President Donald Trump said he “couldn’t care less” that the Justice Department planned to hand over a trove of the so-called “Epstein files” to the House Oversight Committee.
“Innocent people shouldn’t be hurt, but I’m in support of keeping it totally open,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office Friday, when asked if he supported the process. “I couldn’t care less.”
The Republican-led committee issued a subpoena earlier this month demanding all documents related to the criminal cases against Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. The committee received a batch of files Friday, but Democrats have stated that 97 percent of those documents are already publicly available.
Trump then labeled the matter a “Democrat hoax,” echoing his earlier spurious claims that former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden orchestrated the investigations.
“You’ve got a lot of people that could be mentioned in those files that don’t deserve to be, you know, people, because he knew everybody in Palm Beach,” he added. The Wall Street Journal reported last month that Justice Department officials told the president earlier this year that his name, along with many others, appeared in the Epstein documents.
The White House condemned the story as “fake news.”
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Key Points
- Maxwell does not believe that Epstein died by suicide, but has no idea who killed him, testimony reveals
- Ghislaine Maxwell wants a pardon. Just how credible is testimony from a ‘known liar’?
- Trump was 'never inappropriate with anybody' says Maxwell
- Maxwell denies the existence of Epstein's 'client list'
Giuffre's family claims Maxwell was given 'platform to rewrite history'
13:06
,
Alex Croft
The family of Virginia Giuffre, one of Jeffrey Epstein’s most prominent accusers, has criticised the Department of Justice for giving Ghislaine Maxwell a “platform to rewrite history" through her interview.
Giuffre, who had accused influential men of sexually exploiting her as a teenager trafficked by Epstein, took her own life this year.
Speaking to Sky News, Ms Giuffre's family said they were outraged by the DOJ’s release of an interview with the convicted sex trafficker.
"As the family of one of the most prominent survivors, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, we are outraged," they said in a statement.
"The content of these transcripts is in direct contradiction with felon Ghislaine Maxwell's conviction for child sex trafficking."
Watch: Ghislaine Maxwell discusses Epstein's relationship with Trump and whether 'the list' exists
12:30
,
Alex Croft
Maxwell doesn't believe Epstein died by suicide but says idea his death was ordered is ‘ludicrous’
11:54
,
Alex Croft
Ghislaine Maxwell has told the deputy attorney general that she does not believe Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide while in prison before he could be put on trial for trafficking charges of his own.
Here’s what she told Todd Blanche:
President would allow release of all Epstein files, he tells reporters
11:22
,
Alex Croft
President Donald Trump would allow the release of all files tied to Epstein, as requested by the House Oversight Committee, he has told reporters.
Speaking to the press in the Oval Office on Friday, he said he was “in support of keeping it open” but added the files could mention people who “don’t deserve” to be in them.
“Innocent people shouldn’t be hurt, but I’m in support of keeping it totally open. I couldn’t care less,” he said.
“You’ve got a lot of people that could be mentioned in those files that don’t deserve to be, you know, people, because he knew everybody in Palm Beach,” he added.
Where is Ghislaine Maxwell now?
10:50
,
Alex Croft
Shortly after her interview with US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, Maxwell was moved from a low-security federal prison in Tallahassee, Florida, to the minimum-security Bryan Federal Prison Camp.
Dubbed “Club Fed” for its houses and relatively relaxed conditions, the prison camp is home to Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes and Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jen Shah.
Neither her lawyer nor the federal Bureau of Prisons have explained the reason for the move.
DOJ has released just 3 percent of new information, House Democrats say
10:18
,
Alex Croft
The Justice Department on Friday sent its first batch of the so-called “Epstein Files” to the House Oversight Committee, which issued a subpoena on August 5 demanding all documents related to the criminal cases of late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his imprisoned accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.
Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. Summer L. Lee slammed the first trove as “pretending to respond to the subpoena.”
“The released Epstein documents are largely thousands of pages of recycled content already made available to the public. This is a continuation of the cover-up from Donald Trump and his administration to protect the powerful and wealthy, even when they are predators and abusers,” the congresswoman wrote.
“This partial release is insulting to the survivors who have waited far too long for accountability.”
The House Oversight Committee Democrats’ initial review revealed that of the 33,295 pages of documents released to the Committee, only 3 percent contained any new information, she said.
“Less than 1 percent of the Epstein files have actually been released,” California Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna told MSNBC on Saturday. “The Esptein files are 300 gigabytes....and they’ve released less than one gigabyte.”
Of that, 97 percent is in the public record, Khanna said.
Watch: Ghislaine Maxwell discusses Bill Clinton in jailhouse interview
09:45
,
Daniel Keane
Maxwell rejects Prince Andrew claims and calls infamous picture ‘literally a fake’
09:15
,
Oliver O'Connell
Ghislaine Maxwell has repeated her claim that a photograph showing Prince Andrew with Virginia Giuffre is “fake”.
In an interview with the US Department of Justice, conducted last month, Maxwell said: “I believe it’s literally a fake photo.”
The imprisoned former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein also dismissed as “rubbish” Giuffre’s claims that she was paid to have a relationship with Prince Andrew and that he had sex with her at Maxwell’s London home.
The disgraced socialite claimed one of the motives behind the story was to attack the Royal Family.
Tom Watling reports.
Maxwell wants a pardon. Just how credible is testimony from a convicted sex offender and ‘known liar’?
08:45
,
Oliver O'Connell
Skepticism abounds following the release of transcripts and recordings of Ghislaine Maxwell’s testimony to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche regarding the Jeffrey Epstein case.
Four years after her conviction and sentencing on charges of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and other crimes, how credible is her testimony?
Ranking House Oversight Committee Democrat Rep. Robert Garcia was especially damning in the hours after the interview transcripts were released Friday, writing on X: “Ghislaine Maxwell is a convicted sex trafficker and known liar. Her interview with Trump's DOJ lawyer shows she's desperate for a pardon.
“She claims no involvement in wrongdoing, which is insulting to the girls and young women she victimized and trafficked. She cannot be trusted.”
Continue reading...
Maxwell's interview over shadows Trump’s Bolton revenge tour
08:15
,
Oliver O'Connell
Eric Garcia writes:
President Donald Trump might have thought he had some distance from the Jeffrey Epstein headlines that were dragging down his poll numbers and made his base turn on him. But, over the last few weeks, the president has seen positive economic news, taken over the streets of Washington D.C. from local police and watched as his FBI raided the home of former adviser John Bolton.
Those stories were dominating the news cycle - until Ghislaine Maxwell made her return.
The release of the transcripts of Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s interview with Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime associate and onetime partner who assisted in his abuse of girls and young women, became the motherload of all Friday news dumps. It will certainly rekindle questions about what exactly Trump knew about his former friend and likely give congressional Democrats all the more reason to push for the declassification of files related to the Epstein investigation when they return from recess.
Continue reading...
Maxwell doesn't believe Epstein died by suicide but says idea his death was ordered is ‘ludicrous’
07:45
,
Oliver O'Connell
Ghislaine Maxwell has told the deputy attorney general that she does not believe Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide while in prison before he could be put on trial for trafficking charges of his own.
Here’s what she told Todd Blanche:
Maxwell ‘absolutely never’ saw Trump engage in inappropriate activity
06:45
,
Oliver O'Connell
Ghislaine Maxwell said she never saw President Donald Trump behave inappropriately around anyone in Jeffrey Epstein's circle, a transcript of her interview with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has revealed.
Katie Hawkinson listened to the recording of her interview with Trump’s Department of Justice.
From high society to Epstein’s teen-procuring ‘lady’: Ghislaine Maxwell's fall from grace
05:45
,
Oliver O'Connell
Ariana Baio writes:
Ghislaine Maxwell is infamous for her role in helping her ex-boyfriend, Jeffrey Epstein, run a decades-long scheme to abuse and sex traffic young women and girls. But her life began with the privilege and promise that many can only dream of.
Maxwell, 63, is the daughter of a wealthy media baron and British politician. As a result, she grew up surrounded by affluent and powerful individuals — a pattern that trickled into adulthood and led to her meeting Epstein.
But ultimately, her proximity to Epstein, a wealthy financier who became a convicted sex offender, would be her downfall.
Maxwell spent years procuring young women and girls into her and Epstein’s orbit to groom them and then sexually abuse them together.
Continue reading...
What did Maxwell say about other celebrities whose names appeared in court records?
04:45
,
Oliver O'Connell
Ghislaine Maxwell told Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche that, to her knowledge, actors Kevin Spacey and Chris Tucker did not visit any of Epstein's properties, according to transcripts of her testimony to the Justice Department.
Naomi Campbell, whose name has also appeared in unsealed records, was described by Maxwell as having a friendship with Epstein that was “independent” of her.
The actors and the supermodel were among the prominent figures whose names appeared in unsealed Epstein records, though none have been linked to any of Epstein's crimes.
Here’s a full list of people who appeared in those records:
Maxwell rejects Prince Andrew claims and calls infamous picture ‘literally a fake’
03:45
,
Oliver O'Connell
Ghislaine Maxwell has repeated her claim that a photograph showing Prince Andrew with Virginia Giuffre is “fake”.
In an interview with the US Department of Justice, conducted last month, Maxwell said: “I believe it’s literally a fake photo.”
The imprisoned former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein also dismissed as “rubbish” Giuffre’s claims that she was paid to have a relationship with Prince Andrew and that he had sex with her at Maxwell’s London home.
The disgraced socialite claimed one of the motives behind the story was to attack the Royal Family.
Tom Watling reports.
Maxwell's interview over shadows Trump’s Bolton revenge tour
02:45
,
Oliver O'Connell
Eric Garcia writes:
President Donald Trump might have thought he had some distance from the Jeffrey Epstein headlines that were dragging down his poll numbers and made his base turn on him. But, over the last few weeks, the president has seen positive economic news, taken over the streets of Washington D.C. from local police and watched as his FBI raided the home of former adviser John Bolton.
Those stories were dominating the news cycle - until Ghislaine Maxwell made her return.
The release of the transcripts of Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s interview with Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime associate and onetime partner who assisted in his abuse of girls and young women, became the motherload of all Friday news dumps. It will certainly rekindle questions about what exactly Trump knew about his former friend and likely give congressional Democrats all the more reason to push for the declassification of files related to the Epstein investigation when they return from recess.
Continue reading...
Maxwell interview released to 'distract' from Epstein files 'cover-up', Rep. Robert Garcia says
02:15
,
Oliver O'Connell
Robert Garcia, a California Congressman and ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, which received its first batch of the so-called Epstein files on Friday, slammed the DOJ for it’s ‘limited disclosure.’
Garcia and other Democrats on the committee have criticized the Justice Department for releasing a small portion of the documents after the committee subpoenaed all records related to the criminal cases of Epstein and Maxwell earlier this month.
Just 3 percent of the documents given to the House Oversight Committee contain information not already in the public domain, the Democrats claim.
Ranking Member @RepRobertGarcia’s statement on limited Epstein file release and continued White House cover-up: pic.twitter.com/1vIMSWhriT
— Oversight Dems (@OversightDems) August 23, 2025
Maxwell wants a pardon. Just how credible is testimony from a convicted sex offender and ‘known liar’?
01:45
,
Oliver O'Connell
Skepticism abounds following the release of transcripts and recordings of Ghislaine Maxwell’s testimony to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche regarding the Jeffrey Epstein case.
Four years after her conviction and sentencing on charges of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and other crimes, how credible is her testimony?
Ranking House Oversight Committee Democrat Rep. Robert Garcia was especially damning in the hours after the interview transcripts were released Friday, writing on X: “Ghislaine Maxwell is a convicted sex trafficker and known liar. Her interview with Trump's DOJ lawyer shows she's desperate for a pardon.
“She claims no involvement in wrongdoing, which is insulting to the girls and young women she victimized and trafficked. She cannot be trusted.”
Continue reading...
Maxwell grilled over Epstein links to Prince Andrew
01:35
,
Oliver O'Connell
Rosie Shead reports:
Ghislaine Maxwell was grilled at length about the Duke of York’s links to Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump, transcripts released by the US Justice Department have revealed.
The transcripts, published on Friday, show the convicted sex trafficker insisting she did not introduce Andrew to disgraced financier Epstein and that the duke’s alleged sex with Virginia Giuffre in her house could not have happened.
The Trump administration issued hundreds of pages of transcripts of interviews conducted by deputy attorney general Todd Blanche last month amid a fierce backlash over a previous refusal to disclose records from the Epstein case.
The duke strenuously denies any wrongdoing.
Continue reading...
Trump reportedly pointed finger at John Bolton before FBI raid as conservative media sounds alarm
01:13
,
Oliver O'Connell
Weeks before the FBI raided John Bolton’s house, President Donald Trump made clear that his former national security adviser was a target of his second term.
Law enforcement agents raided Bolton’s home in Bethesda, Maryland and his Washington, D.C. office on Friday as part of an investigation related to classified documents, Vice President JD Vance confirmed. Bolton served as Trump’s national security adviser from 2018 to 2019 but has since become a vocal critic of the president.
Kelly Rissman reports.
Maxwell ‘absolutely never’ saw Trump engage in inappropriate activity
Sunday 24 August 2025 00:45
,
Oliver O'Connell
Ghislaine Maxwell said she never saw President Donald Trump behave inappropriately around anyone in Jeffrey Epstein's circle, a transcript of her interview with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has revealed.
Katie Hawkinson listened to the recording of her interview with Trump’s Department of Justice.
Maxwell doesn't believe Epstein died by suicide but says idea his death was ordered is ‘ludicrous’
Sunday 24 August 2025 00:15
,
Oliver O'Connell
Ghislaine Maxwell has told the deputy attorney general that she does not believe Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide while in prison before he could be put on trial for trafficking charges of his own.
Here’s what she told Todd Blanche:
Report: Trump has privately pondered if Epstein accusers are just ‘Democrats’ trying to make him look bad
Saturday 23 August 2025 23:45
,
Oliver O'Connell
President Donald Trump has privately labeled some of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking victims as “clearly” Democrats, a report earlier this month claims.
James Liddell has the story.
From high society to Epstein’s teen-procuring ‘lady’: Ghislaine Maxwell's fall from grace
Saturday 23 August 2025 23:15
,
Oliver O'Connell
Ariana Baio writes:
Ghislaine Maxwell is infamous for her role in helping her ex-boyfriend, Jeffrey Epstein, run a decades-long scheme to abuse and sex traffic young women and girls. But her life began with the privilege and promise that many can only dream of.
Maxwell, 63, is the daughter of a wealthy media baron and British politician. As a result, she grew up surrounded by affluent and powerful individuals — a pattern that trickled into adulthood and led to her meeting Epstein.
But ultimately, her proximity to Epstein, a wealthy financier who became a convicted sex offender, would be her downfall.
Maxwell spent years procuring young women and girls into her and Epstein’s orbit to groom them and then sexually abuse them together.
Continue reading...
President would allow release of all Epstein files, he tells reporters
Saturday 23 August 2025 23:00
,
Oliver O'Connell
President Donald Trump would allow the release of all files tied to Epstein, as requested by the House Oversight Committee, he has told reporters.
Speaking to the press in the Oval Office on Friday, he said he was “in support of keeping it open” but added the files could mention people who “don’t deserve” to be in them.
“Innocent people shouldn’t be hurt, but I’m in support of keeping it totally open. I couldn’t care less,” he said.
“You’ve got a lot of people that could be mentioned in those files that don’t deserve to be, you know, people, because he knew everybody in Palm Beach,” he added.
New York judge refuses to unseal Ghislaine Maxwell’s grand jury transcripts
Saturday 23 August 2025 22:45
,
Oliver O'Connell
The transcripts of Ghislaine Maxwell’s interview with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche may be public, but earlier this month, a New York judge refused a request from the Trump administration to unseal the federal grand jury transcripts in the case of the convicted sex offender, the former girlfriend of late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The U.S. government had failed to cite any “special circumstance” that would warrant release of the transcripts and exhibits in Maxwell’s sex abuse case, wrote Judge Paul Engelmayer of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in an opinion.
Isabel Keane filed this report at the time.
Watch: Maxwell talks about Epstein's birthday book
Saturday 23 August 2025 22:15
,
Oliver O'Connell
Blanche: We talked a few minutes ago about this birthday book… I understand you don't remember anything with Trump or a lot about the book anyway. Do you remember asking Trump to submit a letter for that?
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 22, 2025
Maxwell: I do not pic.twitter.com/KrojCp3qpA
Here’s what you need to know about the birthday book, as first reported by The Wall Street Journal:
Ghislaine Maxwell would 'welcome' any relief, lawyer says
Saturday 23 August 2025 22:00
,
Oliver O'Connell
Ghislaine Maxwell would “welcome any relief” that could come, her lawyer has previously said.
A pardon or a commutation, which could be issued by President Donald Trump, is her only likely hope for getting out of prison early.
In July, Trump said he “had not thought about” pardoning Maxwell, but the White House has been adamant that "no leniency is being given or discussed" in her case.
Nevertheless, Trump has not ruled out the possibility.
What did Maxwell say about other celebrities whose names appeared in court records?
Saturday 23 August 2025 21:45
,
Oliver O'Connell
Ghislaine Maxwell told Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche that, to her knowledge, actors Kevin Spacey and Chris Tucker did not visit any of Epstein's properties, according to transcripts of her testimony to the Justice Department.
Naomi Campbell, whose name has also appeared in unsealed records, was described by Maxwell as having a friendship with Epstein that was “independent” of her.
The actors and the supermodel were among the prominent figures whose names appeared in unsealed Epstein records, though none have been linked to any of Epstein's crimes.
Here’s a full list of people who appeared in those records: