother Charles, the King, has ensured this.
 
Maxwell’s comments, published in the Mail on Sunday in her first lengthy interview since her December conviction on sex trafficking charges, will heap fresh embarrassment on the Duke of York, who has sought to distance himself from the disgraced socialite.

“I feel so bad for him,” said Maxwell, who has known the Duke since she was a student at Oxford University in the 1980s.

“Yes, I follow what is happening to him. He is paying such a price for the association (with Jeffrey Epstein). I consider him a dear friend... I care about him,” the 60-year-old said in an interview with Israeli-American documentary filmmaker Daphne Barak, who met Maxwell in the 1990s.

The interview, which took place in Tallahassee FCI, an all-female prison in Florida’s capital, was first published in the Mail on Sunday and is set to be broadcast on Monday on ITV.

Questioned on the denial by the Duke's lawyers in court filings that they were close friends, Maxwell, 60, said: “I accept that this friendship could not survive my conviction.”

Prince Andrew, 62, was stripped of his military titles and royal patronages as he fought allegations that he abused Virginia Roberts Giuffre, one of Epstein’s victims, as a teenager.

He has repeatedly and vehemently denied the claims. He settled out of court with Mrs Giuffre for an undisclosed sum, but made no admission of guilt.

Prince Andrew declined to comment on Sunday night.

Maxwell’s conviction in a New York federal court on five charges last December – including one of sex-trafficking of a minor – is the subject of an appeal, a process which could take years.

Maxwell described life in a cell measuring 10ft by 8ft that is too small for her and her three cellmates to all stand up in.

“It’s very far from a cushy country club,” she said.

She lamented the menu on offer for vegetarians, saying she was fed the same meal for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

She revealed she has just got a job working in the Tallahassee jail’s law library and education centre.
 
Two women who accused Jeffrey Epstein of sexual abuse have filed lawsuits against JP Morgan Chase and Deutsche Bank.

They accuse the banks of ignoring "red flags" about their client and benefiting from the late financier's alleged sex-trafficking operations.

The disgraced financier took his own life in a prison cell while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.

Both lawsuits were filed in New York on Thursday as class action cases.

They were brought by lawyers who have represented dozens of the deceased billionaire's accusers.

The women, who are also seeking financial damages, are not named in the filings, which were first reported by the Wall Street Journal newspaper and have been seen by the BBC.

According to claims in the lawsuit filed against JP Morgan Chase, one woman, described as a former ballet dancer, was abused by Epstein and his associates between 2006 and 2013.

It alleges that JP Morgan knew that its accounts were being used for trafficking because of the identity of the individuals withdrawing large sums of cash, as well as "Epstein's well-documented criminal history".

JP Morgan Chase declined to comment when contacted by BBC News.

In a separate lawsuit against Deutsche Bank, another woman claims she was trafficked for sex by Epstein for 15 years, starting in 2003 when she first moved to New York.

It claims that in some instances Epstein would pay the woman directly in cash for sex acts.

The lawsuit suggests that the wealthy Epstein turned to Deutsche Bank when ties were severed with JP Morgan around 2013.

It also refers to previous findings by New York banking regulators about Deutsche Bank's business with Epstein.

They concluded that "although the bank properly classified Epstein as high-risk, [it] failed to scrutinise the activity in the accounts for the kinds of activity that were obviously implicated by Epstein's past".

Deutsche Bank previously admitted that it made a "critical mistake" when taking on Epstein as a client.

But a spokesman for the investment bank said on Thursday: "We believe this claim lacks merit and will present our arguments in court."

One of the lawyers, Bradley Edwards, said in a written statement: "Epstein and his co-conspirators could not have victimised without assistance from wealthy individuals and financial institutions. We will not stop fighting for the survivors until everyone is held responsible. This is a big step but not the end.

He added: "The time has come for the real enablers to be held responsible, especially his wealthy friends and the financial institutions that played an integral role."

BBC
 
US Virgin Islands fires attorney general in Epstein cases

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands has fired the attorney general of the U.S. territory who pursued various cases against disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, including a lengthy legal fight that resulted in a $105 million settlement.

The removal of Denise George comes just days after she filed a lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase in New York and accused the company of helping Epstein finance the illegal exploitation of women and children in the U.S. Virgin Islands and beyond.

Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. did not provide a reason for relieving George of her duties in a statement Sunday, saying only that she would be replaced by Assistant Attorney General Carol Thomas-Jacobs.
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https://apnews.com/article/us-virgi...ngs-business-7558ab3f600238b3534751848128ca3c

Biden took an unofficial visit to Virgin Islands, then she is sacked.

Why are the west and their leaders hell bent on hiding anything to do with the biggest peado ring in modern history?
 
sweep_shot said:
Good question.

Jimmy Savile was also being shielded. Something definitely feels fishy. There seems to be a cabal.

Epstein's island also "caught fire" just at the right time.
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Surely the US courts should take this on. The companies in the lawsuit are huge, they have serious leverage and control on the economies.

This is very serious.

The complaint says the territory's Department of Justice investigation "revealed that JP Morgan knowingly, negligently, and unlawfully provided and pulled the levers through which recruiters and victims were paid and was indispensable to the operation and concealment of the Epstein trafficking enterprise."
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https://www.npr.org/2022/12/30/1146221454/epstein-jpmorgan-virgin-islands-lawsuit
 
Prince Andrew's walk with Jeffrey Epstein recreated for Netflix drama

Prince Andrew's famous New York walk with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein has been recreated for an upcoming Netflix drama about the scandal.

Actor Rufus Sewell, 55, who will play the Duke of York, has been seen filming the scene with an actor resembling the late disgraced financier.

The new film, titled 'Scoop', will focus on the bombshell BBC Newsnight interview with Prince Andrew and news anchor Emily Maitlis, who will be played by The Crown actress Gillian Anderson.

During the explosive 2019 interview, Prince Andrew spoke for the first time about allegations made against himself and about his friendship with Epstein.
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https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/prince-andrews-walk-jeffrey-epstein-29609126

Should be a good watch. Lets hope these mostly white privileged grooming gangs are wiped out.
 
Deutsche Bank has agreed to pay $75m (£60m) to settle a lawsuit that claimed the lender had enabled Jeffrey Epstein's alleged sex trafficking ring.

The case was filed by an unnamed woman who alleged that the banking giant continued to do business with Epstein, despite knowing that his accounts were used to facilitate the abuses.

She also claimed that she was abused by Epstein and trafficked to his friends.

Deutsche Bank declined to comment on the case when approached by the BBC.

The woman, who is listed anonymously as "Jane Doe" in court papers, filed the class-action lawsuit in New York last November on behalf of herself and other women who had allegedly been abused by the late American financier.

She said Deutsche Bank "chose profit over following the law" as it knew it would "earn millions of dollars from facilitating Epstein's sex trafficking".

The woman also alleged that she was sexually abused by Epstein and trafficked to his friends for around 15 years, while receiving cash payments for her sexual acts.

The settlement is expected to be used to pay compensation to dozens of women.

Edwards Pottinger, one of the law firms representing the unnamed woman, told the BBC that the outcome was "likely the largest sex-trafficking settlement involving a banking institution in US history."

"The settlement will allow dozens of survivors of Jeffrey Epstein to finally attempt to restore their faith in our system knowing that all individuals and entities who facilitated Epstein's sex-trafficking operation will finally be held accountable," the firm added.

BBC
 
Billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein tried to contact a disgraced US gymnastics team doctor while in prison, newly-released documents show.

Epstein's letter to Larry Nassar was found returned to sender in the jail's mail room weeks after he took his own life in August 2019.

Epstein was in a Manhattan jail awaiting trial for sex trafficking before he died.

Meannwhile, Nassar will spend the rest of his life in prison after he admitted sexually abusing girls when they sought injuries at Twistars, a gymnastics club in Michigan.

There is no suggestion their crimes were linked.

SKY
 
Jeffrey Epstein’s elite circle was huge. Who paid for his $580m fortune?

It has long been known that the disgraced sex offender Jeffrey Epstein operated at the center of a globe-spanning network of the rich, famous and powerful but the documents released Wednesday were nonetheless shocking in revealing the sheer magnitude of his elite circle.

Through the prism of a defamation lawsuit involving allegations against the Wall Street “estate planner” Epstein and British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, the scale of their social network came into harsh focus.

The 2024-page document released by the US judge Loretta Preska has been sought since 2016. It may be only the first to flesh out the extraordinary web Epstein and Maxwell spun as they hosted party after party at homes across the globe and as they created a horrifying sex-trafficking network that preyed on teen girls.

The names littered throughout the depositions and legal correspondence that came up in the lawsuit – filed by Prince Andrew accuser Victoria Giuffre in 2015 – range from former US president Bill Clinton, whom one Epstein victim claimed she was told by Epstein “likes them young”, to Britain’s Prince Andrew, singer Michael Jackson, French hairdresser Frédéric Fekkai, “model scout” Jean-Luc Brunel, magician David Copperfield and acclaimed physicist Stephen Hawking.

While many men so far named in the documents are not accused of any sexual misconduct, any social approximation to Epstein, who killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking conspiracy charges, or to Maxwell, currently serving 20 years in federal prison after being convicted on similar charges in 2021, is potentially a reputational black hole.

One May 2016 document includes detail of testimony already taken by Johanna Sjoberg, who had been recruited on a college campus at the age of 21 to work as a massage therapist and has said she was forced to perform sex acts on Epstein. It was Sjoberg who made the comment that Epstein “said one time that Clinton likes them young, referring to girls”.

Clinton has staunchly denied any wrongdoing or knowledge of Epstein’s crimes.

The documents with the unredacted names of about 150 people have begun to be made public after a long legal fight. After Maxwell’s criminal conviction, she lifted her objection to the release of files from Giuffre’s defamation suit against her, setting in motion Wednesday’s document dump, which had been eagerly awaited by media and the general public across the world.

A lawsuit by the Miami Herald, which broke the first stories on Epstein’s trafficking of underage girls in Florida, then forced the release of the sealed court documents.

In an article soon before the release began, the outlet said that the names in Epstein’s orbit “could finally bring to rest years of speculation about who among the rich and powerful were participants in the Palm Beach resident’s sordid world of sexual abuse”.

The Herald also warned that the records “could fall flat”. So far, the documents do not appear to add much that is explicitly revelatory about the criminality at the heart of the sordid drama of Epstein’s rise and fall or add much to the already richly fashioned story of those in his orbit.

The documents released do shed some light on the circumstances of Epstein’s lifestyle, but they do not answer any of pending questions about his financial arrangements with wealthy men, if any, and how he came to amass the $580m fortune at the time of his death.

Eighteen years since Epstein’s name surfaced on a Florida charge of soliciting a minor, the many questions still surrounding him have only been partially satisfied. Many mysteries remain and their answers perhaps may only be found behind bars with Maxwell or with Epstein in his grave.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN​
 

Jeffrey Epstein: Recruitment of girls detailed in second document batch​


A second batch of court papers linked to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein shows how dozens of girls were recruited at his beachfront mansion.

A Florida detective says in testimony that 30 women had spoken to him about "performing massage and work" there. Some were paid to bring their friends.

The court filings have been made public under order by a judge.

They are part of a lawsuit against Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's imprisoned former girlfriend.

She was jailed in 2022 for trafficking girls for Epstein and much of the material in this batch and the 900 pages unsealed on Wednesday had already come to light during her trial.

In a 2016 deposition, Joseph Recarey, a police detective in Palm Beach, Florida, said that approximately 30 women had spoken to him about "performing massage and work at Epstein's home" in the beachfront community.

He said Maxwell was involved in recruiting the girls.

Mr Recarey testified that only two of the girls had any massage experience and the majority of them were under the age of 18.

When asked how Epstein was able to gain access to so many underage girls the detective said: "Each of the victims that went to the home were asked to bring their friends to the home."

Some were paid to recruit, he said, adding: "When they went to perform a massage, it was for [Epstein's] sexual gratification."

Judge Loretta Preska ruled last month there was no longer any legal justification to withhold the names of more than 150 people mentioned in the defamation case filed by Virginia Giuffre, an Epstein accuser, against Maxwell.

People are mentioned in passing as part of various legal proceedings and their inclusion does not necessarily suggest wrongdoing related to Epstein.

The court records unsealed on Wednesday and Thursday both contain references to the UK's Prince Andrew and former US President Bill Clinton.

Mr Clinton has acknowledged being a former associate of Epstein and taking flights on the financier's private jet on humanitarian trips but has denied wrongdoing or knowledge of his crimes.

There is no suggestion of illegality by Mr Clinton in any of the documents.

The latest batch contains a claim by Ms Giuffre that the former US president stormed into Vanity Fair magazine and told them not to write sex-trafficking articles about "his good friend" Epstein.

The BBC approached the Clinton Foundation for comment, and a spokesperson cited media reports of a statement from former Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter, saying the alleged incident "categorically did not happen".

Source : BBC
 
The Bald Eagle said:

Jeffrey Epstein: Recruitment of girls detailed in second document batch​


A second batch of court papers linked to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein shows how dozens of girls were recruited at his beachfront mansion.

A Florida detective says in testimony that 30 women had spoken to him about "performing massage and work" there. Some were paid to bring their friends.

The court filings have been made public under order by a judge.

They are part of a lawsuit against Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's imprisoned former girlfriend.

She was jailed in 2022 for trafficking girls for Epstein and much of the material in this batch and the 900 pages unsealed on Wednesday had already come to light during her trial.

In a 2016 deposition, Joseph Recarey, a police detective in Palm Beach, Florida, said that approximately 30 women had spoken to him about "performing massage and work at Epstein's home" in the beachfront community.

He said Maxwell was involved in recruiting the girls.

Mr Recarey testified that only two of the girls had any massage experience and the majority of them were under the age of 18.

When asked how Epstein was able to gain access to so many underage girls the detective said: "Each of the victims that went to the home were asked to bring their friends to the home."

Some were paid to recruit, he said, adding: "When they went to perform a massage, it was for [Epstein's] sexual gratification."

Judge Loretta Preska ruled last month there was no longer any legal justification to withhold the names of more than 150 people mentioned in the defamation case filed by Virginia Giuffre, an Epstein accuser, against Maxwell.

People are mentioned in passing as part of various legal proceedings and their inclusion does not necessarily suggest wrongdoing related to Epstein.

The court records unsealed on Wednesday and Thursday both contain references to the UK's Prince Andrew and former US President Bill Clinton.

Mr Clinton has acknowledged being a former associate of Epstein and taking flights on the financier's private jet on humanitarian trips but has denied wrongdoing or knowledge of his crimes.

There is no suggestion of illegality by Mr Clinton in any of the documents.

The latest batch contains a claim by Ms Giuffre that the former US president stormed into Vanity Fair magazine and told them not to write sex-trafficking articles about "his good friend" Epstein.

The BBC approached the Clinton Foundation for comment, and a spokesperson cited media reports of a statement from former Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter, saying the alleged incident "categorically did not happen".

Source : BBC
Click to expand...
https://x.com/i/web/status/1743276484238639549
 
I don't get how stephen hawking was included on this list lolll
how could he even participate?
 
Jeffrey Epstein: Fourth batch of court documents released

Another tranche of court documents related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has been released.

The filings of more than 250 pages show one accuser claimed to have seen sex tapes filmed by the disgraced financier.

However, Sarah Ransome later said she wanted to retracted the allegations.

It's the fourth release of records related to victim Virginia Giuffre's case against Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former girlfriend.

The lawsuit, filed in 2015, was settled in 2017. Maxwell has since been jailed for 20 years for helping Epstein abuse young girls. She is appealing against her conviction.

According to hundreds of pages of documents disclosed on Monday, Ms Ransome said in emails that she had seen sex tapes in Epstein's possession showing figures including Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew and Sir Richard Branson.

However, the New Yorker magazine reported in 2019 that Ms Ransome had admitted fabricating the claim.

In one undated email from the released files included as evidence, Ms Ransome says: "When my friend had sexual intercourse with Clinton, Prince Andrew and Richard Branson, sex tapes were in fact filmed on each separate occasion by Jeffery [sic]."

Ms Ransome, who said Epstein abused her as an aspiring model and fashion student, also claims in one message that Donald Trump had sex with a friend of hers at Epstein's New York home.

The BBC has contacted the four men for comment - all of them have previously denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.

No evidence of the tapes, which Ms Ransome claimed in the emails that her friend possessed and she had copied, has ever emerged.

Referring to the New Yorker report, a spokesperson for Sir Richard's Virgin Group said on Monday: "We can confirm that Sarah Ransome's claims are baseless and unfounded."

Trump spokesman Steven Cheung also said Ms Ransome's claims about the former president were "baseless".

The court documents also include photographs provided by Ms Ransome to Ms Giuffre's lawyers that allegedly showed girls and young women on Epstein's private island in the Caribbean.

According to the documents, Ms Ransome withdrew her claim about the tapes in an email to a New York Post columnist, stating she was concerned it would "create pain for my family".

"I would like to retract everything I have said to you and walk away from this," Ms Ransome says in an email dated 23 October 2016.

The emails are part of a court filing by a firm representing Epstein's former lawyer - Alan Dershowitz - meant to show that Ms Ransome "manifestly lacks credibility".

Ms Ransome had claimed she was forced to have sex with Mr Dershowitz, who denies the allegations and says he has never met her.

She received a settlement in 2018 after suing Epstein and Maxwell for an undisclosed amount.

She alleged she was recruited by Maxwell into his sex-trafficking ring in 2006 when she was 22 years old.

Ms Ransome was a witness in Ms Giuffre's case against Epstein and Maxwell and provided evidence of Maxwell's involvement.

Ms Giuffre made allegations of wrongdoing by Prince Andrew, but made no claim of wrongdoing by Mr Clinton, Mr Trump or Sir Richard.

Three other batches of long-sealed Epstein court files were released last week, but contained few details that weren't previously known.

Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor in 2008 and took his own life in 2019 while awaiting trial over sex-trafficking charges.
​
SOURCE: BBC
 
Prince Andrew says he 'ceased all contact' with alleged Chinese spy

Prince Andrew has said he "ceased all contact" with a businessman accused of being a Chinese spy after receiving advice from the government.

In a statement, his office said Prince Andrew had met the man "through official channels" and there was "nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed".

The alleged spy has been banned from the UK following a judgement by the UK's semi-secret national security court.

The man, known only as H6, was described in court as a "close confidant" of Prince Andrew who had formed an "unusual degree of trust" with the duke.

In 2023, H6 brought an appeal against his initial ban but the decision has been upheld by the court.

Judges were told the businessman was attempting to leverage Prince Andrew's influence.

The duke's office said he was "unable to comment further on matters relating to national security".

His statement did not specify when he ceased contact with the man nor the duration of their communications.

Buckingham Palace declined to comment, saying they do not act for the prince, who is not a working royal.

China's embassy in the UK has denied the espionage claim saying "some individuals in the UK are always eager to fabricate baseless 'spy' stories targeting China".

"Their purpose is to smear China and disrupt normal exchanges between Chinese and British personnel," a spokesperson for the embassy said.

The former home secretary Suella Braverman banned H6 from the UK in March 2023.

He then brought his case to the Special Immigration Appeals Commission, a court set up to consider appeals against decisions to ban or remove someone from the country on national security or related grounds.

In the published ruling, the judges upheld Braverman's decision.

The court was told that H6 was invited to Prince Andrew's birthday party in 2020 and was told he could act on his behalf when dealing with potential investors in China.

It is not clear how H6 became close to the prince, but in November 2021 police officers stopped and questioned him at the UK border under powers to investigate suspicions of "hostile activity" by a foreign state.

During that stop H6 surrendered a number of electronic devices including a mobile phone.

What officers found on them so concerned the security service MI5, that Braverman used her exceptional powers to ban H6 from the country.

'Unusual degree of trust'

In a letter found on one of his devices, H6 was told by Dominic Hampshire, an adviser to Prince Andrew: "Outside of [the prince's] closest internal confidants, you sit at the very top of a tree that many, many people would like to be on."

Mr Hampshire adds: "Under your guidance, we found a way to get the relevant people unnoticed in and out of the house in Windsor."

No further details about who the "relevant people" were are given in the excerpt from the letter included in the ruling.

Mr Hampshire also confirmed to H6 that he could act for Prince Andrew in talks "with potential partners and investors in China".

A document listing "main talking points" for a call with Prince Andrew was also found.

It states: "IMPORTANT: Manage expectations. Really important to not set 'too high' expectations - he is in a desperate situation and will grab onto anything."

The court assessed that this meant H6 was in a position "to generate relationships between senior Chinese officials and prominent UK figures which could be leveraged for political interference purposes by the Chinese State".

The judges said H6 had won an "unusual degree of trust from a senior member of the Royal Family who was prepared to enter into business activities with him".

They added that the relationship had developed at a time when the prince was "under considerable pressure" which "could make him vulnerable to the misuse of that sort of influence".

The prince faced increasing scrutiny from late 2019 over his friendship with the late US financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which included his infamous Newsnight interview in November of that year.

He stepped back from royal duties in November 2019 and the prince has since been dogged by questions about his judgement and his finances.

Questions were raised about the prince's finances after he reached a settlement - believed to run into the millions - in a civil sexual assault case brought against him by Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein's accusers. The prince has always denied assaulting Ms Giuffre.

Security chiefs feared 'elite capture' operation

Isabel Hilton, editor at China Dialogue, told BBC News that Chinese state agents would typically look to target "members of the House of Lords or prominent business people, or people who have a voice in the community".

She added that it was "quite ambitious" to target a royal and "quite unwise for a member of the Royal Family to allow himself to be targeted".

Security chiefs feared Beijing was attempting to run an "elite capture" operation to influence the Duke of York because of the pressure he was under, a tactic which aims to appoint high profile individuals to Chinese businesses, think tanks or universities.

H6 was subsequently informed that he was believed by UK authorities to be associated with the United Front Work Department (UFWD), an arm of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) tasked with conducting influence operations.

The ruling said MI5 director general Ken McCallum had expressed concern about the threat posed to the UK by political interference by China and that bodies such as the UFWD were "mounting patient, well-funded, deceptive campaigns to buy and exert influence".

The Home Office said they believed H6 had been engaged in covert and deceptive activity on behalf of the CCP and that his relationship with Prince Andrew could be used for political interference.

Suella Braverman has now called for H6 to lose his anonymity and she told The Daily Telegraph that "disclosing the identity of this person will have a deterrent effect".

BBC
 

Prince Andrew: Paperwork relating to Duke of York's past business dealings 'has vanished', author claims​


Government departments are doing "anything to avoid" sharing information about Prince Andrew's past business dealings.

The claim comes from author Andrew Lownie who's been working for four years on a new book about the Duke of York.

He has submitted over a hundred requests to Whitehall departments only to find that information "has vanished".

Speaking to Sky News, he said: "I used to write about the intelligence services, and I found that was a lot easier, a lot more open and transparent than the Royal Family.

"I have tried, through the Freedom Information Act, to get access to any of the paperwork for Andrew, a special representative between 2001 and 2011 when he was taxpayer-funded, a public servant", but explaining how his requests have been rejected he said "this stuff has vanished".

"The Foreign Office claimed not to know anything about it. The Department of Business and Trade know nothing.

"It's like playing whack-a-mole. It's real Yes Minister stuff, anything to avoid releasing this information."

Interest in Prince Andrew's finances has increased in recent months after it was revealed that the King was no longer paying him an allowance, raising questions about how he is able to pay for his home on the Windsor Estate, Royal Lodge, and security.

The prince's time as trade envoy for the UK may be significant because it was potentially a lucrative time for him, giving him access to business contacts around the world.

Information withheld 'in accordance with the acts'

A Department for Business and Trade spokesperson said: "The department has complied with its obligations under the Freedom of Information Act and Public Records Act and maintains that information has been withheld in accordance with the acts.

"This includes an ICO (Information Commissioner's Office) decision notice which outlined that the commissioner did not need to take any further steps."

When asked, the Foreign Office told Sky News: "The FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) takes its obligations under the Freedom of Information Act very seriously."

It comes as a Chinese businessman - described as a "close confidant" of Prince Andrew - was barred from entering the UK over national security risks.

Known as H6, the man was invited to the duke's birthday party in 2020, and was told by Andrew's aide Dominic Hampshire that he could help in potential dealings with Chinese investors. A judge ruled the Chinese businessman had an "unusual" degree of trust from the royal.

On Friday, the duke said he "ceased all contact" with the businessman after concerns were raised by the government.

Andrew met the individual through "official channels" with "nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed", a statement from his office said.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper would not comment on the case but said: "Our security and intelligence agencies are continually vigilant for any threat to UK national security, whether that be around foreign influence, whether it be around espionage, whether it be around any security threat.

"So, of course, we won't hesitate to take action in individual cases or more widely, wherever any challenge arises."

Former chair of the public accounts committee between 2010 and 2015, Baroness Margaret Hodge, has joined calls for less secrecy generally around the royal finances.

She told me: "I find it really difficult to believe that the departments for whom Prince Andrew had contact when he was an envoy have not got the records.

"They will have those records, they obviously just don't want to share them. And that really says it all.

"I want a Royal Family that is well-funded: they're a precious and valued institution in our society but going with that funding must come some accountability."

The palace believes that as a non-working royal, the duke's income and tax arrangements are a matter for him and HM Revenue and Customs.

In terms of how he is paying for Royal Lodge, Sky News understands the royal household has been given assurances that his sources of income are all above board, however, it is not in their remit to vet or approve those sources.

It sees it as a job for the Crown Estate which manages properties in the likes of the Windsor Estate.

But Royal Lodge is of interest more generally to the family.

As the former home of the Queen Mother, it's been suggested that potentially other members of the family may be interested in living there in the future, from the Prince and Princess of Wales to Queen Camilla looking at it for her family.

'Opaque' and 'confusing'

However Robert Hardman, journalist and author of Charles III: New King. New Court, says: "Everything to do with Prince Andrew is opaque, is confusing, people don't really want to talk about it because his situation is a distraction."

He added: "I think the real question is not what's happening today, it's what's happening in a few years down the line, what happens if his savings run out, these sources of income such as they are at the moment, what if they run out and suddenly he can't afford to pay for the maintenance or the protection, what happens to the lease then?

"Does the Crown Estate then say, 'Well, actually the terms of the lease have been forfeited?' We just don't know.

"It is a private financial matter for him but given the prominence of the house and its history and its connections, then the media are clearly going to carry on taking a keen interest in it, as are the Crown Estate and as are ultimately the Treasury."

Prince Andrew's television interview five years ago about his links to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein was meant to shut the scandal down and allow him to get back to public duties without that distraction.

Instead, it had the opposite effect.

This year, he has only been seen once officially in front of the cameras, as he appeared to lead the family as they walked to the chapel at Windsor for a memorial service in February.

This Christmas we may again see Andrew with the rest of the family going to church at Sandringham, always a sign that he hasn't been entirely left out in the cold by his relatives.

But he still lives with the repercussions of the Jeffrey Epstein saga, his extraordinary downfall meaning questions will continue to remain about him, how he lives and his finances.

news.sky.com

Prince Andrew: Paperwork relating to Duke of York's past business dealings 'has vanished', author claims

Interest in Prince Andrew's finances has increased in recent months after it was revealed that the King was no longer paying him an allowance, raising questions about how he is able to pay for his Royal Lodge home on the Windsor Estate as well as security.
news.sky.com news.sky.com
 
US attorney general presses FBI to release all files on Epstein

The US Attorney General has accused federal investigators of withholding thousands of documents related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and asked the FBI to release all the information by Friday morning without any omissions.

In a public letter, Attorney General Pam Bondi asked FBI director Kash Patel to also investigate why thousands of documents related to Epstein probe were withheld by the agency.

Bondi released the "first phase" of newly declassified files on Thursday, but it contained no major new allegations about Epstein nor revelations about his associates.

Epstein was arrested in July 2019 on charges of sex trafficking and died by suicide while awaiting trial.

The attorney general demanded all information related to the disgraced financier be turned over by 08:00 EST (13:00 GMT) on Friday "regardless of how it was obtained".

"Late yesterday, l learned from a source that the FBI Field Office in New York was in possession of thousands of pages of documents related to the investigation and indictment of Epstein," she wrote in the letter. "Despite my repeated requests, the FBI never disclosed the existence of the files."

Additionally, Bondi directed FBI director Patel to conduct an immediate investigation into why her order to the FBI was not followed.

"You will deliver to me a comprehensive report of your findings and proposed personnel action within 14 days," she said.

In a post on X, Patel said the agency was "entering a new era—one that will be defined by integrity, accountability, and the unwavering pursuit of justice".

"There will be no cover-ups, no missing documents, and no stone left unturned," he wrote.

The declassified files largely contain documents that have been previously leaked but never released in a formal capacity by the US government, according to a statement released by the justice department.

The 10 files include a series of flight logs from Epstein's private jet, plus a partly-redacted "contacts list".

While running for the White House, President Donald Trump had promised to release the "Epstein list", a rumoured document that some believe may link high-profile individuals to sex crimes.

Bondi was also urged by Republican lawmakers to disclose all information about the disgraced financier.

On Thursday afternoon, the White House first handed over the initial batch of 200 files - in binders that read "The Epstein Files: Phase I" - to conservative influencers.

The influencers included political commentator Rogan O'Handley, known as DC Draino, as well as Libs of TikTok creator Chaya Raichik, US media reported.

But the limited information in the latest batch of files disappointed some Republicans, including Representative Anna Paulina Luna, who leads a House Republican task force on government transparency.

"I nor the task force were given or reviewed the Epstein documents being released today," Luna posted on X. "This is not what we or the American people asked for and a complete disappointment."

Conservative commentator Glenn Beck wrote: "The Epstein files are a total joke. Who is subverting POTUS?"

Most of the "Epstein docs" over the past several years have come out of civil litigation between one of Epstein's accusers, Virginia Giuffre, and his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell.

The 66-year-old had pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor in 2008.

Ghislaine Maxwell lost her appeal last year against her own sex trafficking conviction for helping Epstein sexually abuse young girls.

BBC
 
BouncerGuy said:
US attorney general presses FBI to release all files on Epstein

The US Attorney General has accused federal investigators of withholding thousands of documents related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and asked the FBI to release all the information by Friday morning without any omissions.

In a public letter, Attorney General Pam Bondi asked FBI director Kash Patel to also investigate why thousands of documents related to Epstein probe were withheld by the agency.

Bondi released the "first phase" of newly declassified files on Thursday, but it contained no major new allegations about Epstein nor revelations about his associates.

Epstein was arrested in July 2019 on charges of sex trafficking and died by suicide while awaiting trial.

The attorney general demanded all information related to the disgraced financier be turned over by 08:00 EST (13:00 GMT) on Friday "regardless of how it was obtained".

"Late yesterday, l learned from a source that the FBI Field Office in New York was in possession of thousands of pages of documents related to the investigation and indictment of Epstein," she wrote in the letter. "Despite my repeated requests, the FBI never disclosed the existence of the files."

Additionally, Bondi directed FBI director Patel to conduct an immediate investigation into why her order to the FBI was not followed.

"You will deliver to me a comprehensive report of your findings and proposed personnel action within 14 days," she said.

In a post on X, Patel said the agency was "entering a new era—one that will be defined by integrity, accountability, and the unwavering pursuit of justice".

"There will be no cover-ups, no missing documents, and no stone left unturned," he wrote.

The declassified files largely contain documents that have been previously leaked but never released in a formal capacity by the US government, according to a statement released by the justice department.

The 10 files include a series of flight logs from Epstein's private jet, plus a partly-redacted "contacts list".

While running for the White House, President Donald Trump had promised to release the "Epstein list", a rumoured document that some believe may link high-profile individuals to sex crimes.

Bondi was also urged by Republican lawmakers to disclose all information about the disgraced financier.

On Thursday afternoon, the White House first handed over the initial batch of 200 files - in binders that read "The Epstein Files: Phase I" - to conservative influencers.

The influencers included political commentator Rogan O'Handley, known as DC Draino, as well as Libs of TikTok creator Chaya Raichik, US media reported.

But the limited information in the latest batch of files disappointed some Republicans, including Representative Anna Paulina Luna, who leads a House Republican task force on government transparency.

"I nor the task force were given or reviewed the Epstein documents being released today," Luna posted on X. "This is not what we or the American people asked for and a complete disappointment."

Conservative commentator Glenn Beck wrote: "The Epstein files are a total joke. Who is subverting POTUS?"

Most of the "Epstein docs" over the past several years have come out of civil litigation between one of Epstein's accusers, Virginia Giuffre, and his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell.

The 66-year-old had pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor in 2008.

Ghislaine Maxwell lost her appeal last year against her own sex trafficking conviction for helping Epstein sexually abuse young girls.

BBC
Click to expand...

Wont happen, too many high profile people are compromised inc Donald Trump
 
Kind of worrying that this seems to suggest grooming at such a high level. I know we saw it before at the BBC, but that was decades ago.
 
Virginia Giuffre, Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein accuser, dies

Virginia Giuffre, who accused Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein of sexual abuse, has died by suicide aged 41, her family has said.

Ms Giuffre was one of the most outspoken accusers of convicted sex offenders Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, his former girlfriend. She alleged they trafficked her to the Duke of York when she was 17, which Prince Andrew has strenuously denied.

Relatives said in a statement on Friday that she had been a "fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse", and that the "toll of abuse... became unbearable".

"She lost her life to suicide, after being a lifelong victim of sexual abuse and sex trafficking," they said.

The statement described the mother of three "as the light that lifted so many survivors" and said she died on Friday at her farm in Western Australia.

West Australia police said they were called to a home in the Neergabby area on Friday night, where Ms Giuffre was found unresponsive.

A statement continued: "The death is being investigated by Major Crime detectives; early indication is the death is not suspicious."

Ms Giuffre - who was born in the US - had been living with her children and husband Robert in the suburb of North Perth, although recent reports suggested the couple had split after 22 years of marriage.

Three weeks ago, Ms Giuffre posted on Instagram to say she had been seriously injured in a car accident, which her family later said she had not intended to make public. Local police later disputed the severity of the crash.

In a statement, Ms Giuffre's long-time spokesperson Dini von Mueffling described her as "one of the most extraordinary human beings I have ever had the honour to know".

She said Ms Giuffre was a "beacon to other survivors and victims" and that "it was the privilege of a lifetime to represent her".

After making her abuse allegations public, Ms Giuffre became a prominent campaigner and was closely associated with the Me Too movement.

Ms Giuffre alleged that Epstein and Maxwell trafficked her to Prince Andrew when she was 17.

The prince, who has denied all claims against him, reached an out-of-court settlement with her in 2022.

The settlement included a statement in which he expressed regret for his association with Epstein but contained no admission of liability or apology.

Ms Giuffre said she became a victim of sex trafficking when she was a teenager.

She said she met Maxwell, a British socialite, in 2000.

From there, she said she was introduced to American financier Epstein and alleged years of abuse by him and his associates.

Epstein took his own life in prison in 2019, where he was being held awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

He was previously convicted in 2008 for soliciting prostitution from a minor.

Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison in the US for her role in Epstein's trafficking and abuse.

BBC
 
Prince Andrew's firm linked to controversial PPE millionaire

One of Prince Andrew's prized business assets was administered for two years by a company controlled by the controversial millionaire Doug Barrowman, the BBC can reveal.

After the prince's disastrous Newsnight interview in 2019, legal ownership of his Dragon's Den-style start-up competition, Pitch@Palace Global, was transferred to a Barrowman-linked firm, Knox House Trustees (UK).

Barrowman and his wife, lingerie boss Baroness Michelle Mone, hit the headlines when she admitted they had lied about their links to a company that won large government contracts during the Covid pandemic after she recommended it to ministers.

A lawyer for Mr Barrowman said he "at no time... had any business or personal involvement with the duke".

Pitch@Palace Global remained the prince's company, under his control. But in line with longstanding royal practice, it was owned under the names of other people or companies, acting on his behalf as so-called "nominees".

Documents filed at Companies House show that from 2021, the nominee owner was Knox House Trustees (UK), which was controlled and ultimately owned by Mr Barrowman until 2023.

Controversial associates

Prince Andrew's finances have been under intense scrutiny, with questions about how he can afford to live in his Royal Lodge mansion in Windsor after he was cut off financially by his brother, King Charles.

The prince's choice of business associates has long been controversial. In December, he said he "ceased all contact" with Yang Tengbo, who led the Chinese arm of Pitch@Palace, after receiving advice from the UK government which alleged that he was a spy.

Mr Yang has denied being a spy or doing anything unlawful.

Mr Barrowman has attracted plenty of controversy too. In 2017, HMRC began an investigation into one of his companies, AML Tax (UK), which it said "aggressively promoted" tax avoidance schemes. It was fined £150,000 in 2022.

In January that year, the Guardian newspaper first reported links between Mr Barrowman, Baroness Mone and PPE Medpro. The pair denied involvement until December 2023, when she admitted in a BBC interview that they had lied about their links with the company.

The National Crime Agency is now investigating suspected criminal offences at the firm. Mr Barrowman and Baroness Mone both deny any wrongdoing.

Author Andrew Lownie, who is writing a biography of the prince, said: "Andrew has a long history of associating with dubious business figures and disguising his business activities behind nominee and offshore accounts. There really needs to be a full investigation into the duke's financial activities."

Who owns Pitch@Palace?

Pitch@Palace was a start-up competition, founded in 2014, where entrepreneurs would pitch their ideas to possible investors in the hope of winning their backing. It had two parts:

  • a UK-based version, set up as a community interest company, which cannot pay profits to shareholders
  • an international arm, Pitch@Palace Global Ltd, which held competitions in places such as Australia, Bahrain and China, and was set up as a for-profit UK company
Both arms of Pitch@Palace suspended operations following the Newsnight interview in 2019 about the prince's links to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which led to Andrew stepping down as a working royal.

Nonetheless, the international operation has emerged as a possible way for the duke to fund his lifestyle. In a court witness statement from 2023, Mr Yang wrote that the duke had needed money "and saw the relationships with China through Pitch as one possible source of funding".

Earlier this year a Dutch company said it was in talks to buy it, saying it saw "immense value" in the network, even though it had suspended operations.

However, Prince Andrew has never held the company in his own name.

Founded in 2017, Pitch@Palace Global Ltd was initially held in the name of Amanda Thirsk, the prince's private secretary, in an arrangement often used by the Royal Family.

But early in 2021, the legal ownership was transferred to Knox House Trustees (UK) Limited.

This company had been set up the year before, and Mr Barrowman was named as having "significant influence and control" over it.

Corporate filings in the Isle of Man show Knox House Trustees (UK) was ultimately owned by Knox Limited, whose sole shareholder is Mr Barrowman.

Investigations into Barrowman's companies

In 2023, ownership of Knox House Trustees (UK) Ltd – which still owned Pitch@Palace Global - was transferred to Arthur Lancaster, an accountant who has a longstanding working relationship with both the prince and Mr Barrowman. This remains the situation today.

The same year Mr Lancaster took over as the sole director and shareholder of PPE Medpro. He was also a director of many of the companies involved in the AML tax avoidance case.

The judge in that case called him "evasive" and said he had "real concerns as to the reliability of Mr Lancaster's evidence", which contained "significant inconsistencies".

After the case, his lawyer wrote to the court arguing that the conclusions were "unnecessarily harsh", that Mr Lancaster had been a "diligent and truthful witness", and that his efforts to provide information had been hampered by the Covid pandemic.

For decades the Royal Family has held investments through nominees, and still does. In the past this has served to keep details of their holdings private, though not in this case. Prince Andrew's involvement in Pitch@Palace Global is well known, and he is listed as having "significant influence or control" over the company on Companies House.

Mr Barrowman's lawyer said in a statement: "Mr Lancaster was a director of KHT (UK) Ltd which provided company administration services to a number of external companies, including Pitch@Palace, a company wholly owned by the duke. Mr Lancaster acted for the duke in a personal capacity at all times and has been an associate of the duke for many years."

Mr Lancaster declined to comment. Prince Andrew did not respond to requests for comment.

BBC
 
Epstein had no ‘client list’, died by suicide, US Justice Department says

A United States government review has found no evidence that sex offender Jeffrey Epstein kept a secret client list, and reaffirmed that he died by suicide in federal custody in 2019, undercutting years of conspiracy theories.

The acknowledgement that Epstein did not maintain a list of clients who received underage girls marks a clear retreat from a narrative once promoted by members of US President Donald Trump’s administration. Earlier this year, Attorney General Pam Bondi even claimed in a Fox News interview that such a document was “sitting on my desk”, awaiting her review.

The memo, released on Monday by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI, stated that a “systematic review revealed no incriminating ‘client list’.” It also found no credible evidence that Epstein blackmailed prominent figures, or grounds to pursue investigations against uncharged third parties.

“After a thorough investigation, FBI investigators concluded that Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City on August 10, 2019,” the memo said. “This conclusion is consistent with previous findings, including the August 19, 2019 autopsy findings of the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, the November 2019 position of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York in connection with the investigation of federal correctional officers responsible for guarding Epstein, and the June 2023 conclusions of DOJ’s Office of the Inspector General.”

It concluded by saying that “no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted”.

The Justice Department also released 10 hours of surveillance footage from the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York. The footage revealed that no one entered Epstein’s cell on the day he died by suicide.

‘We were all told more was coming’

Conservatives who have sought proof of a government cover-up of Epstein’s activities quickly expressed outrage at the announcement.

Far-right influencer Jack Posobiec posted: “We were all told more was coming. That answers were out there and would be provided. Incredible how utterly mismanaged this Epstein mess has been. And it didn’t have to be.”

Separately, former Trump ally, billionaire Elon Musk, shared an image of a scoreboard reading, “The Official Jeffrey Epstein Pedophile Arrest Counter”, which was set at zero.

On June 5, Musk claimed that Trump appeared in the Epstein files and later posted a video on X showing Trump at a party with Epstein. These posts, now deleted, were part of an ongoing feud between Musk and Trump linked to Trump’s new tax cuts and spending bill.

Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones wrote, “Next the DOJ will say ‘Actually, Jeffrey Epstein never even existed’,” calling the conclusion “over the top sickening”.

‘Epstein’s crimes and death’

On Monday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the Justice Department’s “exhaustive investigation”.

When questioned about the client list mentioned in February’s Fox News interview, Leavitt clarified that Bondi was actually referring to the broader collection of Epstein case files.

Epstein was found dead in his jail cell in August 2019, weeks after his arrest on sex trafficking charges, in a suicide that foreclosed the possibility of a trial.

The Justice Department and FBI’s disclosure that Epstein took his own life is hardly a revelation, even though conspiracy theorists have continued to challenge that conclusion.

In November 2019, for instance, then-Attorney General William Barr told the Associated Press news agency that he had reviewed security footage that revealed that no one entered the area where Epstein was housed on the night he died, and expressed confidence that Epstein’s death was a suicide.

However, Epstein’s ties to the rich and famous have led many to believe, without evidence, that others were behind his death, in an effort to cover up their own crimes.

www.aljazeera.com

Epstein had no ‘client list’ and died by suicide: US Justice Department

Admission about sex offender signals a retreat from narrative once pushed by President Trump’s administration.
www.aljazeera.com www.aljazeera.com
 
US Justice Department scrambles to defend its about-face on release of Epstein files

President Donald Trump's Justice Department scrambled on Tuesday to answer questions after its leadership concluded there was no evidence to support a number of long-held conspiracy theories about the death of accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and his alleged clientele.

Conservative influencers from Laura Loomer to Elon Musk have criticized Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel for their findings, which came months after Bondi pledged to reveal major revelations about Epstein, including "a lot of names" and "a lot of flight logs."

The Reuters Tariff Watch newsletter is your daily guide to the latest global trade and tariff news. Sign up here.

"It's sitting on my desk right now to review," Bondi told Fox News in February when she was asked if the Justice Department would be releasing Epstein's client list.

On Tuesday at the White House, Bondi walked that comment back, telling reporters that she was referring to the entire Epstein "file" along with other files pertaining to the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. "That's what I meant by that," she said.

She added that the many of the videos in the Epstein investigative file "turned out to be child porn." This material, she added, is "never going to be released. Never going to see the light of day."

The Justice Department's memo, opens new tab on Epstein, released on Monday, concluded that after reviewing more than 300 gigabytes of data, there was "no incriminating client list" nor was there any evidence that Epstein may have blackmailed prominent people.

The memo also confirmed prior findings by the FBI which concluded that Epstein died by suicide in his jail cell while awaiting trial, and not as a result of a criminal act such murder.

A subsequent report by the Justice Department's inspector general later found that the Bureau of Prisons employees who were tasked with guarding Epstein failed to search his cell or check on him in the hours before his suicide.

Patel and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, a former conservative podcaster, both previously made statements before working at the FBI about a so-called client list and often suggested that the government was hiding information about Epstein from the American public.

Trump defended them in a Truth Social Post on Monday amid a backlash by his MAGA base, calling them the "greatest law enforcement professionals."

He expressed annoyance when reporters asked him questions about Epstein on Tuesday at the White House during a cabinet meeting, saying, "Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein?"

 
BouncerGuy said:
US Justice Department scrambles to defend its about-face on release of Epstein files

President Donald Trump's Justice Department scrambled on Tuesday to answer questions after its leadership concluded there was no evidence to support a number of long-held conspiracy theories about the death of accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and his alleged clientele.

Conservative influencers from Laura Loomer to Elon Musk have criticized Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel for their findings, which came months after Bondi pledged to reveal major revelations about Epstein, including "a lot of names" and "a lot of flight logs."

The Reuters Tariff Watch newsletter is your daily guide to the latest global trade and tariff news. Sign up here.

"It's sitting on my desk right now to review," Bondi told Fox News in February when she was asked if the Justice Department would be releasing Epstein's client list.

On Tuesday at the White House, Bondi walked that comment back, telling reporters that she was referring to the entire Epstein "file" along with other files pertaining to the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. "That's what I meant by that," she said.

She added that the many of the videos in the Epstein investigative file "turned out to be child porn." This material, she added, is "never going to be released. Never going to see the light of day."

The Justice Department's memo, opens new tab on Epstein, released on Monday, concluded that after reviewing more than 300 gigabytes of data, there was "no incriminating client list" nor was there any evidence that Epstein may have blackmailed prominent people.

The memo also confirmed prior findings by the FBI which concluded that Epstein died by suicide in his jail cell while awaiting trial, and not as a result of a criminal act such murder.

A subsequent report by the Justice Department's inspector general later found that the Bureau of Prisons employees who were tasked with guarding Epstein failed to search his cell or check on him in the hours before his suicide.

Patel and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, a former conservative podcaster, both previously made statements before working at the FBI about a so-called client list and often suggested that the government was hiding information about Epstein from the American public.

Trump defended them in a Truth Social Post on Monday amid a backlash by his MAGA base, calling them the "greatest law enforcement professionals."

He expressed annoyance when reporters asked him questions about Epstein on Tuesday at the White House during a cabinet meeting, saying, "Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein?"

Click to expand...

This was an embarrassing response, lying through their teeth, thinking the American people are stupid.

This was timed while Nethanyahu was meeting Trump. A signal to the US political elite, they are owned and compromised.
 
Recent saga has just confirmed there are people at the top who don't want these to be disclosed. It is no longer a conspiracy theory. It is now an open secret.

Some of us knew/suspected this for a long time.
 
Here is a picture of Trump and Epstein together. There are more pictures of them together.

I think Trump is on that Epstein's client list. It is why Trump is trying to cover this up. :inti

Screenshot 2025-07-14 190735.jpg
 
sweep_shot said:
Here is a picture of Trump and Epstein together. There are more pictures of them together.

I think Trump is on that Epstein's client list. It is why Trump is trying to cover this up. :inti

View attachment 156132
Click to expand...


sweep_shot said:
Here is a picture of Trump and Epstein together. There are more pictures of them together.

I think Trump is on that Epstein's client list. It is why Trump is trying to cover this up. :inti

View attachment 156132
Click to expand...

People actually believed that the alleged rapist, pedophile, and man who openly fantasized about his own daughter was going to release the list? 😂😂
 
HalBass9 said:
People actually believed that the alleged rapist, pedophile, and man who openly fantasized about his own daughter was going to release the list? 😂😂
Click to expand...

Yeah. It seems like he is definitely involved. Even Elon Musk hinted at that.

He is also getting called out by his MAGA bases who want him to release everything.
 
Trump says attorney general should release any 'credible' information on Epstein

US President Donald Trump has said Attorney General Pam Bondi should release "whatever she thinks is credible" on sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as he faces a rare backlash from supporters after seeking to draw a line under the case.

Bondi has been lambasted by some of Trump's political base after she said last week there was no evidence that Epstein kept a "client list" or was blackmailing powerful figures.

At the weekend Trump urged supporters not to "waste time and energy" on the controversy. But allies of the president, including House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, are calling for "transparency".

Epstein's 2019 death in a US prison while awaiting federal trial was ruled a suicide.

But many in Trump's Make America Great Again (Maga) movement have theorised that details of the well-connected convicted paedophile's crimes have been withheld in order to protect influential figures, or intelligence agencies.

On Tuesday, Trump praised his attorney general's handling of the matter, saying: "She's handled it very well, and it's going to be up to her. Whatever she thinks is credible, she should release."

When asked by a journalist if the attorney general had told Trump whether his name appeared in any of the records, he said: "No, no."

Later on Tuesday, the president again called for the release of "credible" information, but he questioned the enduring fascination with the Epstein case, calling it "sordid but boring".

"Only really bad people, including the fake news, want to keep something like this going," Trump said.

Last week he vented frustration in the Oval Office about the fixation on Epstein and urged everyone to move on.

But some Republican allies of the president are not letting go of the matter.

In an interview on Tuesday with US conservative commentator Benny Johnson, Speaker Johnson said that he trusted President Trump and his team, and that the White House was privy to facts that he did not know.

But he said Bondi "needs to come forward and explain it to everybody".

"We should put everything out there and let the people decide," Johnson said in an interview.

Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene told Benny Johnson in a separate interview on Tuesday: "I fully support transparency on this issue."

She praised Bondi's work as attorney general, but said that leaders and elected officials should keep their promises to voters.

Another conservative Republican, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, said if more Epstein files were not released, a special counsel should be appointed to investigate the financier's crimes.

Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana said the voters expect more accountability.

"I think it's perfectly understandable that the American people would like to know who he [Epstein] trafficked those women to and why they weren't prosecuted," Kennedy told NBC News.

But other influential Republicans – including Senator John Thune and congressman Jim Jordan – deferred to President Trump on the matter.

At an unrelated news conference on fentanyl on Tuesday, Bondi brushed aside questions about the controversy.

"Nothing about Epstein," she told reporters. "I'm not going to talk about Epstein."

She said last week's memo by the Department of Justice, jointly released with the FBI, declining to release any further files on Epstein and confirming his death by suicide, "speaks for itself".

Bondi told Fox News in February that a list of Epstein clients was on her desk for review, before her spokesman said last week she had actually been referring to overall files in the case.

The government's findings were made, according to the memo, after reviewing more than 300 gigabytes of data.

On Tuesday, House Democratic lawmakers tried unsuccessfully to force a vote on releasing Epstein files.

Republicans pointed out the administration of President Joe Biden, a Democrat, also had access to the files, but did not release them.

BBC
 
Trump calls Epstein conspiracy a ‘hoax’ and turns on Maga ‘weaklings’

Donald Trump has lashed out against his own supporters, calling them gullible “weaklings” for questioning the transparency of a secretive government inquiry into the late high-profile socialite and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The US president is struggling to contain a political crisis within his usually loyal Make America Great Again (Maga) base over suspicion that the administration is hiding details of Epstein’s crimes to protect the rich elite Epstein associated with, which included Trump.

In a lengthy post on his social media website, Truth Social, Trump accused his voters on Wednesday of falling for what he called a “radical left” hoax by the opposition to discredit him.

“Their new SCAM is what we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax, and my PAST supporters have bought into this ‘********,’ hook, line, and sinker. They haven’t learned their lesson, and probably never will, even after being conned by the Lunatic Left for 8 long years,” he wrote.

“Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats work, don’t even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don’t want their support any more!”

In an interview with Real America’s Voice, the far-right network created to host Steve Bannon’s podcast, Trump doubled down on what should be done with the details around Epstein’s crime on Wednesday and said the FBI should investigate what he called “the Jeffrey Epstein hoax” as part of a criminal conspiracy against him.

“They could look at this Jeffrey Epstein hoax also, because that’s the same stuff, that’s all put out by Democrats,” Trump said. “And you know some of the naive Republicans fall right into line.”

One of the most dramatic theories circulating among Trump supporters is that Epstein – who killed himself in 2019 while in federal custody – was murdered by powerful figures to cover up their roles in his sex crimes against children.

Republican voters and politicians have pressed Trump to publicly release documents related to the case, which have become known as the “Epstein Files”.

Multiple users on Truth Social responded to Trump’s post, calling for him to release more information. “You’re losing your most loyal followers and voices Mr President,” said one post. “Why are you protecting pedophiles?” said another post.

Trump’s tirade on Wednesday was an angry departure from his previous attempts to placate his backers. On Tuesday, he attempted to divert attention by describing the inquiry as “boring” but said he backed the release of any “credible” files, without specifying what those were.

“I don’t understand why the Jeffrey Epstein case would be of interest to anybody,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday night when asked why his supporters are so interested in the case. “It’s pretty boring stuff. It’s sordid, but it’s boring, and I don’t understand why it keeps going.

“I think really only pretty bad people, including fake news, want to keep something like that going,” he added. “But credible information, let them give it. Anything that is credible, I would say, let them have it.”

During his election campaigns, Trump fuelled multiple conspiracies by his Maga movement, including that the country was controlled by shadowy “deep state” elites. This has caused deep paranoia among his base, who are now, unusually, questioning their leader over the Epstein controversy.

Last week, the justice department and the FBI announced that a review of the case files had confirmed that Epstein had killed himself, and there was no list of his clients to be made public.

Conservative allies of the president have focused their anger on the attorney general, Pam Bondi, who was leading the case, as she had previously said Epstein’s client list was “sitting on my desk right now to review”.

Several other high-profile conservatives have called for Trump to make public everything known about Epstein. Even his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, a Fox News host, has been critical, saying: “I do think that there needs to be more transparency on this.”

On Tuesday, Mike Johnson, the speaker of the House, called for the justice department to make the document public, breaking with Trump in a rare moment of friction between the allies.

“It’s a very delicate subject, but we should put everything out there and let the people decide it,” Johnson told Benny Johnson, a rightwing podcaster, in an interview released on Tuesday. “I agree with the sentiment that we need to put it out there.”

www.theguardian.com

Trump calls Epstein conspiracy a ‘hoax’ and turns on Maga ‘weaklings’

President faces Maga backlash over claims of hiding details of Epstein’s crimes to protect rich elite – including Trump
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com
 
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