Ghislaine Maxwell begs Trump for help after having Epstein appeal denied: Live updates

A broken promise to release more information about the Jeffrey Epstein case has sparked outrage among some of President Donald Trump’s loyal supporters.

The Justice Department last week said Epstein, who was facing charges of sex trafficking, did not leave behind a ‘client list.’

The DOJ also released surveillance footage to back up its claim that Epstein killed himself in his prison cell in August 2019.

Attorney General Pam Bondi suggested in February it was on her desk, though she later said she was referring to the overall case file.

Bondi also said officials were poring over a ‘truckload’ of previously withheld evidence. The Justice Department concluded, however, that public disclosure would not be appropriate and that much of the material was placed under seal by a judge. That has angered right-wing influencers who were once bolstered by Trump’s own claims on this case, but are now feeling their demands are being squelched by his administration.

Figures like commentator Tucker Carlson, right-wing activist Laura Loomer, and former Trump adviser Steve Bannon claim the government’s handling of the case shows a lack of transparency. Anger over the case threatens to divide the MAGA faithful.

Epstein was a wealthy financier arrested in 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges. His former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, was charged with helping him abuse teenage girls.

Epstein was found dead in his cell at a federal jail in New York City about a month after he was arrested. Investigators concluded he killed himself. Maxwell later was convicted at trial and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

The case attracted attention because of Epstein and Maxwell’s links to famous people, including royals, presidents and billionaires. It also led to some of the biggest conspiracy theories animating Trump’s base.

Conservatives, led by key figures in the MAGA movement, have pressed unsubstantiated claims that Epstein was murdered and that ‘deep state’ actors in the government are hiding lists of his clients, videos of crimes being committed and other evidence. Trump himself suggested there was a cover-up.

Surveillance footage released last week to back up the DOJ’s claim that disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein killed himself in a New York City prison cell in August 2019 was likely edited, an in-depth report has found.

The nearly 11-hour clip secured from a camera stationed outside Epstein’s cell was ‘likely modified’ using the professional video editing software Adobe Premiere Pro, according to the analysis from Wired.

While the podcaster stopped short of directly accusing Trump of wrongdoing, she openly questioned his defense of Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel – both of whom had previously pledged that explosive names and evidence tied to Epstein would be released.

Kelly said: ‘There is something there, and it’s being covered up, and the president blessed it,’ she suggested during Monday’s episode of The Megyn Kelly Show.

‘I didn’t say, “There’s a child sex ring that he’s actively covering up”… but I think there’s some middle ground.’

In a pivot from her previous public defenses of the president, her declaration stunned her guest, conservative commentator and host Ben Shapiro, whose eyebrows visibly rose in surprise.

President Donald Trump has faced backlash for wishing Ghislaine Maxwell ‘well’ in 2020 as she faced trial for sex-trafficking.

‘I just wish her well, frankly. I’ve met her numerious times over the years, specially since I lived in Palm Beach, but I wish her well,’ Trump said at the time.

The president was confronted by Axios about the comments and doubled down on the sentiment.

‘Her friend, or boyfriend,was either killed or committed suicide in jail… She’s now in jail, I wish her well… I wish you well, I wish a lot of people well, Trump said.

‘I do wish her well, I’m not looking for anything bad for her, I’m not looking for bad for anybody.’

Maxwell, 63, is the only person behind bars – serving 20 years on child sex trafficking charges – despite the fact that pedophile Jeffrey Epstein allegedly controlled a web of underage girls.

Now a source said: ‘Despite the rumors, Ghislaine was never offered any kind of plea deal. She would be more than happy to sit before Congress and tell her story.

‘No-one from the government has ever asked her to share what she knows. She remains the only person to be jailed in connection to Epstein and she would welcome the chance to tell the American public the truth.’

Currently serving a 20-year prison sentence, Maxwell’s lawyers argued she shouldn’t have been put on trial in the first place because of the plea deal Epstein reached with Florida prosecutors in 2008.

But Donald Trump‘s Attorney General Pam Bondi’s DOJ responded in a filing on Monday saying that the Supreme Court should not take up her case.

At the time it was reported he had threatened to resign over the botched handling of the investigation, which has sparked mutiny within the MAGA ranks and turned some of Trump’s most loyal soldiers against him.

But Bongino, a podcaster who was picked out of political obscurity to help lead the new-and-improved FBI, reportedly returned to work this week under a cloud of uncertainty about his future at the agency.

By Monday morning, officials were starting to squirm and feared that Bongino would be a no-show yet again, but he arrived in the office a few hours later than expected.