ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE: US President Donald Trump disclosed that his falling out with Jeffrey Epstein stemmed from the financier poaching staff from the Mar-a-Lago spa, including Virginia Giuffre, who later accused Prince Andrew of sexual assault.
Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, said Epstein repeatedly hired away spa employees despite warnings. “People were taken out of the spa, hired by him, in other words gone,“ Trump said. “When I heard about it, I told him, ‘We don’t want you taking our people.’”
He confirmed Giuffre, who died by suicide in April, was among those recruited by Epstein. “I think she worked at the spa. He stole her,“ Trump added. The White House previously stated Trump banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago decades ago “for being a creep.”
Meanwhile, Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s imprisoned associate, has offered to testify before Congress if granted clemency or immunity. Her lawyers stated she would testify “openly and honestly” under protection but would otherwise invoke the Fifth Amendment.
The Justice Department recently interviewed Maxwell, though details remain undisclosed. The Supreme Court’s pending decision on her appeal could further delay any testimony. – AFP
